The Frog
Kambo, otherwise known as Sapo, is a traditional Amazonian medicine derived from the secretion of the Phyllomedusa Bicolour frog, which resides in abundance in the upper Amazon rainforest of South America. Known as the Giant Monkey Tree Frog, it is arboreal and nocturnal in nature and can measure up to 12cms in length. Due to the fact that it has no known natural predators, it is listed as ‘Least Concern’ in the ICUN Endangered Species database. The only current threat to the species, as well as other species residing in the Amazon rainforest, is the potential destruction of its habitat.
The use of kambo has been prevalent for centuries amongst various tribes in the Amazon such as the Matses, Yawanawá, Kaxinawá (Huni Kuin), Katukina, Nukini, Amahuaca and Marubo.
Traditionally, kambo serves as an integral part of the community’s first aid kit, treating ailments such as malaria, snakebites and parasites. It is also used to lift ‘panema’, which can be described as malaise, depression, bad luck or negative energy.
Kambo is also used by the tribes as a traditional hunting aid due to its ability to increase stamina, decrease appetite and thirst and heighten all the senses allowing for prey to be tracked more easily. It is also believed to make one ‘invisible’ to its prey by masking the human scent. This is known as ‘hunting magic’.
In the Matses tradition, kambo is sometimes used in conjunction with a snuff called NuNu. While kambo is used to prepare physically for the hunt, NuNu when administered in large doses has the ability to elicit visions of when and where specifically to hunt for prey, as well as further heightening the senses.
The Legend
Legend has it that many centuries ago, deep in the Brazilian Amazon, the Kaxinawá tribe were struck down with a mysterious illness that could not be cured by any of their traditional remedies.
In a bid for guidance, one of the tribes elders, a powerful shaman known as Pajé Kampu, travelled deep into the jungle come nightfall to work with the sacred medicine and guiding spirit, Grandmother Ayahuasca. As the rain began to fall, he entered his journey with the grandmother. He watched intently as she began to make a croaking sound which summoned a frog, the Phyllomedusa Bicolor, from the top of a high tree. The frog was big, beautiful and bright in colour with a milky secretion on its body, shimmering like diamonds in the moonlight. Grandmother Ayahuasca showed Kampu how to carefully collect this secretion and allow the frog to return to the branches, leaving it completely unharmed. He was then guided as to how to use this secretion to benefit his community.
At daybreak, Kampu returned to his village with the frog secretion he had collected. He began to use this as a medicine on members of the tribe, just as Grandmother Ayahuasca had instructed. As the days passed, Kampu watched on in amazement as the members of the community healed, and this mysterious illness left the village.
Upon his death, Kampu’s spirit was said to merge with that of the Phyllomedusa Bicolor frog, thus this medicine came to be known as “Kambo”. And so it is said that when we work with the powerful medicine of kambo, we also evoke the energy of this powerful medicine man.
The Harvesting
The use of kambo still remains part of the tradition for many tribes within the Amazon. The harvesting of kambo is undertaken with the utmost respect for the frog, as the people of the Amazon maintain an intimate connection to the forest and its creatures. It is believed that to disrespect an animal is to disrespect the animal spirits of the forest, consequently bringing bad fortune to the land and its people. For this reason, the frogs are handled and the medicine is gathered with humility and gratitude.
In order to collect the secretion, members of the tribe will go into the forest at dawn and mimic the call of the frog using their voice or instruments, which encourages the frogs to descend from the trees willingly. Human contact is kept to a minimum, and some tribes ensure this by cutting the branch on which the frog rests from the tree. This means the frog will not be touched until the moment the secretion is about to be collected. This is done to provide minimum aggravation to the frog.
The frog is held in position with strings attached to sticks which are stuck in the ground. The secretion which naturally forms on the surface of the skin is gently scraped off before releasing the frog back into the trees. This process does not last more than a few minutes. The strings used to suspend the frog cause white markings to be left around the wrists and ankles, which last approximately three months. While these markings are visible, no secretion will be collected from this frog in order to allow it to fully restore its defenses. When harvested correctly, it is only the initial layer of secretion that is collected from the frog, leaving it with enough secretion to sufficiently protect itself if it needs to do so.
Medicine that is harvested in this way is considered ethically harvested. All kambo used at Sapo’s Spirit is harvested by members of the Matses tribe in Peru, which I source directly from a Chief of the tribe. This ensures that the kambo is ethically harvested, and that the funds generated through sharing this medicine with us goes directly back to the tribe.
