The following information is for educational purposes only.
This traditional healing medicine goes by many different names...
Kambo.
Sapo.
Dow-kiet.
Hunting magic.
Ordeal medicine.
Vaccine of the forest.
Guardian of the leaf.
Known as the Giant Green Monkey Tree Frog in the West, the waxy secretion from this Amazonian amphibian carries the reputation for being one of the most powerful natural substances to bring the mind-body-soul connection back into balance.
Traditionally, Kambo is used to ensure hunting success by increasing strength, energy, endurance, and heightening the senses, as well as being used as a general jungle medicine to treat snake bites, malaria, infections, pathogens and fever.
One of it’s other well known uses is clearing away ”panema", which loosely translate to dark, heavy, negative energies.
Alongside indigenous use, many thousands of people around the globe are recognizing Kambo for being a multi-dimensional traditional medicine for a wide variety of illnesses and challenges across all levels of being:
The physical, mental, emotional, energetic and spiritual.
THE TRADITIONAL ORIGINS OF KAMBO
Kambo is found all across the Amazonian basin, from Peru to Brazil to Colombia and beyond.
Various tribes have their own traditions and legends about the origins of Kambo.
One of the most well known legends comes from the Kaxinawá people, also referred to as the Huni Kuin, indigenous to Brazil.
This is how it goes...
Once upon a time, many moons ago, a medicine man known as Kampu tried desperately to cure his tribes people who were incredibly sick.
He used all kinds of medicinal herbs but nothing was helping, so he journeyed deep into the forest to receive guidance from Ayahuasca, a sacred visionary plant medicine.
It was here that Kampu was visited by a spirit guardian, who delicately carried a frog in her hands. She taught him about the healing properties of this frog, including how to use its secretion to cure his ailing tribe.
After returning with this profound knowledge and wisdom, he was able use the secretion to rid his people of their illnesses.
It is said that after Kampu's death, his spirit lived on in the frog, becoming a protector and guardian of the forest, while gifting the people with the ability to continue using this powerful healing medicine.
THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF KAMBO
Despite the intense and challenging nature of Kambo, there are many reasons why people return to this indigenous medicine.
In the right setting, Kambo offers us opportunities to realign and recalibrate to deeper levels of health, wellness, heart, and spirit. The secretion contains numerous bioactive peptides which trigger bodily responses reported to be conducive to systemic healing.
Physical:
On a physical level, Kambo can initiate a potent detoxification and cleansing process, carrying great potential to help those who suffer from many ailments.
Some of the issues that Kambo has been reported to assist with include chronic fatigue, chronic pain, inflammation, recurrent infections, alcohol and drug addictions, fertility issues, thyroid problems, parasitic, bacterial, fungal and pathogenic infections, candida, gut problems, lyme disease, HIV, herpes, hepatitis, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, Parkinsons disease, Alzheimers, autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, and much more.
Kambo also has the potential to offer assistance when it comes recalibrating the nervous and endocrine system, helping to bring homeostasis and harmony to chronic imbalances.
Mental:
Aside from targeting specific health conditions, Kambo can offer potential benefits when it comes to psychological health and well-being, helping to improve our cognitive capacities, bringing clarity of mind, overcoming limiting beliefs, increasing focus, heightening our awareness and sharpening the senses.
Emotional:
On an emotional level, Kambo has potential to be a powerful ally when it comes to anxiety, depression and stress, PTSD, clearing emotional baggage, processing and healing past traumas, enhancing resilience to stress and fatigue, while boosting overall mood and well-being.
Energetic & Spiritual:
Energetically and spiritually, Kambo can help us create a deeper connection to our hearts, and to the natural world around us. Alongside Kambo’s potential to cleanse the energy field and rebalance the chakras. Kambo can help bring clarity to our hearts calling and souls expression; illuminating our values, our truths, and our wisdom within. Kambo can also be used in the context of end-of-life transition, helping loved one’s cross the rainbow bridge as pain-free, fear-free and joyful as possible.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING A KAMBO EXPERIENCE?
Kambo is an extraordinarily intuitive medicine.
We could look at Kambo from the scientific side, assessing the various peptides and their physiological response on the body, or, from the metaphysical side, looking at how it works holistically and energetically. Either way, Kambo seems to know exactly how and where to navigate within our individual systems, with each experience being unique in it's own way.
The most common, and reportedly the safest way to administer Kambo is through the skin, into the lymphatic system. A special stick or vine is used to burn small "gates" onto the very top layer of skin; akin to a very mild blister. This blistered skin is carefully removed, leaving a small opening.
A small wooden stick contains the dried secretion, which is reconstituted with water and divided into small points. Approximately 10-15 minutes IMMEDIATELY prior to having Kambo applied, a designated amount of water is consumed to help mitigate some of the heat rise in the body and to assist with the purging process.
