What is Kambo?
The Legend and History of Kambo
About Kambo
What is Kambo?
Kambo, derived from the Giant Green Monkey Tree Frog (scientifically known as Phyllomedusa Bicolor), is a secretion that should not be mistaken as a poison capable of causing harm.
In the Amazon, it is recognized as a medicinal substance, but it differs from the Western concept of pharmaceutical medicine. It is important to note that Kambo practitioners, who administer the substance, are not medical doctors.
The Giant Green Monkey Tree Frog thrives in the Upper Amazon rainforest regions of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, French Guiana, Suriname, and Venezuela. These frogs face a threat to their existence primarily due to the potential destruction of their habitat, as they have no natural predators. They are relatively large, growing up to 12cm in length, and reproduce abundantly throughout the year, especially between November and May. The females deposit their eggs in hanging nests made from folded leaves, positioned 1-3 meters above ponds and streams. Each spawn typically contains around 1000 eggs, with tadpoles emerging within 11-14 days.
While the exact trigger for the secretion production remains uncertain, it is widely believed to be derived from the frogs’ diet. It is important to note that the frogs do not produce this secretion when removed from their natural environment.
KAMBO Vaccine
Kambo is “one of the strongest natural antibiotics and aesthetics found in the world and one of the strongest, natural ways to empower our immune system.”
Kambo is the name given to the traditional Shamanic frog poison cleanse that is used to strengthen and heal mind, body and spirit. The scientific name for this frog is Phyllomedusa bicolor or “Giant Monkey Frog”. This frog lives in the Northwestern part of the Amazon Rainforest, namely Colombia and on the border between Brazil and Peru and is used by indigenous tribes there to gain strength, immunity and hunting magic. This cute frog secretes a poisonous waxy poison from its skin, the potency of which repels all predators.
The poison from the Giant Monkey Frog is applied to the skin after small burns are made with the tip of a glowing stick. Once applied, Kambo stimulates a strong physical purge while toxins and ‘bad luck’ or ‘panema’ are eliminated from body and spirit.
Kambo is traditionally used by the Native people as ‘vaccine’ to ward off illness, bad luck, to give hunting strength and even to increase attractiveness! Kambo is a very exciting traditional shamanic healing modality and many people have reported immense physical and psychological benefit from its application. Italian scientist and Nobel Prize nominee, Vittorio Erspamer, described the poison from the Phyllomedusa bicolor frog as ‘a fantastic chemical cocktail with potential medical applications, unequaled by any other amphibian’. ²
References:
(1) Kambô: Scientific Research and Healing Treatments by Giovanni Lattanzi
(2) P. Gorman, Making Magic from Omni, July 1993
The Legend & History of Kambo Ceremony
Each indigenous tribe carries its own unique legend or tale recounting the origins of Kambo’s usage. The most prominent legend hails from Brazil and revolves around the Kaxinawá tribe. According to their lore, when the tribe faced grave illness that defied conventional healing methods, their revered medicine man, known as Pajé, sought guidance from the forest spirits. During a visionary experience induced by sacred plant medicines, a female spirit emerged, presenting a frog that secreted a white substance. She taught the Pajé how to administer it, and upon returning to the tribe, he successfully healed his kin. From that moment, he became known as Pajé Kampu or Kampum. Even after his passing, his spirit persisted within the frog, continuing its mission to safeguard the health of those defending the forest. This mystical secretion came to be known as Kambo, but other tribes refer to it as Sapo, Dow-Kiet, Kampu, or Vacina da Floresta. The usage of Kambo transcended the Kaxinawá tribe and has been an integral part of healing practices among various indigenous groups such as the Amahuaca, Katukina, Kulina, Yawanawá, Matses, Marubo, and Mayoruna for thousands of years, persisting to this day.
The earliest documented observations of Kambo usage were recorded by Father Constantin Tastevin, a French priest, during his stay with the Kaxinawá tribe along the upper Juruá River in Brazil in 1925. In the 1980s, American Anthropologist Katherine Milton documented Kambo use among the Mayoruna tribe in Brazil, while Peter Gorman shared his experiences of taking Kambo with the Matses tribe in Peru. The rubber tappers of Brazil learned about Kambo from the Amazonian indigenous people during the 1990s and began bringing it to towns in Acre, applying it themselves. Francisco Gomes from Cruzeiro do Sol, who had spent considerable time living among the Katukina, was among the pioneers in introducing Kambo beyond the Amazon. As the practice spread, people in major cities across Brazil started incorporating Kambo into their lives. In 2004, the Brazilian regulatory body ANVISA (Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária) prohibited advertising the medicinal and therapeutic benefits of Kambo, following representations made by the Katukina people regarding intellectual property rights. Apart from this restriction, Kambo remains legal worldwide.