Kambô Ceremonies UK

Kambô Ceremonies UK updated their info in the about section.

I have decided to come out publicly about the Kambô Ceremonies that I facilitate in London (and previously in Australia). The Giant Monkey Tree Frog and the indigenous Brazilian traditions that work with its venom are all deeply sacred to me, and I am grateful for the physical and energetic healing I have experienced since 2010, when I was introduced to Kambô by the first person to bring it to London.

Myself, and my 14 teachers (including pajés from the Huni Kuin, Katukina, Puyanawa and Yawanawá tribes from Brazil), are all concerned about the serious health problems that have recently happened at Kambô Ceremonies which were facilitated by Westerners who did not follow indigenous traditional protocols. I have analyzed the problems and concluded that the drinking of Caiçuma (as opposed to plain water) before receiving Kambô is a far superior detoxification aid, and also prevents the danger of Hyponatremia. Furthermore, the placement of the pontinhos (little burned holes) on the traditional locations of the human body, is safer than the Western invention of holes on "chakra" and "meridian" points: and that applying Kambô close to the human heart is life-threatening.

As a vegan and an empath who has has felt the intelligence and generous healing spirit of the Kambô frogs as they crawled on my arms and sat on my head, I feel profoundly upset about the exploitation of Giant Monkey Tree frogs that is supplying the internet sale of Kambô and most of the Kambô Ceremonies that are happening in Western countries. The photos of stretched and tortured frogs that appear on the internet are from one particular Peruvian source that is mass-producing Kambô paletas for international sale to unknown destinations, and is deliberately inflicting pain on the frogs for them to secrete maximum quantities of venom for the Western demand. This is a Capitalist perversion of what was once a sacred indigenous spiritual tradition that revered these frogs as sacred healers. The normal tradition from the numerous indigenous tribes in the Acre region of Brazil (who call these frogs "Kambô", "Kampô" or "Kampun") is to carefully handle the frogs such that they happily provide a certain amount of venom without needing to suffer, if the process happens during particular weather conditions and phases of the moon.

I chose to work exclusively with Kambô venom that I am absolutely certain comes from respected frogs, and I chose to follow the indigenous safety protocols, for the sake of everyone's wellbeing.

I am in the process of producing a written article and online video about these issues, and I am happy to provide safety information, instructions for making Caiçuma etc, to any Kambô Ceremony facilitators, for free.

This is the Giant Monkey Tree Frog "Phyllomedusa bicolor", known in indigenous languages as "Kambô", "Kampô", "Kampun" or "Sapo". Indigenous tribes from the Acre region of Brazil revere the Kambô frog to be a wise and benevolent healer. Whereas ayahuasca is often referred to as "a Rainha da Floresta" (the Queen of the Forest), this frog is often called "o Rei Kambô" (the King).

Today someone challenged me about torture of the Kambô frogs when harvesting their venom, having found upsetting photos on the internet. I explained that cruel treatment of these sacred amphibians is totally outrageous to me, and that I have strong beliefs about "ethical sourcing" of Kambô venom. I learned from my Huni Kuin, Katukina, Puyanawa and Yawanawá teachers the methods for harvesting Kambô venom that are genuinely respectful to the frogs, and I am critical of the exploitative methods that are supplying a lot of the internet sales of Kambô.

Holding a Kambô frog in my hand and learning from a Huni Kuin pajé how to harvest the venom in an ethical way was a pivotal experience in my journey with this tradition.

The Kambô frog venom is collected onto "paletas" (little wooden palettes), where it dries on the sun. The venom is preserved safely, and remains active, for a few years on the paleta. This means the frogs can remain in their natural jungle environment, while their medicine can travel the world. The sources of these paletas (left to right): Puyanawa tribe, Yawanawá tribe, Santo Daime church, Katukina tribe (all from the Acre region of Brazil). The two paletas in the middle have been mostly used, and you can see the contrast of the shiny surface at the top where the venom remains.

Close-up photo of the dried venom of the Kambô frog, often referred to as the "leite" (milk). This venom is believed by the indigenous tribes that use it to have a wide array of medicinal and energetic benefits, but Western science has done very little investigation of it so far. This particular venom was harvested ethically by a pajé from the Puyanawa tribe in Brazil.

These are "Titica" vines, which are traditionally used by indigenous tribes of Acre region of Brazil to burn the little "pontinhos" holes into the skin, before Kambô is applied. These skinny vines are about 3mm thick, and are perfect for burning only the very top layer of skin off.

In the indigenous traditions of Brazil, immediately before receiving Kambô, the receiver drinks up to 2 litres of a special drink called Caiçuma, which is a diluted soup of the mandioc root vegetable, which contains electrolytes and probiotics. Unfortunately, most people applying Kambô in the West do not follow this tradition, choosing to give only water instead. This straying from tradition has caused at least 2 deaths, and at least 2 other near-deaths, of people who have received Kambô: because drinking too much water without any electrolytes causes a life-threatening illness called Hyponatremia. This is an example of how Eurocentric beliefs about knowledge, wisdom and tradition, are so dangerous.

I make fresh Caiçuma drink for everyone before each Kambô Ceremony that I facilitate.

In the indigenous traditions of Brazil, males receive Kambô on the upper arm. In this photo, Tanã Huni Kuin is applying the venom into the "pontinhos" (little holes) previously burned into this man's skin.

The indigenous tradition involves applying Kambô to the lower leg on women.

Small holes are burned into the very top surface of the skin, using a "Titica" vine. These holes are called "pontinhos". These openings are where the wet frog venom is applied, such that the venom can soak into the lymphatic system, nervous system and bloodstream.