Kambo or Sapi, as they call it in Peru, is a medicine used for thousands of years by indigenous tribes of South America.

All around the Amazon Jungle, kambo has been used to increase hunting capabilities, cure physical illness and neutralize negative energy and depression.

Releasing suppressed emotional baggage, enhancing awareness and concentration, heightening the clarity of mind and sense of being energized are just some of the effects of Kambo.

Besides overall well-being and life-path clarity, Kambo is used to treat all sorts of ailments including inflammation and arthritis.

Some of them are depression, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, anxiety, arthritis, diabetes, candida, herpes, high blood pressure, cancer, infections and fertility issues, PTSD, etc.

Kambo is traditionally used to cure “panema”. “Panema” is a tribal word that signifies a plethora of negative emotions such as sadness, dark energies, irritation, pain or even bad luck.

So what is Kambo?

It’s a secretion from a Phyllomedusa Bicolor or so-called “Giant Monkey Frog”. This amphibian doesn’t have natural predators nor is it troubled by parasites or bacteria.

It’s not at the top of the food chain, it’s in the VIP lounge in the Amazonian ecosystem.

The resin of the Phyllomedusa is a rich in bioactive peptides (short chains of amino acids) and neuropeptides with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.

It’s also effective against strains of fungi and other parasitic life forms.

Some of its peptides like phyllocaerulein, phyllomedusin, sauvagine, demaseptin B2, phyllokinin, dermorphin and other compounds in the frog’s waxy secretion are yet to be researched.

Stay tuned for the science proving what tribesmen and shamans already knew from experience for thousands of years.

Kambo uses

Shamans scrape it from the skin of the frog (without harming it) and apply it to small burn marks on the skin.

Usually a small incense is used to burn 3mm or 1/8 diameter blisters on the top layer of skin. These blisters are called “gates” and it’s where Kambo makes its entry straight for the lymphatic system.

There are indications that it detoxifies the liver and the lymphatic system.

Before administration, Kambo is mixed with water to ease on its fearsome potency.

Kambo Contraindications

Patients with a history of these medical conditions or that are prone to these conditions shouldn’t submit to a Kambo ceremony:

• Heart conditions (bypass, surgery, enlarged heart, congestive disease, excessive fluid etc.)
• Implanted cardioverter-defibrillators
• Pericardial effusion
• Heart valve replacement surgery
• Aneurysms
• Organ transplant
• Blood clots
• Serious mental health conditions
• Seriously low blood pressure that requires medication
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding

Experiences and administration

Warm flushing of the skin followed by increased heart rate are likely to be the first things you’ll feel.

Buckets will be your faithful companions through the 15 – 30 minute ceremony so you know from the start that it’s not the physically most pleasant experience, not until you get where you need to be that is.

Discomfort, intensity and possible tremors may be experienced. The effect may be immediate, depending on the position of your body or they may come in 20 or 30 minutes if they come at all.

The overall Kambo Ceremony experience is purgative and cathartic. All who go through it come back for more and disregard the physiological discomfort in the face of the emotional, mental and physical release to come.

When we say purgative, we mean it. It’s an overall detox and not just in terms of chemistry, but physics also. You may vomit, sweat, cry or defecate.

Whatever it takes for that stored up negativity in your body to leave your system, Kambo will do it. You’ll thank it for it and come back for more as all who tried Kambo do.

A fair amount of water (1.5 liters) are consumed prior to the medicine administration, but be careful not to drink too much so as to avoid risks of Hyponatremia which may cause brain damage or heart or kidney failure!

If your Kambo practitioner doesn’t warn you about possible contraindications, perhaps it’s time to look for one with more experience and training.

To ensure the best possible experience, it’s best to refrain from alcohol and recreational drugs a few days before the ceremony. You also shouldn’t eat anything 4-6 hours beforehand.

Focus on things you want to bring in your life and on the things you want to let go of.

It’s always good to stay focus even though Kambo will dispose of your spiritual, psychological and physical trash on its own too.

For maximum trash disposal, it’s advised that you go through 3 Kambo sessions in one moon cycle (28 days)

You’ll feel refreshed and invigorated IMMEDIATELY after the process, which lasts about 15 minutes, so don’t fear the hardship on the way to your catharsis. 

Kambo Myths

Although it can induce a sense of self-discovery and spiritual journey, Kambo is not a psychedelic.

It’s not a hallucinogenic substance although people can have meaningful and vivid dreams after the sacred ceremony.

Kambo is completely legal btw!

Katukina tribe from Brazil has protected copyrights though. They claimed Kambo as their intellectual property, although it’s uncertain which tribe discovered it and when.

Copyrights protected means that you can’t advertise it as your product or medicament. Its use, however, is allowed.

Final encouragement

Even though it’s not a psychedelic, people often compare Kambo to Ayahuasca in terms of life-changing experience that they often have during the ceremonies.

It’s a meaningful experience, but it’s not always easy. It’s like cleaning the house. You hate doing it, but you feel great when you go through with it. Kambo forces you to face and deal with many things you suppressed so it