Sacred Fire Medicine from the Amazon Forest in South America
The Origins of Kambô
Each tribe has its own legend or story about how they came to use Kambô. The most prevalent legend comes from Brazil…
This Huni Kuin (Kaxinawá) legend tells that the Indians of the tribe were very ill and their medicine man (Pajé in Brazil) had done everything that was possible to cure them. All medicinal herbs known were used, but none helped.
Under the effect of sacred plant medicines, he entered the forest and whilst there received a visit from a female spirit of the forest.
She brought in her hands a frog, from which she took a white secretion, and taught the Pajé how to apply it. Returning to the tribe and following the guidelines he had received, the Pajé was able to cure his brothers and sisters. From then on he was known as Pajé Kampu or Kampum.
After his death, his spirit lived on in the frog, where it continued its mission to protect the health of those who defend the forest. The secretion became known as Kambô, but in some tribes it is called Sapo, Dow-Kiet, Kampu or Vacina da Floresta.
Usage spread, and for thousands of years, Kambô has been used as medicine by the Huni Kuin (Kaxinawá) people, and by many other indigenous groups including the Amahuaca, Katukina, Kulina, Yawanawá, Matsés, Marubo and Mayoruna. It is still used widely amongst indigenous people in the Amazon to this day.
What is Kambô?
Kambô is a secretion from one of the largest Hylid frogs known as the Giant Green Monkey Tree Frog. Its scientific name is Phyllomedusa Bicolor. The secretion is not a sweat nor a poison in the sense that it alone is not capable of causing death, or illness. In the Amazon, it is regarded as a medicine however this should not be confused with the western definition of a medicine. Kambô is not a medicine and those that administer it are practitioners and not doctors.
An Italian scientist, Vittorio Erspamer of the University of Rome was the first person to analyse Kambô in a laboratory. In 1986, he wrote that it contains a ‘fantastic chemical cocktail with potential medical applications, unequalled by any other amphibian’.
The chemicals he referred to are peptides. The peptides studied by Erspamer have become essential to characterize the functional role of opioid receptors. He was twice nominated for a Nobel Prize and was also the person who first discovered Serotonin. Sixteen peptides have since been isolated from the secretion and several have been synthesised. Currently there are over 70 Kambô patents lodged, mainly in the USA.
The popularity and use of Kambô as a natural support to healing is spreading worldwide. As the scientific research into the secretion of the Phyllomedusa Bicolor grows, skilled practitioners are also developing new ways to work with this powerful substance from the Amazonian Rain Forest, which allows it to be accessible to almost everyone in a safe and manageable way.
Not only do we now have a number of different traditional ways to take Kambô but we can also work with the Meridians, the Chakras, Nadis and Marma Points and even the ears – Auricular Kambô. Added to this, there are also new techniques to allow people to take Kambô in a way that is gentler on their system but still allows them to enjoy the maximum benefits.
Long Term Health Benefits
What are the benefits?
Chronic and Long Term Pain
Chronic Fatigue
HIV
Diabetes
Lyme Disease
Parkinson's Disease
Multiple Sclerosis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Infertility
Repairing the Immune System
Depression
Cancer
Thyroid Conditions
Migraines
Viral Conditions
Addictions
Aligning the Chakras
Decalcifying the Pineal Gland
Please make sure that you review all contraindications and precautions
Who can NOT safely take Kambo?
CONTRAINDICATIONS
The following may NOT safely take Kambô:
- People with serious heart problems
- People who have had a stroke
- People on medication for low blood pressure (this is extremely rare)
- People who’ve had a brain hemorrhage
- People who have aneurysms or blood clots
- People who lack the mental capacity to make the decision to take Kambô
- People with serious mental health problems excluding depression and anxiety
- People undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy for 4 – 6 weeks afterward
- People who take immune-suppressants for an organ transplant
- Women who are pregnant or may be so
- Women who are breast-feeding a child under 6 months old
- People with Addison’s disease
- People with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome
- People with current and severe Epilepsy
- Are recovering from a major surgical procedure
- Under 18
- Animals
CAUTIONS
- Caution is also required in the following cases and may require additional care and treatments:
- People taking immune-suppressants for auto immune disorders.
- Active drug or alcohol addiction.
- Long term or water fasting for 7 days before or after Kambô other than the required fasting.
- Colonics, Enemas, liver flushes or any water based detox should be avoided within 3 days either side of taking Kambô.
- If someone has taken Bufo 5-MeO-DMT within 28 days.
OESOPHAGUS/ESOPHAGUS RUPTURE
Because Kambô can cause violent vomiting we need to have some caution around certain conditions that could weaken the Oesophagus/Esophagus. These do not necessarily preclude you from experiencing Kambô but it is advisable to make sure to let your Practitioner know if you have been affected with any of the following:
- Boerhaave’s Syndrome (spontaneous rupture of the oesophagus)
- Severe injury, or trauma to the Oesophagus/Esophagus from endoscopy, or injury to the neck.
- Tumours, or Ulcers in the throat
- Those who have or have had bulimia
- Gastro-intestinal RefluxChronic inflammatory response syndrome due to mold exposure
- Untreated eosinophilic esophagitis
- Oesophagus/Esophagus Varices
- Portal Hypertension
Before Ceremony
Eat a healthy meal the night before.
No food or drink day of ceremony.
Do not take any medications on the day of the ceremony. You will be ok to take your medications after the ceremony.
