Is Kambo legal?

Yes. The only legislation concerning Kambo is the 2004 ANVISA ruling suspending advertising in Brazil.

So what is Kambo?

Kambo is the venomous secretion of Phyllomedusa bicolor (the giant leaf or monkey frog), a bright green tree frog native to the Amazon basin. It can be found in the rainforest regions of northern Brazil, eastern Peru, southeastern Colombia, and parts of Venezuela, Bolivia, and the Guianas. In many regions outside Brazil, both the frog and its secretion are known as sapo (or ‘toad’).
 

Giant monkey frogs have a distinctive ‘song’ that can be followed to collect them at night. Captive specimens are tied by the legs and harmlessly stressed to induce the secretion: a waxy substance scraped onto wooden splinters from the back and legs of the frog. Once dried, kambo can be stored for upwards of a year without losing its potency. For use, it’s mixed with saliva or water and directly applied to specially made skin burns.
 

Kambo has a range of traditional and potential therapeutic applications, both medical and psycho-spiritual. Commonly described as an ‘ordeal medicine’, the secretion is known for its powerful emetic or purgative effects. Despite its initial unpleasantness, kambo is widely sought out to revitalize body and mind.

What are the uses of Kambo?
 

Scientific studies show that Phyllomedusa bicolor poison is made up of many peptides that are beneficial to the human body. Some of these peptides traverse the blood-brain barrier and stimulate the endocrine glands of the brain, resulting in an immune effect and a deep cleanse of the body. Kambo has antibiotic properties and strengthens the immune system, while physically destroying pathogenic microorganisms.

Kambo is traditionally known to be anti-inflammatory, to relieve joint pain, to heal eyesight, and to ease pain. Kambo peptides, and their effects, are reported to cover a wide range of potential medical uses: treatment of brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, depression, migraines, blood circulation problems, vascular insufficiency, organ diseases, skin and eyes issues, cancer, fertility problems in women, AIDS, candida, hepatitis, herpes, and more.
 

The short-term effects of receiving a treatment can be enhanced resistance to tiredness, hunger and thirst, enhanced state of alertness, capacity to focus and still the mind. These effects can last for days or weeks. Long-term, Kambo will strengthen and empower the immune system, help overcome fatigue and increase overall well-being. People that regularly take the vaccine very rarely get sick and have a lot of energy.

Indigenous use-
The indigenous tribes say the main reason to receive the natural vaccine is to remove ‘Panema’ which is the thick cloud of haziness that sits on top of the energy field of a person. ‘Panema’ can also be translated as bad luck, laziness, depression, or confusion.  It is the state of being that attracts discomfort and disease. Kambo is said to remove ‘Panema’ and bring the person back to his/her natural state of perfect harmony and highest physical, emotional and spiritual potential, reconnecting one to self.  According to the tribes, when nothing is going right in your life, it is the right moment to take Kambo.

As well as this energetic clearing effect, Kambo has potent physical benefits also. Kambo is used as a traditional shamanic medicine to gain strength, maintain or regain health, and to provide immunity. The tribes, often times, apply it before hunting, in order to increase strength, improve vision and lend the hunters a ‘magical’ ability to locate prey. It is also used to cleanse the body of just about any illness, such as headaches, allergies, thyroid problems, arthritis, infections, addiction to pharmaceuticals, drugs, nicotine, alcohol, and so on. The tribes also use it for rainforest specific issues, such as malaria and snake and spider bites.

Traditional Caboclo recommendation is to receive a full 3 applications
of Kambo within one moon cycle (28 days) in order to achieve 
the full potential and for longer beneficial effects.

Therapeutic western use-

One of Kambo’s most exciting potential medical applications is the treatment of cancer. Dermaseptin B2 has been shown to inhibit cancer cell (human prostatic adenocarcinoma) growth by more than 90%. This peptide penetrates cells and works by necrosis (active destruction) and not apoptosis (normal or programmed cell death).
 

Dermaseptins, including adenoregulin, are powerful antibiotics. Found to be rapidly and irreversibly effective against a range of parasitic microorganisms, they’re also entirely non-toxic to mammalian cells. Combined with their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, peptides in Kambo are especially promising for conditions like Cryptococcal meningitis in patients with late-stage HIV. Among the pathogens killed by dermaseptin B2 are the filamentous fungi that opportunistically infect AIDS patients. With the emergence and spread of highly resistant pathogenic bacteria, novel antibiotics such as these are becoming critical.
 

Since adenoregulin affects the binding of agonists to adenosine receptors—instrumental in the permeability of the blood-brain barrier—it may be useful in the development of treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and strokes. Anecdotal evidence supports Kambo’s use in depression treatment, anxiety, and addiction.
 

There’s also compelling anecdotal evidence for Kambo’s effectiveness in the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). According to one sufferer, the secretion completely eliminates CFS symptoms when taken regularly.
 

The deltorphins and dermorphin present in Kambo have analgesic effects comparable to the body’s own pain response of beta-endorphin release. They’re also stronger than morphine without the same level of respiratory depression, tolerance potential, and withdrawal symptoms.

Phyllokinin may be useful in the treatment of hypertension, having been shown to lower blood pressure more effectively than other polypeptides.
 

Other conditions that benefit from Kambo include;

Chronic pain, Parkinson’s disease, Vascular problems, Hepatitis, Diabetes, Rheumatism, Arthritis, Alzheimer’s, Depression, Vascular problems, Hepatitis, Diabetes, Rheumatism, Arthritis, Addictions. It also detoxes the liver and the intestines so it’s a powerful cleanser.

