Kambo: the jungle vaccine

The kambó is a secretion produced in the skin of the phylomedusa bicolor frog, it has been used for thousands of years by various tribes of the Amazon and in the last fifty years its use has spread throughout the world and countless studies have been carried out at the level scientist about the benefits it produces in the body

The kambó is a secretion produced in the skin of the phylomedusa bicolor frog, it has been used for thousands of years by various tribes of the Amazon and in the last fifty years its use has spread throughout the world and countless studies have been carried out at the level about the benefits it produces in the body since it is a biochemical cocktail made up of several peptides that boost the immune system (hence it is known as "the jungle vaccine" and optimize functions in the body by catalyzing processes of purification, autolysis (cellular suicide) of some cancer cells and antimicrobial and antibacterial processes. 

The way in which the kambó is applied is by moistening the wooden board where it was previously dried when it was collected from the frog and applying the medicine in the form of small balls in burns made with a stick previously cauterized at the superficial epidermal level, only the first skin of the skin, apply from one to five points.

Here we leave you a detailed description of the function of each peptide with the clarification that all of them work together symbiotically in a more complete and enhanced way than isolated, this is known as the "entourage effect" where the whole is more than the sum of the parts. There are also some false beliefs and myths about the kambó that we also clarify below. On the other hand, if you have any illness or allergy, it is important that you notify us so that we can consult with our medical advisers if the application is possible and how.

Phyllomedusines – such as Tachykinins (which also act as neuropeptides) – They produce contraction at the smooth muscle level and increase the secretions of the entire gastrointestinal tract such as the salivary glands, stomach, small and large intestine, pancreas and gallbladder. They are the main responsible for the deep purge produced by the administration of the kambó.

Phyllokinins and Phyllomedusins – both are powerful vasodilators, increasing the permeability of the blood-brain barrier, both for its own access, and for other active peptides. Within this family are the jellyfish, which also have antimicrobial and antifungal properties.

Caeruleins and Sauvaginas – They are peptides with chains of 40 amino acids, with myotropic properties on smooth muscle, producing a contraction at the level of the colon and urinary bladder. They produce a drop in blood pressure accompanied by tachycardia. They stimulate the adrenal cortex and the pituitary gland, contributing to heightened sensory perception and increased stamina. Both peptides have great analgesic power, contribute to increased physical strength, the ability to deal with physical pain, stress and illness, and reduce symptoms of fatigue. In the medical field, this family of peptides helps improve digestion, and has analgesic properties against pain in renal colic, pain due to peripheral vascular insufficiency and tumor pain.

Dermorphins and deltorphins – They are small peptides composed of 7 amino acids. They are selective delta opioid receptor agonists, 4000 times more potent than morphine and 40 times more potent than endogenous endorphins.

adenoregulins – discovered in the 90s by John Daly's team at the National Institutes of Health in the United States. Adenoregulin works in the human body through adenosine receptors, a critical component in all human cellular fuel. These receptors may offer a target for the treatment of depression, strokes and cognitive loss diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and also Parkinson's.

Antimicrobial peptides: Dermaseptins, including adenoregulins (with 33 amino acids), plasticins, and phyloseptins, are part of a family of broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptides involved in the defense of bare frog skin against microbial invasion. These are the first vertebrate peptides to show lethal effects against the filamentous fungi responsible for severe opportunistic infections, which accompany immunodeficiency syndrome and the use of immunosuppressive agents. They also show lethal effects against a broad spectrum of both gram+ and gram- bacteria, fungi, yeasts, and protozoa. Several years of research carried out at the University of Paris have shown that the peptides Dermaseptin B2 and B3 are effective in killing certain types of cancer cells. Research at Queens University Belfast recently won a prestigious award for groundbreaking work with cancer and Kambo. Its mechanism of action is produced by the inhibition of angiogenesis of tumor cells, with selective cytotoxicity for these cells.

Bradykinins – such as phyllokinins and tryptophyllins. They are peptides with structure and properties similar to human bradykinin. They are important sources of scientific study as they are hypotensive, produce vasodilation, contraction of non-vascular smooth muscle, increase vascular permeability and are also related to the mechanism of inflammatory pain.

bombesinas – these peptides stimulate the secretion of hydrochloric acid by acting on the G cells of the stomach, regardless of the pH of the medium; they also increase pancreatic secretion, intestinal myoelectric activity, and smooth muscle contractility.