The Kambo secretion is then applied onto the small burn sites. This allows the secretion to enter the body via the lymphatic system, where the effects are felt almost immediately. Traditionally, men have the medicine applied to their upper left arm or chest, while women typically have it placed on their lower right leg.
Kambo treatments can also incorporate chakra points, as well as auricular (ear) and meridian points. The type of treatment will depend on prior experience, subsequent treatments, and one’s intentions for taking Kambo.
During the experience, Kambo is scanning and navigating it's way around the body.
While there are never any guarantees as to what Kambo will offer, most people report a combination of uncomfortable and intense sensations, generally coming on immediately after Kambo is applied onto the skin, and passing with 20-45 minutes. A warmth and flushing of the skin often arises, with an increase in heart rate, and growing pressure in the head and upper body. People may experience slight swelling, dizziness, shaking, trembling, tingling, sweating, nausea, pain, cathartic release, purging, defecation and even fainting.
Although fainting may sound disconcerting, it's a completely normal process in the context of working with Kambo. The physiological process behind fainting is due to the temporary reduction in blood pressure, however it doesn’t just stop there. It’s likely that there are energetic processes at play, with the system potentially needing to ‘reboot’ to allow for larger actions to occur, such as the discharge of dense heavy energy, or subconscious trauma release.
The purging process is certainly encouraged and for the most part an inherent physiological response, allowing and aiding the body to release the toxins and energies that aren’t serving us – physically, emotionally, mentally and energetically.
Purging can come in a number of different ways – from the top end, the bottom end, and as mentioned, through profuse sweating, shaking, crying, or any other kind of cathartic release. In some instances however, it doesn’t come at all. Whatever the case, the purging process is a process to embrace. We don't view it as being sick. Instead, we view it as getting well.
As mentioned, there are never any guarantees in the discomfort one may experience, with people occasionally reporting deep states of calm meditation, alongside feelings of euphoria and bliss.
Immediately after the process, you’ll feel invigorated, or exhausted.
Either way, it’s important to rest up to let the full potential for Kambo’s mind-body-spirit healing power to unfurl. The subsequent days after a treatment is when people generally begin to feel the real benefits of Kambo, feeling clean, clear, rejuvenated and energised. For some, the after-effects are more subtle.
There are a number of people that will experience a herxheimer response, also known as a "healing crisis", in the days following their treatment. This is a detoxification reaction to the body clearing out large amounts of toxins.
If you’re knowingly, or unknowingly, carrying a latent illness, it’s entirely possible for new or old symptoms of this illness to bubble up to the surface. Kambo has the potential to uproot dense and dormant energies, so that your body can continue to clear out whatever needs to be removed from the system, aligning to its own innate healing wisdom.
As with any kind of transformational work, integration – the period of time after the actual experience - is one of the most important aspects of the process. If you’re going back to an unhealthy lifestyle, the benefits won’t be as pronounced. The key here is to work in conjunction with these medicines; taking the necessary steps to align to deeper levels of health, wellness, virtues, values, heart, soul and spirit.
WHO CAN'T TAKE KAMBO:
CONTRAINDICATIONS
While many people can receive Kambo safely when responsibly administered by an experienced practitioner, it is reported that a number of people with contraindications aren't suited to safely experience Kambo.
These include:
People who are under 18 years of age
People who have serious heart problems (bypass, enlarged heart, heart valve replacement)
People who have pacemakers
People who have had a stroke
People who are taking medication for low blood pressure
People who have had a brain haemorrhage
People who have aneurysms or blood clots
People who lack the mental capacity to make their own decision to take Kambo
People who have serious mental health problems (excluding depression, PTSD and anxiety)
People who are undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy
People who are taking immune-suppressants for organ transplant
People with Addison's disease
People with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
People with current and severe epilepsy
People who are recovering from a major surgical procedure within 8 weeks
Women who are pregnant or suspect they may be so
Women who are breastfeeding babies under the age of 6 months old
People who have worked with Bufo Alvarius (toad medicine) in the last 6-8 weeks prior to Kambo
This is not a complete comprehensive list. If you have any concerns or serious health issues, it’s important to disclose these with your facilitator prior to treatment to reduce any risks of working with Kambo.
CAUTIONS & CONSIDERATIONS
Caution is required in the following cases.
Please disclose any of the following with your facilitator prior to ceremony.
People taking slimming, serotonin and/or sleeping supplements.
People taking immune-suppressants for auto-immune disorders.
People with active drug or alcohol addictions.
People who have been fasting/water-fasting for 7 days before Kambo.
People who have had enemas, colonics, liver flushes or any water-based detox 3 days before taking Kambo.
If you're taking or have recently stopped taking any medications.
If you're taking or have recently stopped taking any diet/slimming pills.
If you're regularly taking anti-diuretic medication or sports drinks.
If you have ever been, or are currently bulimic or anorexic.
If you're epileptic.
If you have abnormally high or low blood pressure.
