What is it?
Kambo is a traditional medicine originating from the Amazon Rainforest. It is basically a poison that is scraped off the Giant Monkey Tree Frog. A thin piece of vine is heated up and several burn points are placed on a person's arm, leg or chest. The kambo points are then applied to these openings.
It is a very powerful jungle tool which the Amazonian's have been known to use for hunting (for sharpening their senses) and initiation, for getting weakness and laziness out of the body. It has amazing anti-inflammatory power which can heal infections and regulate blood pressure. Other potential treatments that kambo can be used for illnesses such as depression, migraines, organ diseases, cancer, fertility problems in women, and even hepatitis and AIDS. I have a friend who told me that one of his friends got completely cured from his asthma after participating in just one kambo ceremony which I found to be unbelievable.
Kambo is a very powerful medicine that also really helps with fear that so many of us have. The kambo frog has no known predators in the Amazon, so this bad ass is kind of like the king of the jungle. Kambo not only helps cleanse your physical body, but also your emotional and spiritual body. It has been known to help shift negative thought patterns, and also purge out unwanted energies we may be holding on to.
I'm always keen to try new experiences, so when I heard about kambo being an ultimate detox, I was in. So I booked a spot for me and my girlfriend and participated in a kambo ceremony.
My Experience
First I got 4 holes burnt into my arm with a vine. Apparently 4 is only a beginner's dose or the warrior initiation as they call it. We had to fast 12 hours prior and drink at least 2 litres of water just before the frog venom got applied to our fresh burn spots.
After the kambo got smeared against my arm I almost immediately started to feel the effects. Kambo works in your automatic system, in the first phase it will affect your sympathetic system which is your fight or flight response, then it affects your parasympathetic system. My body got extremely hot like I was in a super charged sauna. My head and ears started to throb intensely while my face and throat started to swell up. I purged into my bucket.....a lot. I was pretty vocal about it too, not holding anything back. My vomit seemed to turn more yellow the more I purged. I had the most painful stomach cramp I've ever had, and my stomach and throat were absolutely burning as this vile fluorescent-yellow liquid was coming out of my body. I could feel so many toxins and gunk getting drained out of my system. I wasn't having the greatest time but I reminded myself to breathe and that this is all going to pass.
Everyone seemed to have been finished with their purge. I on the other hand, still felt like I had shit I needed to get out - even though I purged a great deal. And so out comes the rapé (pronounce ra-pay). Rapé is a name generally given to medicines (mostly tobacco) which are grinded into a fine powder and then blown into both nostrils through a pipe. The rapé that was present in this ceremony was made up from a jungle tobacco, which I got told helps with balancing both hemispheres of the brain and your energetic system, and also helps with the purging. I was definitely not looking forward to it especially after seeing one guy from our group experiencing rapé - it did not look like fun. I breathe in and out a couple of times to prepare myself until I let in one last inhale to hold my breath to receive the tobacco ashes up my nose. The shaman blows it into my left nostril and within one second I felt extreme burning sensations inside my face and sinuses. It did not tickle to say the least. The worst part about this was that I still had the other nostril left. She shoots the rapé into my remaining nostril while I was in pain. For some reason I let out a big ol' cry that had been inside me. I didn't cry from pain or any particular reason, it was just one of those cries from holding emotions in like pretty much all guys do. I knew I had to purge but I didn't know it was going to be in the form of tears. I forced the left over vile liquid in my system by forcing my fingers down my throat.
After 5 minutes or so the effects subsided and I felt a serenity come over me - it was finally over. It felt so good that I let out a big laughter like I was a mad man, it gave everyone else a good laugh though so that was good.
The rest of the day I was pretty buggered, after all I did detox quite hard! But I feel great now, a lot more energised and clear headed. I feel a lot cleaner, lighter and have a deeper sense of peace. I also feel more centered and a lot less afraid to do shit.
Warrior Mark
I would do it again as the first ceremony is usually for introducing the kambo medicine into your body, so I still feel like I have more work to do with it. It was bloody tough but nothing worthwhile in life comes easy, does it? So don't let the kambo process scares you off, just trust the process and know that it is all for the better good, and it will pass. Just search the net and you will find amazing testimonials about this incredible medicine, then decide whether or not this is for you. Just chose a a respectable shaman, as these things are not to be fucked with, and as usual do your research.
Peace
“A healthy outside starts from the inside.”
What do you guys think? Would you consider doing this crazy frog venom? Let me know in the comments below.