Ceruleins – They stimulate gastric, biliary, and pancreatic secretions, and certain smooth muscles. They could be used in paralytic ileus and as a diagnostic tool in pancreatic dysfunction.

Tryptophyllines – they are neuropeptides made up of 4 to 14 amino acids, which are opening up new perspectives on how the human brain works.

 FALSE BELIEFS IN THE PRACTICE OF KAMBÓ 

WHAT ARE HARMFUL AND DANGEROUS

"The more you vomit, the healthier you are," you have to give the person water until the transparent vomit comes out, "you have to put more and more points," "the kambó cures addictions" and much more myths and false beliefs are what I'm going to to expose in this article:

The secretion of the phyllomedusa bicolor frog from the Amazon has become a "self-healing" and prevention tool for many people due to the large number of conditions that it prevents, alleviates, alleviates, minimizes or even cures, as is the case with some types of cancer, infections, fibromyalgia... This medicine is extracted from the frog's back, it is not clear if it is a poison itself or if it is a substance that secretes like a sunscreen to protect the frog, but an inadequate dose does generate poisoning, in this case the dose is what determines whether it works as a wonder medicine or as a deadly poison. Once extracted, it is placed on a wooden tablet where it is allowed to dry and which is what the facilitators then transport in their tool kit. When the tablet is used it moistens and a minimal amount is extracted from it. Previously, small burns are made with a small stick called “titica” that is applied to the skin of the arm or leg. The burn must be superficial and at the epidermal level, in the first layer of the epidermis (the tattoos are made in the dermis so that you have a reference), therefore it is not necessary to press hard or draw blood (in this case you should not put) and an incense stick should not be used as a burner due to its toxicity.
For reasons of hygiene, the piece of the stick that has been used to burn one person must be cut before burning another and it is advisable not to apply the points directly from the original table but to put those that are going to be used in a small tablet (they sell packages with dozens of them) and use an instrument to collect them and apply them differently for each person. There should be a facilitator for each person you take and wait until at least 15 or 20 minutes have passed and you have recovered to start with another person. Regarding the table, it is convenient to moisten only the part of the tablet that is going to be used so as not to moisten all of it.

The recommendation is to put between one and five points, there are novice or even "experienced" facilitators who give the person three more points in each session, something that is not necessary. They also say that if the person faints it is because he is experiencing an "unblocking" when many times it has to do with tension or electrolyte issues. In any case these fainting can occur as part of the process, it is advisable to pour cold water immediately on the person's neck and in the folds behind the elbow. The amount of water that should be drunk before varies from two to three glasses of water up to a maximum of one and a half liters. It is not necessary to force yourself or drink water continuously during the process. If you drink too much water, more than two liters, there may be an electrolyte imbalance or kidney failure which can cause death.

Some facilitators say that depending on the color of the vomit it is because something emotional or physical is happening to you and they guess what old spell of dry bones on the table "what happens to you", they say if you vomit red it is "because you have accumulated anger", they also say that the cleaning is not finished until the vomit does not come out transparent. What the body expels are toxins, even conditions, and many times the colors of the vomit have something to do with it, but this is not always the case, other times it is simply the accumulated or standard bile that lodges in the pancreas and in other glands. The most conspicuous part of the kambó is the vomiting, but this only corresponds to a small percentage of the biochemical process that it performs, since the dissolution or lysis also occurs at the cellular level and is expelled by the body in other ways, such as urine. There is a part that has to do with peptides (more than a dozen have been detected) that perform functions in the body such as biochemical keys that catalyze autolysis processes of some tumor cells, reinforcement of the immune system, analgesia... in fact, kambó contains opioids and to this corresponds many times that sensation of corporal and even psychic peace. Some people become addicted to that sensation and consume kambó several times a month justifying that they are carrying out some "healing process or work". They even become addicted to the sensation generated by vomiting and enter a kind of "spiritual bulimia" that comes from the idea "I'm not clean or healthy enough yet" and this from the idea "I'm not totally worthy of love yet" (I will develop the concept of "spiritual bulimia" in another article as it is very deep and occurs beyond kambo).

Kambo is also said to cure addictions. It can help in the process of understanding and cleansing but it does not cure addictions. Addictions cease to have power over a person's life as a result of a deep internal decision. Ayahuasca, bufo alvarius and other entheogens can help us in this process of understanding and in the encounter with our divine essence, but they are only tools. In fact, for example, you can understand the roots of alcoholism and even heal them and what led you to it, but if you have a drink you run the risk of not stopping, the symptom that developed does not always subside even if what caused it disappears, I will speak in another article about it from my experience about it of course.

