"Kambo carries the codes to unlock the 'Kambonation' as an agonist to reprogram the body thru chemical communication..." ©2016 Raymond Naeyaert
Intent, responsibility, and respect is the fundamental way to carry a safe container and live in right relation with Kambo and its gift it offers you.
The Panoan tribes that practice the poison frog ritual call it kambo, Sapo, or Acate in their language. The tree frog is stretched by strings tied to its limbs. Tree frogs are referred to as “sapos,” in spanish hence the term sapo as sometimes used to refer to the indigenous medicine, kambo. As painful as it may look, the tree frog is not harmed during the process in which the poison is harvested from its skin. Traditionally, older men scrape the epidermis of the frog with a wooden stick to remove the toxin. After harvesting the poison, the frog is released unharmed. To the Matses, harming the frog could offend animal spirits and resulting in severe misfortune." Source: Here
Collecting the Medicine
The frogs are not harmed or injured in collecting this sacred medicine.The frog is not harmed during the harvesting of the milky substance. It is considered disrespectful and bad luck by the tribes if they are mistreated. In order to harvest the poison from the frog, they must be collected in the morning often after it rains. The shaman calls to frog and listens carefully for them to reveal their location. The frog is often found in a tree and sometimes, after a rain, they will be on the rainforest floor. The frog is gently collected and brought back to the village where the poison is harvested in a couple of ways. One way is that the frog is stretched by all four legs, his big toe massaged and then he secretes his poison. Next the kambo is placed and stored on a small wooden kindling, dried and wrapped for future use. All the medicines I use is sourced solely from the Matsés Tribe to ensure ethical and responsible practice between tribal Kambo collectors, practitioners and clients. The Yawanawa tribe collects the frog venom by simply collecting the frog who naturally secretes his poisonous sweat from the excitement of being captured.
Preparation to receive the Kambo.
This Medicine is Safe and Legal to use by trained practitioners.
Please note these recommendations are purely advice from my own experience in working with this medicine and those who have taught me. Should you want to venture into the experience of this medicine you should always without exception consult an experienced practitioner in your area or contact me to arrange a circle. Please do not administer this medicine to yourself or anyone else without extensive training and tutorship of Shaman/teacher.
Personal Recommendations:
When considering this I would like to begin with the fundamental principle in any journey of this nature. An that is the idea of participating in this rite of passage is to ask yourself the need behind the desire to experience Kambo. This deep introspection into the nature of well being is best sourced from Intention. This is the fundamental key to our own healing and conscious awareness. Second, your ability to surrender, feel safe, and let go of control is vital in the art of allowing this medicine to work at its deepest levels within you in the context of releasing that which no longer serves you. This medicine knows the "Kambonation" to all the locked gates within your body to awaken the process of the healed state. It is up to you to let go on the mental and emotional levels to maximize the synergistic effect. Once you decide and are committed to your own transformation you can then consider the more practical needs of attending a ceremony or one on one session with a practitioner.
Traditionally it is recommended to complete 3 applications of Kambo within one moon cycle (one month) in order to inoculate the body with the full benefits of this medicine. I personally don't recommend doing this more than once per day. Some offer this but I feel its best to allow 24hrs before the next treatment and arrange 3 day circles for this.
Please be honest with your Administer/Practitioner. By making a full disclosure of any medications or serious medical conditions that you may have you protect both yourself and the practitioner. Please take the time to share and to let the practitioner know of your special needs prior to the ceremony.
Diet Preparation-Day Before and day of
Exceptions and Contraindications
Kambo has no known detrimental side effects so when it is responsibly administered it is completely safe. There are very few people who cannot take it but this is not an exhaustive list so please let us know beforehand if you have serious health problems.
Treatment cannot be given to those who are or have had:
Also note there are NO psychoactive compounds in kambo medicine and is legal to use.
Personal Recommendations:
When considering this I would like to begin with the fundamental principle in any journey of this nature. An that is the idea of participating in this rite of passage is to ask yourself the need behind the desire to experience Kambo. This deep introspection into the nature of well being is best sourced from Intention. This is the fundamental key to our own healing and conscious awareness. Second, your ability to surrender, feel safe, and let go of control is vital in the art of allowing this medicine to work at its deepest levels within you in the context of releasing that which no longer serves you. This medicine knows the "Kambonation" to all the locked gates within your body to awaken the process of the healed state. It is up to you to let go on the mental and emotional levels to maximize the synergistic effect. Once you decide and are committed to your own transformation you can then consider the more practical needs of attending a ceremony or one on one session with a practitioner.
