This interesting chemical is alternately known as “the most dangerous drug in the world” and “the scariest drug in the world.”

Devil’s Breath is a powerful drug that is currently being dealt with on the streets of Columbia. It’s a strong hallucinogenic and an amnesiac. It’s highly addictive and can be deadly.

Usually in the form of a powder, Devil’s Breath comes from the borrachero tree, a botanical in Columbia with a name that loosely translates into “the-get-you-drunk” tree. This plant blooms with deceptively beautiful white and yellow flowers.

The drug is said to be so powerful that within minutes of administration, people turn into zombie-like creatures. The victims remain coherent, but they become child-like and have no free will.

Columbian drug gangs are using this drug, and its interesting side effects, as an innovative and lucrative new business, and stories of victims of these gangs are becoming urban legends.

People have been raped, robbed, forced to empty bank accounts, and even coerced into giving up body organs while under the drug’s influence. One man even killed while under the influence.

The substance is odorless, tasteless and is especially easy to administer either by inhalation or ingestion. In large doses, it can be deadly.

An often-used method of administration is to blow the powdered drug into the face of a passer-by on the street. Within minutes, the victim is under the drug’s influence and loses all capacity for rational thinking. The victim is turned into a complete mental zombie and the memory process of the brain is blocked.

While under the influence, the victim is easily controlled by suggestions and verbal commands to perform unspeakable acts. People have even been known to help robbers steal valuables from the victims’ own homes or hotel rooms.

After the drug wears off, victims have no recollection of what happened, what they did under the influence and cannot even identify the people responsible for administering the drug in the first place.

Interestingly, in ancient times the drug was administered to the mistresses of dead Columbian leaders. The women were given the substance, told to enter their master’s grave and were then simply buried alive and forgotten.

As with many botanical substances that are used for illicit purposes, this chemical also has beneficial effects. In fact, the chemical is marketed in the United States under the name scopolamine and hyoscine. Cruise ship travelers might even use this chemical in the form of a scopolamine patch for seasickness.

So, for a very unique method of controlling a character in your novel (or possibly your spouse), blow a little Columbian Devil’s Breath into their face. They’ll never remember what was asked of them or what they did as a result.

Thoughts? Comments? I’d love to hear them!