What is Kambo?

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Kambo is a traditional Amazonian medicine derived from the giant tree frog. It is known as the vaccine of the Forest. It works in psychosomatic ways to heal deep emotional trauma and unresolved resentments, guilt, shame, and grief.  Rambo medicine is used for the clearance of obstacles and obstruction in ones life, and for physical detox of toxic accumulations.  Most often it is used to boost immunity and prevent disease for one year through completing three Kambo sessions in one moon cycle.  It strongly cleans the blood, kickstarts metabolism, detoxifies the digestive tract,  liver and gallbladder, and heals emotional trauma. 

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Kambo medicine is extracted from the Philomedusa Bicolor frog, without harming it and placed on wooden paddles to dry.Thin wooden sticks are used to  burn small holes in the most superficial layer of the skin of either the arm, leg, ankle, chest, or stomach to allow an access point for the medicine to be applied. The wooden paddles often soaked in water for a short time to moisten the medicine, yet the traditional application method utilizes saliva making the medicine more potent and less diluted. The moistened venom is then rolled into paste-like  dots which are applied to the superficial burns. 

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“Kambô circulates in the heart. One shaman stated that when we take Kambô it makes the heart move more accurately, so that things flow, bringing good things to a person. This concept related to the idea of an energetic cloud hovering over a person, preventing good things from coming to them. When he  or she takes the Kamba medicine the cloud is lifted away, making things easier.

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Research conducted since the 1980s has shown the chemical makeup of kambo to contain short chains of amino acids, known as peptides, that affect gastrointestinal muscles and blood circulation, as well as stimulate the adrenal cortex and pituitary gland in the brain. Kambo has been traditionally used to treat:

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• Allergies

• Depression

• Migraines

• Blood circulation problems

• Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease

• Vascular insufficiency

• Organ diseases

• Cancer 

• Fertility problems

• Deeply rooted toxins

• Chronic pain

• Addiction to opiate or prescription painkillers

• (Reduces physical pain, helping people kick their addictions to other painkillers)

• Fever and infections

• Negative energies (traditionally known as “panema”)

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Overview:

 

This medicine is known as “Sapo” in Peru, and also known as “Acaté” by the Matses tribe in Peru, but more commonly known as “Kambô” in Brazil.  The frogs are found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, French Guiana, Suriname and Venezuela.  According to a Kaxinawá (Huni Kuin – indigenous tribe from Brazil) legend tells that the indigenous people of the village were very sick, and the Shaman Kampu had done everything that was possible to cure them. All medicinal herbs known were used, but none helped his people’s agony.

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Shaman Kampu then entered the forest and under the effect of ayahuasca, received the visit of the great God. He brought in his hands a frog, from which he took a white secretion, and was taught how to apply. Returning to the tribe and following the guidelines that he had received, the Shaman Kampu was able to cure his community. After his death, the spirit of Kampu has started living in the frog and the indigenous people began to use it’s secretion to stay active and healthy.

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Kambô has been found to contain numerous bio-active peptides, which aid deep healing and cleansing for many various ailments and conditions.  It has been used for thousands of years by many indigenous tribes of the Amazon jungle. They have been using this sacred medicine to boost their immune system, and to improve their hunting skills, by sharpening their perceptual faculties and awareness whilst hunting in the Amazon jungle.

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It’s been traditionally used to lift “panema” – it can be thought of as bad luck, depression, laziness, sadness, or negative energetic influences, which attract difficulties and disease. The frog is always unharmed during the secretion extraction process and is only mildly stressed for a very short amount of time. Generally, it is considered extremely bad form by the indigenous people to harm the frog in any way, as it could offend the animal spirits of the jungle, and bring about misfortune.  Afterwards, the stick is wrapped in a corn leaf to protect it’s sacred contents. When you unwrap a Kambo stick, it’s surface contains the dried secretions of the frog venom.