Traditionally it is recommended to complete 3 applications of Kambo within one moon cycle (one month) in order to inoculate the body with the full benefits of this medicine. I personally don't recommend doing this more than once per day. Some offer this but I feel its best to allow 24hrs before the next treatment and arrange 3 day circles for this.
Please be honest with your Administer/Practitioner. By making a full disclosure of any medications or serious medical conditions that you may have you protect both yourself and the practitioner. Please take the time to share and to let the practitioner know of your special needs prior to the ceremony.
Diet Preparation-Day Before and day of
- Make sure you do not have anything to eat for a minimum of 10 hours before taking kambo.
- You cannot consume alcohol or drug substances for 24hrs before or after the ceremony.
- 1 to 1.5 liters of fresh room temperature spring water/non alkaline that includes no use off lemon or limes in your water. This water will be sipped on the morning of and right before the application of the medicine.
- I recommend the day before eating light/fresh steamed veggies, soups, fruits, quinoa, fish, or chicken. Try and avoid a lot of sugar, heavy starches, or really fatty foods if possible.
- Allow yourself 2 to 3 hours for treatment and recovery, ideally having the rest of the day off from work or stressful obligations.
- You should wear comfortable clothing and in layers so you it is easy to apply the medicine and due to change in temaptures of your body during the course of the experience .
- A pad, pillow, or bolster to rest on to insure relaxation.
- A blanket in case you want to rest or lye down after the session is done.
- A roll of toilet paper or a box of tissues will be a necessity in this experience.
- A hair tie or head band for people with long hair.
- Menstruating woman will need to be aware flow will increase for up to 3 days after taking kambo medicine.
- Some light snacks of your choice for the completion of the ceremony: fresh fruit, probiotics(sauerkraut) to restore good bacteria, coconut water to restore electrolytes would be recommended after kambo.
Exceptions and Contraindications
Kambo has no known detrimental side effects so when it is responsibly administered it is completely safe. There are very few people who cannot take it but this is not an exhaustive list so please let us know beforehand if you have serious health problems.
Treatment cannot be given to those who are or have had:
- Breastfeeding a child under 1 year
- Serious heart conditions including pacemaker, valve disease, bypass surgery and enlarged heart
- Blood clots
- Addison’s disease
- Extremely low blood pressure that is controlled by medication.
- Stroke or Aneurysm or Bleeding in the brain.
- Serious Mental Health conditions.
- Organ transplant surgery
- Under 18
- at the end of a fast that is more than 3 days.
- Menses- Women on their period are more comfortable if they avoid Kambo. The Kambo medicine tends to rush upwards to the head (opposing the downward flow of the menses) and it can often cause lightheadedness and sometimes even fainting. If you are menstruating at the time of treatment, Kambo may well cause the flow to increase for 24-36 hours because it contains powerful Vasodilators.
- If you are Asthmatic ensure that you have your inhaler with you.
- If you are Diabetic it’s important to discuss your treatment in advance.
- You must inform us if you have ever or are currently suffering from a mental health condition, regardless of whether or not you are taking medication. The only exception to this is depression. In most cases it is usually completely safe for you to continue taking your normal medication and supplements but please discuss this beforehand.
- Pregnant
Also note there are NO psychoactive compounds in kambo medicine and is legal to use.
The application of Kambo.
- Skin Preparation
- Rap'e(Hop-ah) Application/optional click here for more info
Skin is lightly burned with a thin tamishi vine for preparing the body to receive the medicine. these are small and easy to endure.
Kambo Sticks from Peter Gorman.
The resin from the Giant Monkey Frog is formed into small BB sized pellets and applied to the skin after small burns are made with the tip of a hot glowing ember stick called Tamishi vine. The skin is then cleaned and removed to receive the kambo.