Personal growth-

Kambo is frequently offered alongside Ayahuasca, Ibogaine, 5-MeO-DMT, and other plant medicines for holistic treatment. According to practitioners, the secretion “resets” the body, not only by strengthening the immune system but also through distinct psycho-spiritual benefits.

Panema—an Arawak term used by the Ashaninka and others—describes a negative energy that gathers over time. Traditionally visualized as a kind of dense grey cloud or aura, panema is blamed for bad luck, depression, laziness, irritation, and other adverse states. Naturally, clearing this cloud is vital for indigenous groups that depend on hunting and community coherence. For many, Kambo serves this purpose.
 

Outside of traditional contexts, the dissipation of panema is framed in terms of “clearing the pain body,” “realigning the chakras,” or reorganizing personal psychology. The purge itself may be felt as an expulsion of bad thoughts, habits, negative personality traits, or persistent life problems.

A profoundly transformational tool, Kambo is known to increase compassion, courage, emotional stability, and personal sovereignty. Some users feel more “real” or “solid” after Kambo application—less in their heads and more in their bodies. Frustration, anger, and anxiety also tend to clear. These positive changes may last several days or several months, depending on the application and the person receiving it.
 

Kambo may also help to overcome a fear of dying. According to one practitioner, terminally ill patients have claimed to see “the other side” during their experience, returning with a newfound serenity about death.

Spiritual growth-

On a spiritual level, Kambo helps to integrate our mind with our heart and re-align our chakras.  It is also believed that it assists us in raising our prayers to “The Great Spirit” and is a multi-dimensional healer.

In the shamanic worldview, we gain assistance from plant and animal spirit allies. In the case of Kambo, we are allying with the Spirit of a Frog that has a very strong immunity to predators. Some believe the Spirit of Phyllomedusa bicolor lends us a similar power of being nearly impervious to predatory energy – physically, mentally and energetically. As the DNA signature of the frog is introduced into our body, its Spirit gifts us with the power to cast off parasitic energies that prey on body, mind and spirit. Once free of these energies, it is common to see natural health returned. Synchronicities and good luck are also a common effect after Kambo. Many people report having synchronistic visitations by frogs in the days just before or after receiving Kambo.

How is Kambo Administered?
 

The medicine is applied to the skin after small superficial burns are made with a red hot ember vine stick (similar to incense).  Only the top layer of the skin is gently burned. Traditionally, the points are placed on the lower right leg for women, and men usually have their points placed on their upper left arm.  There are no right or wrong places for the point placements, so it is a good idea to think about where you would like them ahead of time.  Please keep in mind that the area chosen must not be disturbed during treatment, as the medicine must remain where it is placed to be effective.    The amount of points used depends on the number of times that the person has already received treatment, the reason for the application, physical condition, and overall assessment by the practitioner based on her/his knowledge.

What to Expect During Your Kambo Experience
 

A typical Kambo group ceremony lasts 3-4 hours (private sessions last about 2 hours). The time spent in the peak of the cleansing and purgative process can be as short as 10 minutes and as long as a couple of hours. Kambo is a very physical experience which involves a feeling of heat in the body usually followed by vomiting and sometimes evacuating from the intestines as the body purges toxins from the various organs.

Once the Kambo is applied to the skin, it enters the body via the lymphatic system.  A feeling of warmth immediately follows. The face, skin and core of the body will feel a heat within. The heart will beat slightly faster. Blood pressure will fall slightly. Relax into the experience. It is helpful to work with the breath: Inhale and receive the medicine with love and trust, exhale and surrender.

It is a common experience that the throat will gently swell. This is normal. It will not swell shut. The face may also swell.  Simply relax into the sensations and allow the ally of the Kambo Spirit to purify and fortify you. After a few minutes or more, you may feel like you have to purge. You will have a bucket handy and you will purge into the bucket. You may also need to go to the bathroom. You will be assisted to do so. After your purge, the Kambo dots will be removed from your body and the major part of your cleanse is over.
 

The mind is often made quite clear and focused and some say they receive specific messages. Kambo works mostly to purge the body of toxins, heaviness, and dullness of body and spirit. The benefits that many report usually come in the days and weeks that follow. Many people report feeling very peaceful immediately after the treatment and often the next day one feels amazing.

History

There is a legend that tells that the Natives of the village were very ill and the Shaman, Kampu, had done everything that was possible to cure them. All medicinal herbs known were used but none helped his people’s agony. Kampu then entered the forest and, under the effect of Ayahuasca, received the visit of the Great God. He brought in His hands a frog, from which He took a white secretion, and taught Kampu how to apply. Returning to the tribe and following the guidelines that he had received, the Shaman, Kampu, was able to cure his people. After Kampu’s death, it is believed that his spirit has started living in the frog and the indigenous began to use its secretion to stay active and healthy – from Kambô, The Spirit of the Shaman.

Medical Research

An Italian scientist, Vittorio Erspamer, of the University of Rome was the first to analyze Kambo in the lab.  Vittorio Erspamer was twice nominated for a nobel prize and was also responsible for first discovering the well known neurotransmitter Serotonin.   Erspamer concluded that Kambo contains a ‘fantastic chemical cocktail with potential medical applications, unequalled by any other amphibian’.