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Administration of Kambo:

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In the Amazon, kambo is traditionally collected early in the morning, when the Phyllomedusa bicolor—the giant monkey frog from which the venom is derived—are singing and can easily be found. Without harming them, a shaman scrapes venom from the frog’s skin with a stick. The venom is then administered to a person via small holes that are burned into the top few layers of their skin, usually on the arm. 

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Undertaking a kambo ceremony can be an intense experience. In addition to burning holes in the top layers of the skin, it can be physically challenging. After receiving Kambo a person may experience muscle cramps, swelling, vomiting, tingling and numbness in the extremities, and strong feelings of deep emotional processing.  Afterwords a feeling calm, peacefulness, and physical health ensues. These feelings of well being extend into the following week, and a large increase in energy and metabolism follows.  People tend to find life easier afterwords, are more motivated for life, and gravitate less towards negativity and addictions. 

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Applications may take 20 - 30 minutes.  The entire process  may take around an hour or two. It is an extremely healing practice which invoked both physical and emotional improvements in people who use or receive it.  Post Kambo people feel peaceful, less stressed, lighter, and a sense of relief.  A few hours after Kambo a large kick in energy ensues. People find that Kambo lifts them of fatigue and increases their energy enabling them to need to sleep less. Fora few days to a week after Kambo, there is still an element of emotional processing taking place so it is very important to avoid alcohol and mind altering substances to allow the medicine space to finalize it's healing. 

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How to Prepare for Kambo:

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Kambo is best taken on an empty stomach fasting beforehand from 4-12 hours. Alcohol and sex should be avoided 24 hours before Kambo and after. Salt should be avoided the day Kambo is taken. It is vital to drink 2 liters of water before receiving Kambo.  It is traditionally applied in a therapeutic set of 3 sessions within 1 moon cycle for 1 full year of immunity. 

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Short Term/Long Term Effects:

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The short term effects of receiving Kambo can include increased stamina, less fatigue, hunger, and thirst. Other short term effects include increased sensory perception and ability to concentrate and still the mind. The short term effects can last for days or weeks. Long term, Kambo can greatly aid in the prevention of pathogenic illness and support overall health and longevity. It reboots the immune system, supplements chronic fatigue, and increase ones overall quality of life. People whom regularly take the vaccine rarely if ever become sick, experience improved perception of the world, and maintain a youthful complexion.

 

Contraindications and Cautions:

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Kambo is avoided in people with serious heart conditions, pregnant woman, children under ten years of age, and people with certain backgrounds of mental illness. 

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Attend a Kambo Cleanse:

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Kambo Cleanse ceremonies are available in the Brooklyn area. Book here to schedule or inquire about Kambo. All participants must be screened and interviewed before attending to ensure that they are a good candidate for this work and to advocate safe and responsible usage of this sacred medicine. 

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Kambo Information Resources:

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"Kambô unfolds the changes we need to make, in an effortless, natural way. Many of us think, ‘I want to be better’, ‘I want to stop smoking,’ etc. When we try to reach a certain result with our willpower, we are actually fighting. We’ve done so for many generations. With kambô, a natural wisdom is taking over our healing process. We know without thinking what we have to do or not to do in a certain situation. We become able to drop unhealthy habits and fixed ideas." VIEW PDF

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"This resin contains peptides substances (dermorfine and deltorfine ) that are analgesic and that strengthens the immune system provoking the destruction of pathogenic microorganisms. The substances in the frog secretion also have antibiotic properties, and strengthen the immune system through the body’s production of antibodies against the poison." VIEW PDF

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"My vision, my sense of smell, everything about me felt larger than life, and my body felt immensely strong. During the next few days my feeling of strength didn’t diminish: I could go whole days without being hungry or thirsty, and move through the jungle for hours without tiring. Every sense I possessed was heightened and in tune with the environment, as though the sapo put the rhythm of the jungle into my blood." VIEW PDF

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