Scopolamine powder, sometimes known as “Devil’s Breath” or “burundanga,” is a potent anticholinergic drug with legitimate medical uses for treating nausea and motion sickness. However, it is a dangerous substance when misused in high doses due to its ability to induce amnesia, disorientation, and a highly impressionable state, which has led to its notorious use in crimes.
Medical Uses
Scopolamine is an essential medicine on the World Health Organization’s List and is primarily used under professional medical supervision in specific forms, such as transdermal patches or injections.
- Motion Sickness: It is widely used to prevent nausea and vomiting caused by motion.
- Postoperative Nausea: Doctors use it to manage nausea and vomiting after surgery and anesthesia.
- Other Uses: It is sometimes used to treat gastrointestinal spasms, irritable bowel syndrome, and reduce saliva production before surgery.
“Devil’s Breath” and Criminal Misuse
The powdered form of scopolamine is infamously referred to as “Devil’s Breath,” particularly in South American countries like Colombia. In high, uncontrolled doses, it can cause severe effects:
- Amnesia and Disorientation: Victims often experience severe memory loss and confusion, unable to recall events or identify perpetrators.
- Vulnerability: The drug can make individuals drowsy and submissive, stripping away their ability to make decisions or resist.
- Criminal Activity: It has been linked to crimes such as robbery, sexual assault, and kidnapping, where victims may be coerced into performing acts against their will while incapacitated.
- Dangerous Effects: An overdose can lead to serious health complications including respiratory failure, seizures, coma, or death.
Safety and Precautions
The effects of scopolamine are highly dose-dependent. While small, medically supervised doses are safe, high doses are extremely dangerous.
- Administration: In criminal cases, the powder is reportedly administered orally in food/drinks or sometimes blown into a victim’s face, though skin absorption in this manner is considered less likely to cause the severe “zombifying” effects often sensationalized in media.
- FDA Warning: The FDA has issued warnings about the risk of hyperthermia (dangerously increased body temperature) with scopolamine use, especially in children and the elderly.
- Travel Safety: When traveling to areas where this drug is reportedly an issue, tourists are advised to be cautious, avoid accepting food, drinks, or cigarettes from strangers, and be aware of their surroundings.