The Cleanse/Purging stage of Kambo
The Experience-
By Marcelo Bolshaw Gomes
The reaction of the vaccine lasts five minutes. In that time, the heart fires off, the blood flows accelerated through the veins, blood pressure rises or falls a lot, the person gets dizzy or nauseous. Some people see all white, as if the world were covered by a diffuse fog, or fall on the floor estrenghtlessly. There are also many reports of feeling an electrical current through the skin itching the body. Many users swell, appearing to be similar to a frog. Then, suddenly, the body reacts to the sickness and put everything out. Strong vomit and diarrhea are the most common responses. Only then, little by little, the senses are back to normal. The person feels light, clean, willing, in a good mood. After 30 minutes of application, the person is fit for their normal activities.
My personal experience indicates that water plays a key role in the whole process, not only its ingestion by the patient but also in the dilution of the poison. It seems that a higher number of points in very diluted solutions (homeopathic perspective) is more effective than applications with fewer points and more secretion.
Water is still prescribed for showering after the effects diminishes, not only to be clean from the excesses caused by the sickness (sweat, vomiting, feces) but also, in the symbolic sense, as a complement of Kambô process of cure.
The researchers Edilene Coffaci de Lima (UFPR) and Beatriz Caiuby Labate (UNICAMP) study the spread of Kambô in urban centre, examining, in particular, the discourse of these various applicators (Indians, rubber latex extractors, holistic therapists and doctors) have been preparing on the use of the frog’s secretion. To them, “words are commuting; sometimes lean to a spiritualist explanation, sometimes to a scientific or medical interpretation of the diseases”. It goes from the universal panacea (the cure for all illness) to placebo (a cure through psychological induction). And often these oscillations hide some simplifications. The word ‘panema’, for example, is re-interpreted as ‘depression’ by urban therapists. Or yet a negative energy capable of generating a broad spectrum of diseases. Moreover, the researchers believe that the production and commercialization of substances take away from the Kambô´s application its most impressive effect. That medicine of science is inseparable from the medicine of the soul (LIMA & LABATE, 2007).
International scientific research, on the pharmaceutical and chemical areas, are being made on the properties of Kambô since the 80´s. Italian, French and Israelis researchers already entered with a request for the patent of dermorfine application. More recently, the University of Kentucky (USA) is searching (and patenting) deltorfine in collaboration with pharmaceutical company Zymogenetics. Several international laboratories are already interested in the venom of the Kambô to develop a drug that can lead to the cure of cancer.
In 2003, some katukina of Cruzeiro do Sul sought the Board of Genetic Heritage Management (CGEN) to denounce the misuse of Kambô. Asked for a solution against the use of Kambô by urban people; they were concerned, too, about their intellectual rights in the case of drugs derived from the substance. It is worth to remember that a patent can take many years until come to eventually turn into a remedy.
On April 29, 2004, the National Sanitary Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) prohibited any advertising of medicinal and therapeutic virtues of Kambô. The Minister Marina Silva decided to treat this as a model case. In order to do so, she appointed a working group of the Ministry of Environment for a joint action. The group, which has been gathering since 2004, brings together representatives of indigenous people, anthropologists, indigenists, herpetologists (biologists who study frogs), molecular biologists and physicians.
But the Kambô is, as we have seen, a complex a slippery object, irreducible to the various scientific discourses (clinical, alternative, pharmacy-chemical, anthropological and so on) and will hardly be regulated or reduced without first redefining the prospects in which it is described up to the moment. When one talks about Kambô and its definition, some are concerned about the forest management of the frog, other chemical patents, others with therapeutic possibilities of its application, but for the Indians, the explanation is much simpler: the Kambô is the spirit of Pajé Kampu accomplishing its mission to protect the health of forest defenders . To watch this experience you can visit this page to watch a video.
By Marcelo Bolshaw Gomes
The reaction of the vaccine lasts five minutes. In that time, the heart fires off, the blood flows accelerated through the veins, blood pressure rises or falls a lot, the person gets dizzy or nauseous. Some people see all white, as if the world were covered by a diffuse fog, or fall on the floor estrenghtlessly. There are also many reports of feeling an electrical current through the skin itching the body. Many users swell, appearing to be similar to a frog. Then, suddenly, the body reacts to the sickness and put everything out. Strong vomit and diarrhea are the most common responses. Only then, little by little, the senses are back to normal. The person feels light, clean, willing, in a good mood. After 30 minutes of application, the person is fit for their normal activities.
