'Flip or Flop' star Christina Haack said smoking toad venom made her less egotistical and prepared her for a relationship

• Christina Haack, host of HGTV's "Flip or Flop," said she smoked psychedelic toad venom to treat her anxiety.
• The 38-year-old smoked 5-MeO-DMT, a venom that can cause hallucinations.
• The toad venom is much stronger that some psychedelics, being four to six times more potent than DMT.

Christina Haack, host of HGTV's "Flip or Flop," opened up about smoking psychedelic toad venom on Instagram on Saturday.

The 38-year-old smoked 5-MeO-DMT, a chemical naturally excreted from Bufo Alvarius toads that causes hallucinations.

The toad venom is known to be much stronger than some psychedelics, being four to six times more potent than DMT. Unlike other psychedelics with longer trips, Insider previously reported 5-MeO-DMT trips last between 30 and 90 minutes.

"My experience felt like my ego was being ripped away from me - a much needed 'ego death,'" Haack wrote on her Instagram story.

Haack posted a picture of her new partner on Instagram, saying the ego death she experienced after smoking the Bufo Alvarius toad venom helped her be emotionally ready for a relationship when she met him.

The mother of three said she used the venom to treat her chronic anxiety she had been dealing with for years.

"I met Josh when I wasn't in a state of fear or fight-or-flight … I had taken time off social, hired a spiritual coach and smoked a Bufo toad (which basically reset my brain and kicked out years of anxiety in 15 mins)," she wrote.

Haack isn't the only public figure touting the benefits of toad venom. Insider's Julia Naftulin previously reported celebrities like Mike Tyson have used 5-MeO-DMT to have spiritual experiences.

Research suggests toad venom could help treat anxiety

Research suggests people with anxiety can benefit from smoking 5-MeO-DMT. A 2018 study found the drug could be helpful for people treating their anxiety and depression.

Of the 362 participants in the study, 80% said they felt like their depression was less severe after tripping and 79% said their anxiety was less severe.

While research on the intersection of 5-MeO-DMT and mental health is growing, it is still considered illegal in the US.