Kambo

What is Kambo?

Kambo is a non-psychoactive secretion from the Phyllomedusa Bicolor (or Giant Monkey Frog) that has long been used by the Natives of the Amazon basin to ward off illness, and bad luck, and to give hunters strength and stamina. Practitioners of this traditional method have reported immense physical and psychological benefits from its application when used therapeutically. 

Kambo acts as a method to connect the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies, allowing deep self-reflection. In treatments with Kambo, you remain aware of the present moment. While participating in a Kambo treatment, you may notice the ability to explore deeper feelings.

Kambo’s incredible secretion contains bioactive peptides that have been studied by scientists for years (refer to the studies linked below). Some of the physical benefits participants have reported are;

  • Clearing of brain fog
  • Relief in feelings of depression and anxiety
  • Improvements to the immune system
  • Aid in addiction recovery
  • Improvement in circulation issues
  • Relief from chronic fatigue
  • Reduction in inflammation
  • Improvement with autoimmune conditions
  • Blood sugar regulation improvements

 

Kambo Treatments

Kambo is legal to practice and use in the United States

Kambo treatments can target specific areas that align with symptoms described by the recipient. Kambo is applied to the skin and often takes mere minutes to resonate with your body.

Recipients often feel a rush of heat to their face and head, followed by possible (not always) waves of purging brought on by the secretion.

We recommend a series of three sessions to see the best results, but more sessions may be needed depending on the participant.

What to Expect

A typical Kambo ceremony lasts about 2.5 hours. 

Kambo works mostly to purge the body of toxins and what is called “panema” or heaviness and dullness of the body and spirit. Applied topically to the skin through small burns, Kambo invokes a very physical experience involving feelings of heat throughout the body and is sometimes followed by vomiting and diarrhea as the body purges toxins from various organs. 

The time spent at the peak of the cleansing and purgative process can be as short as 10 minutes and as long as a couple of hours.

Health and Kambo

For most individuals, Kambo is safe when administered responsibly by an experienced practitioner. There are conditions in which I understand Kambo would not be appropriate.

Please note the following conditions in which Kambo is not suited to work with. 

  • History of aneurysm(s)
  • Active ulcers
  • Addison’s Disease
  • History of brain hemorrhage(s)
  • History of blood clot(s)
  • Boerhaave’s Syndrome
  • Chemotherapy or radiation treatments (6 weeks prior or 6 weeks afterward)
  • History of heart conditions, including;
    • Congestive heart disease
    • Heart bypass surgery
    • Heart valve replacement surgery
    • Implanted cardioverter defibrillators
    • Enlarged heart
    • Portal Hypertension
    • History of stroke(s)
    • History of low blood pressure
  • Currently breastfeeding
  • Oesophagus/Esophagus varices
  • Organ transplant
  • Participating in water-based detox methods of fasting for 7 days or more
  • Pregnant (we recommend taking a pregnancy test if there is a chance you may be pregnant before sessions)
  • Serious mental health conditions such as Schizophrenia and Dissociative Identity Disorder
  • Severe liver disease
  • Tumors/Ulcers in the throat
  • Untreated eosinophilic esophagitis

More About Kambo

Kambo contains a powerful combination of bioactive peptides. These powerful peptides and their biological implications are as follows:

Phyllomedusin and Phyllokinin

  • Potent vessel dilators
  • Increases the permeability of the blood-brain barrier which facilitates access to the brain of these two peptides, as well as other active peptides
  • Strongly affects intestines, and bowels, and contributes to deep purging

Phllocaerulin and Sauvagine

  • Both cause a fall in blood pressure accompanied by tachycardia which is a heart rate that exceeds a normal resting rate
  • Stimulate the adrenal cortex and the pituitary gland, contributing to heightened sensory perception and increased stamina
  • Possess a strong analgesic effect, enhance endurance, increase physical strength, and in general, enhance the capacity to face pain and stressful situation
  • Digestive aids, and have demonstrated analgesic effects for those with renal colic, pain due to peripheral vascular insufficiency, and cancer pain

Dermophin and Deltorphin

  • Potent mu-opiod receptor agonist
  • 4000 times stronger than morphine
  • 40 times stronger than endogenic b-endorphins

Dermaseptin

  • Potent antimicrobial for both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria
  • Antiviral for herpes simplex virus

Adenoregulin

  • Acts on the adenosine receptors. These receptors play various roles in the heart such as:
  • Regulating myocardial oxygen consumption and coronary blood flow
  • Anti-inflammatory effects throughout the body
  • Support brain functions by regulating the release of other neurotransmitters such as dopamine and glutamate
  • Peripherally and are involved in processes such as inflammation and immune responses

Please note that while research is still ongoing, all of Kambo’s properties are not scientifically understood. 

Photo of a Kambo tray with a crystal frog next to the stick with four points of Kambo and a knife and spoon next to the stick.

Resources

Peter Gorman
Peter Gorman, Sapo in My Soul
“Sapo frog: strange medicine that sharpens the senses”

Giovanni Lattanzi
Kambo-Scientific Research Healing Treatments

TV Show “The Doctors” on Kambo: Featuring Simon Scott
Kambo: Alternative Amazonian Healing Technique

ABC News- Cleansing with Kambo
 https://abcnews.go.com/International/amazonian-tree-frogs-poison-part-latest-super-cleanse/story?id=46431345

Huffington Post, Scientists Collaborating with Shamans in the Amazon:
 https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/shaman-medicine-autoimmune-disease_us_55f8737be4b0d6492d633c23

Psychedelic Times, Kambo for Emotional Relief and in Difficult Times:
https://psychedelictimes.com/kambo/catharsis-after-tragedy-how-kambo-can-help-process-difficult-events/

Venom Based Medicines and Use:
http://www.biochemist.org/bio/03105/0034/031050034.pdf

Kambo for Treatment and Prevention of Herpes:
http://psychedelictimes.com/kambo/understanding-dermaseptin-kambos-antiviral-peptide-that-may-treat-herpes/\

Cancer Research:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-13676752

Investigating the medicinal benefits of Kambo:
http://www.albertojosevarela.com/en/investigating-the-healing-power-of-kambo-the-solution-to-so-many-human-malaises-comes-from-the-frogs-of-the-amazon/

Frog secretions used as hunting magic in the upper Amazon
Peptides Adensine Receptor:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1438301

Science Daily: Vanderbilt University Medical Center on Frog Peptides
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/09/050930080923.htm

Physical Benefits:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/09/050930080923.htm

Antimicrobial Peptides:
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Antimicrobial-peptides-from-Phyllomedusa-frogs%3A-to-Calderon-Silva/09358ac7ad82dd47eb40d2fd5c26f344d1bbbb99

Kambo Peptide Adenoregulin:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4493916/

Kambo Peptide: Dermorphin – related peptides from the skin and their amidated analogs activate two mu-opiod receptor subtypes that modulate anticiception and catalepsy in the rat:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC49674/

Kambo Peptide Phyllokinin:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1510924/

Kambo use in Professional Athletes Recovery: 
https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/2017/07/20/martavis-bryant-uses-poison-frogs-to-help-with-recovery/

The Essential Guide to Kambo:
https://thethirdwave.co/psychedelics/kambo/