Nature’s Vaccine
Phyllomedusa Bicolor, also known as the Giant Green Monkey Tree Frog is native to the Amazonian Rainforest. This particular species of frog carries the medicine of Kambo, a secretion that is extracted from the back of the frog used for a countless number of healing modalities. This medicine has found to have cleansing effects of the mind, body and spirit.
Indigenous tribes have created a deep relationship with the medicine of Kambo. Traditionally, tribes referred to the use of Kambo for two primary reasons. The first being for an energetic cleansing. The medicine has been told to have strong effects in cutting ties and releasing “Panema”, an indegious word for negative or dark energy. Secondly, the medicine is used by hunters because tribes have found that the medicine enhances their hunting skills. For example, the medicine heightens one’s senses (smell & vision), strengthens stamenia, increases overall energy and more incredibly is believed by tribes to temporairly mask the human scent. Therefore, Kambo is often referred to as “Hunting Magic”.
Futhermore, as Kambo is starting to become more prevelant around the world, there have been countless stories of people are turning to this medicine in dire need for healing. Kambo’s strong effects in detoxing the body via physically, emotionally and spiritually have given people hope in finding cures and solutions to illnesses, diseases and traumas they may have been faced with all their life. The medicine of Kambo extracts the root of what no longer serves us, bringing it to the surface and aids in releasing it whether it be an physical, emotional or spiritual blockage. Traditional uses of Kambo have primarily been used for treating malaria, snake bites, fevers, fertility issues, reducing body pain and inflammation, and eradicating bacterial and viral infections.
The Legend of Kambo
The most famous and widely known legend of Kambo dates back thousands of years ago from the Kaxinawá tribe of Brazil. The legend goes that at one time the village had fallen deathly sick. Various herbal remedies and medicinal plants were used but of no hope in finding a cure. The medicine man of the village, also known as Pajé in Portuguese, sought out the mother of plants, Ayahuasca for answers and guidance for his tribe. During his journey, he had a profound vision of Mother Ayahuasca that lead to a miracle of healings. Being the mother of plants, the feminine spirit presented him with a frog. She demonstrated how to obtain the secretion from the frog’s back and apply it as medicine for healing. Upon returning from his journey, Pajé set out in the Amazon to find this specific frog. Members of his tribe began to overcome this sickness and recover from this deadly illness. He became known as Pajé Kampu. The legend is said that after Pajé passed away, his spirit went on to live in the frog, living on to protect the health of indigenous tribes that protected the sacred forest. This is how Kambo came to be and why it is often referred my several indigenous tribes as Vacina da Florest, nature’s vaccine
It wasn’t until the 1990’s that Kambo started to emerge from the forest and into cities. This was credited to a group of Brazilian rubber tappers, also known as the Cobocla people. They became familiar with Kambo after sitting with indigenous tribes and first introduced the medicine into the most southwestern part of Brazil, a state called Acre. From then on the medicine began to spread not only in different parts of Brazil but around the world.
The Science Behind This Ancient Medicine Kambo
For the first time in history Kambo reached the labs of the Western world in the late 1900’s. Italian pharmacologist, chemist and scientist, Vittorio Erspamer, who is also a two-time Noble Prize winner from the University of Rome brought to light significant discoveries about the workings of this magical medicine.
Beginning in the the late 1950’s Vittorio Erspamer focused his research onpeptides and then in 1979 he specifically focused his research on opioid peptides within the Phyllomedusa tree frog native to Central and South America. In 1986 he famously wrote that the secretion of the frog has a “fantastic chemical cocktail with potential medical applications, unequalled by any other amphibian.”
