Kambo: Vaccine of the Forest
“It is venom and it is medicine. It is frog, “toad,” and snake. It is saliva and it is water. It is well researched and completely mysterious. It is magic and it is science. The human body recognizes it instantly, while our culture often mistakes it for something else. In water, in trees, on land—it is fluidity and unity. It is the sacred secretions of the Matsés, the cat people, now the eagle. Happens fast, feels like forever. It is sapo, and it is kambo. It is the Amphibian, in our bodies, souls and worlds.”
--Morgan Maher, from the forward of Sapo in My Soul.
The Allure
What if you were offered a way that could potentially combat your depression, undo your addiction, relieve your pain, manage your chronic illness symptoms, shift your perspective, open your heart, and improve your immunity, detox your system—all without the devastating side effects of pharmaceutical drugs? There is a wealth of evidence from anecdotal accounts that suggests Kambo could offer a way to better, healthier living: people tend to get sick less often, have increased energy, mental focus, and resilience, feel less pain, depression, and sadness, process emotions more intelligently, release past traumas, and more. Kambo practitioners around the world are using Kambo successfully on their clients for PTSD, depression, anxiety, fertility issues, chronic pain and fatigue, hormone imbalances, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV, MS, Lyme’s disease, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure, and many more.
Kambo works on more than just the physical body. Kambo also works on balancing our energies and aligning our spirits by creating internal space, giving us the ability to be less reactive and more reflective. Kambo helps realign our chakras, as well as integrate our mind with our hearts. Many people also assert that synchronicities and good luck are more prevalent after Kambo. How exactly does the poison of a frog help us improve our health, and how did we come to use this approach?
From Out of the Jungle
Kambo is the poisonous secretion of the “giant green monkey tree frog” that has been used for thousands of years by indigenous tribes in Columbia, Peru, Brazil, and the Guianas to heal and strengthen the mind, body, and spirit, clear “panama” (bad luck), and improve hunting abilities. This frog, the Phyllomedusa Bicolor, makes its home in the canopies of the rainforests in the Upper Amazon, and was largely unrecognized by Westerners until the mid-80s when American anthropologist, Katherine Miller identified its use among the Mayoruna tribe in Brazil.
Shortly thereafter, investigative journalist, Peter Gorman began to document his Kambo experiences with the Matses tribe in Peru. It wasn’t until late 1990 that Gorman was able to get a sample of the frog secretion for Italian scientist, Vittorio Erspamer, of the University of Rome, who was the first to discover the well-known neurotransmitter serotonin. Erspamer, who was also nominated twice for a Nobel Prize, concluded that Kambo contains a “fantastic chemical cocktail with potential medical applications, unequalled by any other amphibians.” His findings brought much attention to and understanding of the benefits of the peptides, the active compounds found in Kambo.
During the past decade, Kambo has found its way out of the jungle and into the minds and hearts of people worldwide looking for alternative forms of relief and potential healing.
The Ordeal
While there is no clinical research to prove Kambo has curative powers, there is clearly an intelligence at work here. When the frog secretion is first applied, there is a sense that the body is being scanned by the spirt of Kambo, that it is reaching, seeking to find that which is no longer serving us so that we can dispel, through purging, those detriments to our energetic, spiritual, and physical bodies.
There is a reason that Kambo is considered an “ordeal” medicine—frog poison is applied directly to the lymphatic system and a series of bodily and mental effects begin to occur immediately. Small gates (“holes,” initially 3-5) are burned in the skin, then the top layer of dermis is peeled back so that the secretion can be applied. As this happens, 1.5-2 liters of water is consumed by the person receiving Kambo, after which the secretion is applied and the person begins the “ordeal.”
The effects are felt almost immediately, but it’s important to realize that the body is humbly accepting the frog secretion as our bodies recognize and share the same chemistry with it. A person will feel an enormous “rush” of blood, causing feelings of pressure in the head, neck, and face. Swelling of throat, tongue, and face may also occur, as well as stomach cramping and nausea. Numbness of limbs, general rigor, and fainting may also be experienced. And it is pretty much a guarantee that one or more forms of purging will happen.
But the process lasts for only about 15-30 minutes, and once the ordeal is over, a new, stronger sense of being is felt. People either feel the benefits right away—immense increase in energy, clearer vision, and more focus; while other benefits may take a few days or more to notice—reduced pain, less depression, sense of clarity, more emotional intelligence, etc. How does such a distinctive shift occur?
Those Powerful Peptides
The human body has an amazing defense system and will reject and eliminate any toxic substance introduced to it. Indeed, often times when a foreign substance enters the body, the cells will lock up and not permit entrance. Kambo contains many bioactive peptides, however, so our cells open up and readily accept the frog poison. Since bioactive peptides are basically chains of amino acids that perform a specific and positive biological function, Kambo is a natural substance that our bodies recognize and open up to at the cellular level. Kambo also contain neuroactive peptides that break the blood-brain barrier.
Basically, what ensues is a deep cleansing of the body from the inside out. As the Kambo courses through the bloodstream, it loosens the plaque buildup that can cause heart disease due to diminished blood flow. Similarly, it sheds dirt, fat, and dead skin from our pores so that our skin can breathe as it should. Kambo also eliminates all toxins that clog and diminish our organs, offering a deep cleanse. Again, the pain and discomfort come from the release of toxins that have been stored up in the body.
Conscientious Choices for Care
If you want to try Kambo, it is important to do your research and find an experienced, trained practitioner. There are only three main purposes of a Kambo practitioner: 1) apply the Kambo; 2) hold space; 3) and keep people safe. While Kambo is safe, there are variables that create risks around its use that only a trained person would know about. It is essential to consume the correct amount of water—too little and you will suffer needlessly; too much and hypernatremia will set in.
Since Kambo is not for everybody, a skilled practitioner will ask questions to weed out any potential clients with contraindications (missing organs, several mental health issues, weak hearts, and pregnant women are the main ones). Also, understanding medications and their reactions is essential to keep clients safe. It is also imperative that you have a skilled practitioner who is prepared to deal with whatever happens during the ceremony, including fainting, anxiety, rigor, etc. Lastly, a trained person also understands and respects the importance of creating ceremony around the application of Kambo.
The International Association of Kambo Practitioners (IAKP) is a great place to begin your search for a skilled and reputable Kambo practitioner. They extensively train their members so that people using Kambo stay safe and informed. The IAKP also wants to keep the Kambo safe, to make sure there is integrity around its use, understanding of its powers, and respect for the tribes from which it comes. If you feel called to try Kambo, access the IAKP website to learn more or to find a practitioner near you.
**article published in November/December 2019 issue of E.P.I.C, Magazine