Researchers have isolated several compounds within kambo that may have health benefits, but further research is required to determine whether kambo is suitable for use in a clinical context. Read more about Kambo practitioner training here. During the kambo ritual, a shaman will burn small holes into the top layers of the skin using the end of a burning stick. The shoulder is the typical location for kambo administration, but the practitioner may also apply it to the back, legs, or feet. This article will look at the research behind the effects of kambo, the traditional collection and use of this poison, how people perform the cleanse, what to expect, and its risks and side effects. In Western medicine, treatment recommendations always say to go where the evidence supports using a particular therapy for a particular disease. “This has no evidence to support beneficial use for any disease states,” Kuhn said.

kambo healing

The frog secretions are a smorgasbord of peptides that so far appear to be unique in their combination, including dermorphine and deltorphine, two naturally occurring opioids. Dermorphine is at least 30 times stronger than morphine, and deltorphine has an unusually high blood-brain barrier rate of penetration.

Notable deaths

Kambo is made from the secretions of the giant monkey frog, (Phylllomedusa bicolor) which it makes when stressed. The secretion consists of a range of bioactive peptides and the potency means the body responds to it within minutes.

How Exactly Does Kambo Work?

I’m confident your in the best hands in Canada for this type of medicine. It’s vital to let the ceremony leader know if you have any medical conditions. There will be certain conditions that mean Kambo is not the safe or right choice for you. If you follow a vegan lifestyle, you will need to decide whether this particular ceremony is suitable for you.

WHAT IS KAMBO?

Once these effects begin to fade, the person will be given water or tea to help flush out the toxins and rehydrate. Once the shaman has collected the kambo, they aim to release the frog, relatively unharmed, back into the forest. He acknowledges that for most people, the purging and opioid-like symptoms of a cleanse are not a problem. There have been deaths—they are rare, but not zero,” Dr. Kuhn said. During the Kambo ritual, a shaman burns several superficial holes in the top layer of your skin. Typically, women are burned on their legs to promote fertility, while men are burned on their arms and chests to promote a successful hunt or virility, Dr. Kuhn said. Healers practicing in Australia were banned a few years ago according to media reports after a woman died of cardiac arrest during the ritual.