To apply the medicine I will burn the very first layer of the skin, opening a "gate."
During Ceremony
Prior to the medicine being applied you will drink 1 liter of caicuma and 1 liter of water.
Your body will begin to work with the medicine once it is applied.
Some people experience what can best be described as a body scan. The skin will begin to get flush, your blood pressure will begin to rise, and you may feel your heart beating a bit stronger.
The medicine provokes a purge which is most commonly experienced through vomiting. There is a space when the blood pressure drops, this is the time the purge presents. It is usually a liquid (water consumed moments before) along with bile.
There are no psychoactive effects and you remain in control of how long you sit with the medicine. It is advised to work with it as long as you are able (usually 20 minutes). The medicine will be removed at 40 minutes.
After Ceremony
Once the medicine is removed it may take a few moments for the body to return to "normal". I provide space for you to rest and relax as I prepare your aftercare. I will apply Dragons Blood to your gates as a protective to offer healing and a barrier. Keeping your gates clean and dry is advised.
Hot Organic soup is served next a bowl of fresh organic fruit, hot tea and coconut water are also provided to bring the body hydration and fuel the body for additional strength.
After a Kambô ceremony most people experience a high amount of energy, clearing of the mind, feeling relaxed and lighter, refreshed and renewed.
Some people may experience a need for rest, and should listen to their bodies.
Investment Options
Space held in My Sacred Space in Lake Havasu CIty, Az (Traveling to your sacred space is also available, additional travel rates do apply)
Single Private Ceremony
$200-250 USD sliding scale (Space held in my Sacred Space in LHC, Az. Additional travel rates do apply.)
Non refundable deposit of $75 USD is due when booking your ceremony. This deposit will go towards your ceremony.
Includes, 2-3 hours of space holding and guardianship, sacred medicines; Sananga, Rapé and Kambô, reiki, caicuma/water, aftercare including; organic fruit, coconut water, tea, and soup.
Discounted with 3 ceremony commitment
Private Moon Phase Ceremony (Inoculation)
3 Private Kambo Ceremonies (completed within a moonphase, 28 days) Kambo is best received in 3 servings within a Moon Phase.
$525-675 USD sliding scale (Space held in my Sacred Space in LHC, Az. Additional travel rates do apply.)
Non refundable deposit of $225 USD is due when booking your ceremony. This deposit will go towards your ceremony.
Includes, 2-3 hours of space holding and guardianship, sacred medicines; Sananga, Rapé and Kambô, reiki, caicuma/water, aftercare including; organic fruit, coconut water, tea, and soup.
Raise the vibrations of healing with like minded individuals
Group Kambo Ceremony
$150-200 USD sliding scale (Space held in my Sacred Space in LHC, Az. Additional travel rates do apply.)
Non refundable deposit of $50 USD is due when booking your ceremony. This deposit will go towards your ceremony.
Includes, 2-3 hours of space holding and guardianship, sacred medicines; Sananga, Rapé and Kambô, reiki, caicuma/water, aftercare including; organic fruit, coconut water, tea, and soup.
NEXT GROUP:
Sunday October 15th at 10 am
Other Sacred Fire Medicine used in ceremony
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Sananga
A sacred fire medicine from the amazon jungle that brings us energetically in alignment by opening and activating our chakras. It is served by placing a single drop in each eye. It helps to clear out panema (negative stuck energy) assisting you with healing on a physical, spiritual and energetic levels by offering grounding and opening of the Third Eye. It can also help with vision issues, sinusitis, cataracts, red eye, congenative eye diseases, astigmatisms, photophobia, headaches, dry eye, eye infections, depth perception, and decalcifies the pineal gland.
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Rape
Another fire medicine found in the Amazon. There are multiple blends to choose from and many tribes use different materials to make their ritual snuff. It is mainly made from Mapacho tobacco and other medicinal herbs, ash, and seeds which are ground down into a powder. It is served by blowing a small amount up the nose. It can help with clearing or breaking through blockages, removing panema (negative stuck energy). It opens the third eye, decalcifying the pineal gland clearing the mind. It can also be helpful in healing headaches, sinusitis, and allergies.
About the Phyllomedusa Bicolor frogs
The frog is nocturnal and arboreal and due to the fact that it has no natural predators is found in abundance across the Upper Amazon rainforest areas of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, French Guiana, Suriname and Venezuela. The IUCN database continually lists them in the ‘Least Concern’ category in view of their wide distribution and large population. The only known threats to this species of frog at the moment are spawn predation and the potential destruction of their habitat.
They are large frogs, the male bodies being between 9-10 cm and the females 11-12cm. The dorsum is a vibrant green and the belly a creamy white. They have dark spots on the chest, flank and legs. Reproduction occurs throughout the year, peaking between November and May. They construct hanging nests from folded leaves 1-3 metres above ponds and streams. The females deposit a gelatinous mass containing their eggs into these nests. Theirs is the largest spawn found amongst arboreal frogs of the Amazon. A single spawn contains on average 1000 eggs from which tadpoles emerge within 11-14 days. No one is 100% certain what the catalyst for producing the secretion is, but it is widely believed to be sequestered from their diet. This is why the frogs do not produce their secretion when they are removed from their natural environment.
If done correctly the frogs are not harmed in anyway when the Kambô is taken from them. The IAKP works together with the communities, who collect the secretion for us, to make sure they are working in a way that protects the frogs and the environment that is so vital to their survival.
Hearing the Kambô call
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