The Science
The Italian pharmacologist and chemist Vittorio Erspamer (1909-1999) of the University of Rome, was the first person to analyse kambo secretion in a laboratory. His career spanned more than 60 years, with two Nobel Prize nominations. He is known for his identification and pharmacological study of over sixty chemical compounds, including octopamine and serotonin.
He reported that kambo secretion contained “a fantastic chemical cocktail with potential medical applications, unequalled by any other amphibian”. The “fantastic chemical cocktail” he referred to was peptides.
Kambo secretion naturally contains a unique collection of peptides. Some of these peptides are bioactive, meaning they have the ability to bind to cell receptors in humans without difficulty and perform specific functions within the body that have a positive impact on it.
The benefits of these peptides are far-reaching. In fact, several of them have been isolated and synthesised by the pharmaceutical industry. There are currently over 70 patents lodged worldwide on these synthesised peptides.
Some of the identified peptides found in kambo secretion:
Dermorpin (Sauvagine family): A potent analgesic estimated to be 30-40 times more potent than morphine. Also affects pituitary hormone release and pulmonary ventilation.
Dermaseptin (Dermaseptin family): Exhibits potent antimicrobial activity against enveloped viruses, bacteria, yeast, fungi and protozoa.This includes filamentous fungi that cause some infections accompanying AIDS and the use of immunosuppressive agents.
Adenoregulin/Dermaseptin B2 (Dermaseptin family): Shown to be effective in killing cancer cells. For more information, click here.
Tyrptophyllins: Highly potent against the yeast Candida Albicans.
Phyllomedusin (Tachykinins family): A powerful vasodilator which stimulates gastric secretions. It is responsible for the “rushing” sensation sometimes experienced during a kambo cleanse. It also affects the intestines, bowels, tear ducts and salivary glands.
Phyllokinin (Bradykinins family): Produces a long-lasting reduction in blood pressure.
Phyllocaerulein (Caerulins family): A potent analgesic. Produces smooth muscle contractions. Reduces blood pressure. Modifies sedation, thermoregulation and satiety. Partially responsible for increase of stamina and heightened sensory perception due to its action on the pituitary gland and adrenal cortex.
Phyllolitorin, [Leu8] Phyllolitorin, Rohdei-Litorin (Bombesins family): Neuropeptide acting in the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system. These produce smooth muscle contraction and stimulate gastric acid secretion.
Deltorpin (Deltorphin family): Higher affinity and selectivity for delta-opioid binding sites than any other natural compound.
Whilst there has been extensive scientific research into the activities of the individual peptides within kambo secretion, to date there have been no scientific studies on the use of the kambo secretion in its whole, natural form. Therefore we do not make any medical claims about the benefits of a kambo cleanse.
As the popularity of kambo is growing, we soon hope to have the scientific research to back up the anecdotal evidence of the thousands of people who have used kambo worldwide.
For more information on the potential benefits of these peptides, click here.
Click here for research papers
The Journey to the Western World
In 1925, Father Constantin Tastevin made the first observations of the use of kambo whilst staying with the Kaxinawá tribe in Brazil.
In the 1980's, anthropologist Katherine Milton observed the use of kambo amongst the Mayoruna tribe in Brazil. Around the same time, investigative journalist Peter Gorman experienced Sapo (kambo) with the Matses tribe in Peru (pictured). His experiences led him to publish his popular book Sapo in my Soul, which to this day continues to bring attention to kambo in the Western world.
In the 1990’s, rubber tappers in Brazil witnessed the use and benefits of kambo and began to take it out of the jungle into towns such as Acre and use it themselves.
Francisco Gomes from Cruzeiro do Sul was one of the first people to implement the use of kambo outside of the Amazon, after having learned the art of kambo whilst spending several years living with the Katukina tribe.
Since then, kambo has continued to grow in popularity around the world. At the forefront of this movement is the International Association of Kambo Practitoners. Founded in 2014, they are a not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to bring kambo into the modern world in a safe, responsible, ethical and sustainable way.
The IAKP “seeks to support and encourage the safe, responsible and professional use of Kambô through training, awareness raising, knowledge development and sharing, personal skills development, research and best practice.” Currently the IAKP has trained over 400 practitioners worldwide.