kambó

The tradition & historical record

Kambo, also known as sapo (from Portuguese: sapo, lit. 'toad') or vacina-do-sapo, is substance derived from the natural secretions of an amphibian belonging to the Phyllomedusa family. Commonly the dried skin secretions of the giant leaf frog, known as the kambô in Portuguese, a species of frog, are used for ritualistic purposes with a strong religious and spiritual components. Less commonly it is used as a transdermal medicine, however, evidence for its effectiveness is limited. Kambo is usually used in a group setting, called a kambo circle or kambo ceremony. Some of the effects on humans include tachycardia, hypotension, nausea, as well as vomiting and sometimes bowel movements owing to smooth-muscle contractions. A literature review of acute adverse events identified 11 reported cases involving severe adverse effects, including psychosis, SIADH, kidney injury, liver injury, dermatomyositis, esophageal rupture and seizures, with some cases resulting in death. ¹

Kampo pae, a name used by the Noke Kuin (formerly Katukina) Dow kiet, a word used by the Matses Sapo, kampô, kampu, vacina de sapo, or vacina da floresta, in Brazilian Portuguese "Kambô" is a common name of Phyllomedusa bicolor, an Amazonian tree frog, also known as the blue-and-yellow frog, bicolored tree-frog, giant monkey frog, giant leaf frog, or waxy-monkey tree frog. "Sapo" means "toad" in Spanish and Portuguese. The frog is an anuran amphibian that inhabits the Amazon and Orinoco basins in South America. ¹

Natives who practice kambo are Panoan-speaking indigenous groups in the southeast Amazon rainforest, such as the Matsés, Marubo, Amahuaca, Kashinawa, Katukina, Yawanawá, and Kaxinawá. There are ethnographic studies on the use of kambo in traditional Noke Kuin medicine in the region of the state of Acre, in the Brazilian Amazon. Since the mid-20th century, kambo has also been practiced in urban regions of Brazil. In 2004, Brazil banned the sale and marketing of kambo. Import is illegal in Chile. Outside of South America, it first became known as an alternative therapy in the late 2010s. In 2021, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) of Australia banned the use of kambo in Australia and classified it as a schedule-10 poison. It is listed in the category for "substances of such danger to health as to warrant prohibition of sale, supply and use". ¹

In contemporary discourse, the original ritualistic context in which kambo is consumed in indigenous communities has generally been ignored or looked down upon in favour of a more biomedical or western approach to health. Further inspection of indigenous usage allows for a more holistic understanding of its cultural importance and avoids the overt commercialisation of its spiritual qualities. ¹

To collect the secretions from the frog's body, first, the frog has to be caught. A practitioner will tie the frog to four sticks placed in the ground with its limbs stretched. This causes the frog to become stressed enough to activate its defense mechanism and secrete a substance containing peptides from its skin. After these secretions are obtained, the frog is released back into the wild. The secretions are then left to dry. Small burns are created on the skin, and a small dose of the frog secretions is applied to the open wounds. In native practice, the secretions are removed from the wounds after 15 to 20 minutes, ending the acute symptoms. The healing ritual typically begins with the consumption of caiçuma, a traditional, lightly fermented beverage prepared exclusively by women in the associated community. After the consumption of caiçuma, a person believed to have "good luck", usually a proficient hunter, is elected to make burns with a stick on the recipient before the secretions are applied. Kambo is viewed as a "medicine of the heart" and has both physical and, importantly, spiritual effects in the eyes of indigenous communities. This ritual thus operates not through the supernatural, but through a system of shared social reality. ¹

Outside South America, a kambo ceremony can involve just two people: the practitioner and the participant, or many participants at once, which is known as a kambo circle. Participants are equipped with water, a towel, and a bucket. During the ceremony, small superficial burns are made, usually on the upper arm or leg, by the practitioner using a smoldering stick or vine, so that the secretion can be applied. The practitioner uses saliva or water to reconstitute the secretions and place it on top of the burnt skin. Short-term effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, facial edema, headache and tachycardia.. The secretions seem to be vasoactive (affecting the circulation), explaining why they are absorbed rapidly. Intoxication may occur immediately or within hours. Journalist Hamilton Morris has covered kambo, including trying it and reporting on its effects. ¹

The effects of kambo have been described. It produces relatively subtle psychoactive effects and does not appear to produce psychedelic or hallucinogenic effects. However, the drug is reported to produce a state of self-centered inwardness or internal connectedness. It has also been reported to cause apathy, drowsiness, dizziness, sedation, hallucinations, and euphoria, among others. Kambo also produces strong physical effects, including hypotension, sweating, tachycardia, severe nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, urination, edema, and general physical distress. In addition, it reportedly produces long-lasting and pronounced subacute or afterglow effects, such as clarity of thought, euphoria, feelings of well-being, positive mood and attitudes, increased resilience, positive and altruistic behavioral changes, and increased physical strength and stamina. ¹

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Kambo (drug)”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. ¹

kambó is Secretion from Phyllomedusa bicolor frog, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. ²

The source record links this tradition to 2 external registers, which can be verified through the citation. ²