Through his research he was able to identify 9 bio-active peptides that play an essential role in the overall human composition. The chemicals making up the secretion are made up of short chains of amino acid proteins, more specifically, neuropeptides, bioactive peptides, heptapeptides and polypeptides. Research has discovered Kambo to be a highly intelligent medicine, for two reasons. The first is that it has the capacity to penetrate the blood-brain barrier and secondly, on a cellular level has the ability to unlock cell receptors that allow for a full-body cleanse that most herbal and pharmaceutical medicine fail to achieve. The peptides that were identified are found to perform hormone-like roles which inherently aid in the support of the cellular process. The major peptides that were identified in this medicine are: phyllomedusin, phyllokinin, phyllomedusin, caerulein, sauvagine, dermorphin, deltorphin and adenoregulin.
The neuropeptides that were found in Kambo are associated with a variety of brain functions. For example, analgesia, reward, food intake, reproduction, social behaviors, learning, metabolism, and memory. Together the neruopeptides and bio-active peptides have the ability to treat a number of illnesses, but are not limited: depression, migraines, blood circulation problems, vascular insufficiency, organ disease, fertility problems, AID’s, hepatitis, cancer, brain diseases, skin and eye issues. Furthermore, Kambo contains strong anti-inflammatory properties due to it’s composition of multiple antimicrobial peptides. These specific peptides are effective in destroying and fighting against drug-resistance strains of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, parasites, microbes and viruses.
If you are looking to dive deeper into science behind this ancient medicine you, below you will find some scientific journal articles.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3447859/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28797092/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19113844/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21132338/
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2014.00105/full
Ceremonial Use of Kambo
In any ceremonial setting it is important that you are guided by a shaman(s) or a practitioner(s) that you can trust and feel safe with. More importantly, that your guide is knowledgable in the medicine that he or she will be serving.
Kambo is typically served in a small group setting or can be done 1:1. First, the ceremony is opened up with an energetic cleansing of the space, prayers and intention. Before the medicine (the secretion of the frog) is applied it is very important that you drink 2-3 liters of water. Drinking water is essential because it will aid in the process of bringing up any vial that needs to be purged. From my experiences in taking this medicine several times I would advice in drinking water 30 minutes before the medicine is applied. You will literally feel so full and nasuous from how much water you have drank and this is totally normal and believe it or not will make the ceremony process more smooth.
Your guide will then consult with you where you prefer to have your “gates” placed on your body. Gates are referred to as small holes that burned on the surface of your skin, using a small stick. These small burn marks, are applied fast and with very minimal pain. After the skin is burned the top layer is wiped off exposing the epidermis below and without any blood. Typically, if it is your first time sitting with Kambo, your gates will be placed on the sides of your shoulders. It is also common to have gates burned on the back of your neck, legs, and chest. It’s all about preference and depending on where the gates are placed on the body can seem to have more of an intense effect. Moreover, it is your choice on how many dots you would like to receive. However, the facilitator will also recommend where and how many gates should be placed based on your specific condition and intention you are setting.
Once the gates are inserted, the facilitator will place a small amount of secretion on each gate. The Kambo will directly enter the lymphatic system and within seconds you will start to feel the effects of this powerful medicine. The effects of the medicine are usually very intense, strong and to be truthful very unpleasant. Within a few moments of the medicine being applied it is completely normal to feel a rush of blood going to your head, an increased heart rate, and super sick and this means the medicine is working! However, the effects are different for everyone. At this point the Kambo is in your blood system and is essentially scanning your body for areas that need to be treated. This medicine is very purgative and this is a good thing because it means that your body is detoxing and cleansing off any toxins that no longer serve you, whether it be energetically, physically or emotionally. Just remember that in these moments of discomfort, it is just temporary and it will pass. The good news is that ceremony will be over before you know it, between 15-30 minutes.
As soon as the facilitator removes the secretion from your gates, the effects of the medicine will subside and deplete. I would recommend laying down for around 45 minutes to 1 hour as you just experienced a very physical experience. It is normal for your hands or face to be swollen, but be reassured that this just a side effect and will go away after a few mins or hour depending on the person. After the ceremony it is also important to close the space with prayer, intention and giving gratitude to spirit of the medicine for bringing the healing.