If you have liver or kidney problems.
If you have any chronic or serious health issues.
If you have diabetes.
People with esophageal issues / calcified cricoid.
Severe injury or trauma to the esophagus from endoscopy.
Tumors in the throat.
Ulcers in the throat.
Physical trauma or injury to the neck (often caused by car or motorcycle accidents)
Gastro-intestinal Reflux
Chronic inflammatory response syndrome due to mold exposure
It is important to note that while Kambo has a reasonable safety record, there are risks involved -however small- when engaging this kind of work.
A small number of accidents and deaths have occurred in the past due to negligence, malpractice, and serving Kambo to those with contraindications and serious pre-existing health conditions. In contrast to the accidents and deaths from Western pharmaceutical medications, the number of Kambo related accidents is infinitesimally small.
While the likelihood of accidents is very small when responsibly administered, it is a possibility that some people have undetected health issues which may become problematic when engaging Kambo. It is important for both practitioner and participant weigh up any risks prior to entering the process.
You can read more about safety and risks here on our FAQ page.
WHAT IS RAPÉ, SANANGA & DRAGONS BLOOD?
Rapé
Rapé is a traditional Amazonian powdered snuff, made from a combination of leaves, seeds, bark, herbs, spices, oils, flowers and ash. Consisting of various medicinal plants, roots and trees, the base generally consists of 'mapacho', or Amazonian tobacco (Nicotiana Rustica).
Unlike the abuse of tobacco in the Western world, many indigenous people consider tobacco to be one of the most sacred and revered of all plant medicines. With sincere intention, it can be used by itself, or as an adjunct with other healing medicines, such as Kambo.
Breathing is momentarily suspended while the snuff is blown through both nostrils, using a small pipe typically made from bamboo or bone. The powder isn't sniffed back into the throat, and doesn't reach the lungs; rather, it sits high in the nasal cavity while the receiver has the opportunity to drop into meditation and stillness, connecting with the energy of this traditional medicine. Rapé may induce heightened awareness, mental focus, clarity, deeper meditation, cleansing, grounding, emotional and energetic release, spiritual insight, opening of the heart, as well as clearing headaches, sinus problems, and connecting with the healing spirits of the forest.
In specific instances, Rapé may be suggested during the middle of a Kambo treatment to help facilitate the release of blockages and encourage the purging process. Some facilitators will combine rapé (and sananga) as a synergy of medicines during the overarching ritualistic healing process, while others solely administer Kambo.
Sananga
Sananga is a traditional Amazonian plant medicine in the form of eye drops, made from the shredded root of a rain-forest shrub.
On a physical level, it's suggested that these liquid eye drops can be beneficial when used as a treatment for cataracts, glaucoma, conjunctivitis, dry and red eyes, eye infections, sinusitis and chronic headaches. It has been known to sharpen one's vision, improving colour perception and image definition, giving the environment greater texture and depth.
After the initial discomfort of having a drop of Sananga placed in each eye, this plant medicine can help to induce a sense of calm and stillness, with the feeling of being grounded and centered. It's also known to help clear dense energies and open the third eye; allowing the heightened capacity of vision not only on a physical level, but a metaphysical level, helping to keep one balanced emotionally, mentally, energetically and spiritually.
Dragons Blood
Known in Spanish as Sangre de Drago, this dark red viscous sap is extracted from the South American tree, Croton Lechleri. Natives have used it for centuries to heal cuts, scratches, abrasions, lacerations, stings, rashes, insect bites, ulcers, gastritis and diarrhoea.
This medicinal resin is applied to the open wounds once Kambo's secretion has been removed; acting as a protective bandage, sealing the openings on the skin, reducing scarring, and accelerating the healing process.
Modern research has backed up indigenous wisdom once again, with studies revealing Dragons Bloods analgesic, antioxidant, inflammatory modulating and wound healing properties.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND KAMBO
Tribes throughout the Amazon have known about the healing potential and deep wisdom found within Kambo for centuries.
Science has slowly been catching up with its analytical exploration, somewhat substantiating the healing potential within this sacred medicine.
Over the past three decades, research has been conducted on the various peptides in this secretion, uncovering the healing potential for a range of physical illnesses, lending credence to the wealth of anecdotal reports.
The first person to analyse Kambo in a lab was an Italian Scientist by the name of Vittorio Erspamer; the same man who first discovered the neurotransmitter Serotonin, and was twice nominated for a Nobel Prize.
In 1986, Erspamer concluded that Phyllomedusa Bicolor – the Kambo frog, contained a “fantastic chemical cocktail with potential medical applications, unequalled by any other amphibian...”
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
If you have questions that haven’t been answered here, please check out the FAQ page.
Is Kambo safe? Is Kambo legal? Can I drive afterwards? How many sessions are needed? Is Kambo a poison? What are the risks? All of these questions and more are answered over at our FAQ page.