My personal experience indicates that water plays a key role in the whole process, not only its ingestion by the patient but also in the dilution of the poison. It seems that a higher number of points in very diluted solutions (homeopathic perspective) is more effective than applications with fewer points and more secretion.
Water is still prescribed for showering after the effects diminishes, not only to be clean from the excesses caused by the sickness (sweat, vomiting, feces) but also, in the symbolic sense, as a complement of Kambô process of cure.
The researchers Edilene Coffaci de Lima (UFPR) and Beatriz Caiuby Labate (UNICAMP) study the spread of Kambô in urban centre, examining, in particular, the discourse of these various applicators (Indians, rubber latex extractors, holistic therapists and doctors) have been preparing on the use of the frog’s secretion. To them, “words are commuting; sometimes lean to a spiritualist explanation, sometimes to a scientific or medical interpretation of the diseases”. It goes from the universal panacea (the cure for all illness) to placebo (a cure through psychological induction). And often these oscillations hide some simplifications. The word ‘panema’, for example, is re-interpreted as ‘depression’ by urban therapists. Or yet a negative energy capable of generating a broad spectrum of diseases. Moreover, the researchers believe that the production and commercialization of substances take away from the Kambô´s application its most impressive effect. That medicine of science is inseparable from the medicine of the soul (LIMA & LABATE, 2007).
International scientific research, on the pharmaceutical and chemical areas, are being made on the properties of Kambô since the 80´s. Italian, French and Israelis researchers already entered with a request for the patent of dermorfine application. More recently, the University of Kentucky (USA) is searching (and patenting) deltorfine in collaboration with pharmaceutical company Zymogenetics. Several international laboratories are already interested in the venom of the Kambô to develop a drug that can lead to the cure of cancer.
In 2003, some katukina of Cruzeiro do Sul sought the Board of Genetic Heritage Management (CGEN) to denounce the misuse of Kambô. Asked for a solution against the use of Kambô by urban people; they were concerned, too, about their intellectual rights in the case of drugs derived from the substance. It is worth to remember that a patent can take many years until come to eventually turn into a remedy.
On April 29, 2004, the National Sanitary Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) prohibited any advertising of medicinal and therapeutic virtues of Kambô. The Minister Marina Silva decided to treat this as a model case. In order to do so, she appointed a working group of the Ministry of Environment for a joint action. The group, which has been gathering since 2004, brings together representatives of indigenous people, anthropologists, indigenists, herpetologists (biologists who study frogs), molecular biologists and physicians.
But the Kambô is, as we have seen, a complex a slippery object, irreducible to the various scientific discourses (clinical, alternative, pharmacy-chemical, anthropological and so on) and will hardly be regulated or reduced without first redefining the prospects in which it is described up to the moment. When one talks about Kambô and its definition, some are concerned about the forest management of the frog, other chemical patents, others with therapeutic possibilities of its application, but for the Indians, the explanation is much simpler: the Kambô is the spirit of Pajé Kampu accomplishing its mission to protect the health of forest defenders . To watch this experience you can visit this page to watch a video.
Rapé pronounced (Hop-eh) is an optional aspect to the Kambo Ceremony
This is shared either right before the Kambo is administered or right after receiving the kambo. Also its only used by some tribes in combination with kambo.
- Rap'e application Rapé is the general name given to medicines that are grinded into fine powder and then blown into both nostrils. Most rapés are made with tobacco and other ingredients. All tribes that work with kambo use at least one type of rapé. There are also very powerful and visionary medicines that can be considered rapé like yopo or virola which contain triptamines.
- We often offer and recommend rapé during kambo ceremony in different ocassions, in order to trigger or deepen the purge and to discharge all the toxins that the organs release when it is not happening by itself, we also offer it when we think there is more to purge.
We have been working exclusively with rapé from the yawanawa and Kaxinawa (Huni Kuin) tribes that is prepared with lots of prayers, respect and lots of focused attention and intention to be a helpful medicine. This medicine is composed by sacred tobacco and the ashes of a tree known as tsunú, which is consider to be one of the most used trees as remedy for many ailments.
Rapé can help in many ways and the spirit of this grandafather assists us by helping us to move the energy that is blocked or when we feel stuck during ceremony with kambo and with ayahuasca.