What Is Kambo?

Kambo refers to the secretion harvested from the 'Giant Monkey Tree Frog,' which contains a variety of bioactive neuro and poly peptides. Once extracted, it is utilized as an elixir to detoxify the body, enhance the immune system, and bolster mental resilience. Additionally, it serves as a treatment for venomous bites, fevers, and to improve fertility. In a spiritual context, Kambo is employed to expel 'panema'—a term tribes use to describe dark, heavy, or negative energies that can manifest as illness, misfortune, depression, lethargy, and mental obscurity. It is believed that clearing 'panema' allows an individual to lead a prosperous life filled with good luck and energy.

Each tribe has its own legend or story about their use of Kambô. The most widespread legend originates from Brazil. According to this Huni Kuin (Kaxinawá) legend, the tribe's people were gravely ill, and their medicine man (Pajé in Brazil) had exhausted all known medicinal herbs without success. Under the influence of sacred plant medicines, he ventured into the forest and was visited by a female spirit. She presented him with a frog and its white secretion, instructing the Pajé on its application. Upon his return, he healed his tribe using this method. He became known as Pajé Kampu or Kampum, and after his death, his spirit was believed to reside within the frog, continuing to protect the health of forest guardians. The secretion was named Kambô, but it is also known as Sapo, Dow-Kiet, Kampu, or Vacina da Floresta in different tribes. Over thousands of years, Kambô has been used medicinally by the Huni Kuin and other indigenous groups such as the Amahuaca, Katukina, Kulina, Yawanawá, Matsés, Marubo, and Mayoruna, and it remains in widespread use among Amazonian indigenous peoples today.

The initial documentation of Kambo's use was recorded by French priest Father Constantin Tastevin in 1925, during his stay with the Huni Kuin (Kaxinawá) tribe along the upper Juruá River in Brazil. In the 1980s, American anthropologist Katherine Milton observed Kambo practices among the Mayoruna tribe in Brazil, and during the same period, Peter Gorman documented his Kambo experiences with the Matsés tribe in Peru.

Italian scientist Vittorio Erspamer from the University of Rome was the first to analyze Kambo in a lab. In 1986, he noted that it contains a 'fantastic chemical cocktail with potential medical applications, unmatched by any other amphibian,' referring to the peptides. These peptides have been crucial in characterizing the functional role of opioid receptors. Erspamer, who was nominated for the Nobel Prize twice and discovered Serotonin, saw sixteen peptides isolated from the secretion, with several synthesized. Currently, there are over 70 Kambo patents, mostly in the USA. 

During a Kambo session, the practitioner creates small superficial burns on the skin with a tamashi vine or incense stick, referred to as 'Gateways.' In this process, only the top layer of skin is removed to expose the dermis. Kambo secretion is then applied to these gateways, entering the lymphatic system.

The immediate effects of Kambo are intense but brief, typically lasting no more than 20-30 minutes. Symptoms can include a rise in temperature, sweating, shivering, and dizziness due to a rapid heart rate. Blood pressure may also fluctuate significantly, along with heightened awareness of the veins and arteries.

Nausea is a common and often unavoidable effect of Kambo, leading to purging through vomiting, defecation, or both. Additional effects may include pressure in the head, neck, and torso, stomach pain, throat inflammation, dry mouth, blurred vision, impaired mobility, and numbness or swelling of the lips and tongue. Once these initial effects subside and the heart rate normalizes, rest may be required.

After Kambo, individuals may report increased alertness, improved mood, reduced stress, and better focus.

Peptides, like proteins, are chains of amino acids. The key difference lies in the length of these chains: peptides are composed of short amino acid sequences, while proteins are made up of longer ones. Peptides attach to receptors on the surface of biological cells, playing diverse roles in both the body and brain. They often serve as messengers or signals, prompting cells to alter their functions, such as increasing or decreasing the production and release of certain hormones or neurotransmitters. Through these mechanisms, peptides can affect a wide array of biological activities, from influencing mood and cognitive patterns in the brain to regulating muscle movements and digestive processes in the body.

Phyllocarulein and Sauvagine are potent stimulators of gastric and pancreatic secretions, contributing to early symptoms of nausea and vomiting during a Kambo process. They cause blood pressure to drop and tachycardia (increased heart rate), while stimulating the adrenal cortex and pituitary gland, enhancing sensory perception and physical endurance. They also have significant analgesic properties, increasing physical strength, the ability to endure pain, stress, and disease, and reducing fatigue symptoms. Phyllocaerulein, in particular, is present in the highest concentration among peptides, influencing satiety, aiding digestion, altering sedation, and affecting thermoregulation, which may lead to profuse sweating. Sauvagine acts hormonally, interacting with the pituitary-adrenal axis and corticotropin-releasing receptors involved in cortisol regulation and stress responses, and affects smooth muscle contraction in the colon and bladder, as well as tachycardia and blood pressure reduction.

Deltorphin relieves pain and induces calm by acting on opioid receptors and may positively affect those with opiate dependence.

Dermorphin working with Deltorphins, also targets opioid receptors, lessening pain and influencing mood, and assists in managing symptoms related to opiate dependence.

Phyllomedusin a Tachykinin family peptide, powerfully impacts the intestines, bowels, salivary glands, and tear ducts, promoting a thorough cleansing of the digestive system and causing smooth muscle contraction in the gut.

The variability in Kambo's effects on individuals can be linked to their DNA, specifically the particular genes they possess. 

The OPRD1 gene, which exists in various forms, controls sensitivity to certain types of pain. One variant of this gene is known to slightly reduce sensitivity to some analgesic effects of Kambo.

The type of OPRM1 gene you have, out of the four known variants, also influences your reaction to Kambo's pain-relieving properties.

Additionally, a multitude of genes affect serotonin's role in the brain, influencing factors such as addiction vulnerability. Variations in these genes can lead to differing responses to the serotonin-related effects of Kambo.