The story goes that long ago the people of the Kaxinawá tribe in the Amazon rainforest got very ill. The shaman of that tribe, Kampu, had tried all the medicines he knew of, and nothing worked. He went into the forest and under the influence of ayahuasca he had a vision in which he learned how to catch a particular frog, extract a medicine of it and how to apply it. It worked, and the tribe finally was cured.
Ever since the frog, called Kampu, Kambo or Sapo, Phyllomedusa Bicolor, has been used by many tribes in the amazon to cure diseases. Kambo is said to cure panema. Panema can be explained as a disturbance in ones energetic system. It has been translated as sadness, lack of luck, bad aura.
These days the Kambo medicine found it’s way via Brazilian urban communities into the western world, where a growing number of people enjoy it’s benefits. Kambo cleanses out the liver, and boosts the immune system. After a Kambo session one feels very clear and strong.
Kambo turns out to be very helpful in treating addictions and depressions, Lyme disease, skin diseases, malaria, in certain cancers and many other diseases.
The frog ‘sweats’ out a secretion that contains a potent cocktail of peptides. If eaten this would be extremely poisonous, but when it is applied on the skin, it enters the body through the lymphic system, and starts it’s healing effect.
Scientist have been researching this medicine and have isolated substances, dermorfine and deltorfine, that are analgesic and that strengthens the immune system provoking the destruction of pathogenic microorganisms. The substances in the frog secretion also have antibiotic properties, and strengthen the immune system through the body’s production of antibodies against the poison.
For a session with this medicine the participant should have an empty stomach. Just before the medicine is applied one should drink a large amount of water, or in the jungle they would drink a brew of fermented manioc.
The Kambo facilitator will burn a few small dots on the skin, usually on the arm or the leg, then wipes of the top later of the skin, and applies the medicine there. The process one goes through can be quite intense. A warm glow rushes through the body, and scans all the parts of the body. Kambo is not psychoactive, the experience is mostly physical. The heart rate goes up a bit, and sometimes the face will swell up. A few minutes after applying this medicine one needs to vomit. The effects then quickly wear off . After the purge one lays down for a little rest, and after half an hour or so one gets up feeling totally revived.
In the days after a treatment one can clearly feel the benefits. Many people report changing their lifestyle for the better; giving up unhealthy habits, and a clear improvement in their overall wellbeing, better sleep, less cravings, more energy, being more clear and focussed.
Frogs are often featured in fairytales and stories of magic and miracles. The Kambo frog is one example of the miracles of nature, a friendly creature that has brought healing and wellbeing to a lot of people. It is a powerful example of the amazing tools available in mother nature to heal ourselves and have a joyful life. Unfortunately the Amazon rainforest suffers enormously from the destructive activities of mankind, destroying many acres of forest everyday to win oil, or to serve the meat industry and so on. Let us instead treat nature with respect and love, and be inspired by the traditions from that forest that have brought forth such beautiful and excellent healing techniques that not only can cure so many illnesses but also teach us how to live in harmony with ourselves and the nature around us. Viva Kambo!
Photo of Amazon rainforest by Rosina Kaiser & photo of the Kampo frog Skeeze