The kambó does not remove the physical withdrawal syndrome either, but it can help when it is caused by opioids. Other medicines such as iboga do restore tolerance at the cellular level. That's why if you take heroin after having done a process with ibogaine you can have an overdose if you take the last amount of dose to which you got used to.

A very famous organization that works with kambó, trains facilitators and gives certificates says that you cannot take kambó and bufo on the same day and that there has to be a separation of two months between them. This is false because for years I have seen people who took it on the same day with wonderful processes, not simultaneously but a few hours apart. Even the kambó can favor a state of relaxation to get carried away more easily with the bufo alvarius afterwards. Nor should ayuhuasca and kambó be mixed simultaneously, but it can be taken eight or ten hours apart.

On the other hand, it is also said that to be vaccinated by kambó it is necessary to do it three times within a month. This statement cannot be said if it is false or not, it may be convenient, it is a recommendation that comes from some traditions and although tradition and truth are not synonymous in this case if it makes some sense in terms of reinforcement, but if it is true that some facilitators use it as a marketing excuse to sell more kambo sessions or more “optional medicine” sessions.

Pregnant women should not take kambó and if they are breastfeeding I have my doubts, in the latter case they should wait to give milk to their babies until the kambó disappears from the body. Regarding the myth that "kambó enhances the immune system and therefore should not be used in autoimmune diseases" paradoxically this is not the case in some cases and diseases and doctors experienced in the use of kambó and different pathologies should be consulted. In case of any specific doubt I can send them to you or put you in contact with professional medical advisers.

The kambó also allows us to carry out processes of emotional liberation, the ease it produces allows us to momentarily stop squeezing ourselves internally and emotions and tears are released, so important understandings about the relationship we have with ourselves can occur.
But kambo does not cure depression as some people say. Although it allows a momentary "pressure" or depression of ourselves that generates a break that gives us an experiential vision of that peace.

The kambó is not an entheogen although some people report entheogenic experiences of connection with it that can occur. It is also said that the kambó releases the "panema" that is defined as "accumulated dense energies", something that has also generated an obsession in some people who go to the kambó every time they feel "dense".

This medicine has the purpose of helping us but as you can see it is also used as a tool of self-abuse and abuse in the hands of exigency and superstition.

HISTORY OF KAMBÓThe most widespread legend about the origins of Kambo comes from the Kaxinawa in Brazil. The forest people had fallen ill and their shaman, a man known as Kampum, took ayahuasca to enter a trance and communicate with the spirits of the forest. A female spirit contacted him and gave him a frog and taught him how to use its medicine to heal his people. When he came to, he brought this frog medicine to his people and was able to cure him. When Kampum passed away years later, his spirit passed on to the frog spirit, who became known as Kambo. For thousands of years, the practice of Kambo remained in the forest; it was not until the 1990s that half-indigenous rubber tappers known as the Cobocla people learned the practice from the natives and began bringing it to Brazil's cities. From there, the use of Kambo has slowly spread throughout the world, gaining massive momentum over the past ten years. The first description of the use of the secretion of the frog P. bicolor was made by a French missionary, Father Constant Tastevin, in 1925 while he was staying with the Kaxinawa (now Huní Kuin) on the banks of the Gregorio River in Acre, an Amazonian state in northwestern Brazil: "Amphibians are innumerable. The most notable is the campon of the Cashinahua, or the bakurúru of the Tupíes. The Cashinahua, Kurina and Kanamari tie him alive, with his limbs outstretched, and hold him over a fire. Its body oozes a secretion that is collected using chopsticks and then stored. Then they set the poor animal free because, if it were to die, it would take revenge on its executioners. When a native becomes sick, thin, pale, and swollen; when he has been long unlucky in hunting, it is because there is an evil force in his body which must be expelled. Early in the morning, before dawn, and still on an empty stomach, the sick and the unfortunate make small scars on their arms with the incandescent tip of a branch, in order to inoculate themselves with the popularly called “frog milk.” They are soon seized by intense nausea and diarrhea; the evil force leaves their bodies through every orifice: the sick gain weight and regain their color, the unfortunate find more prey than they can carry with them; no animal escapes their keen vision, their hearing perceives even the faintest sounds, and their weapon never misses a target. I witnessed one of these cleansings among the Kurina, at the headwaters of the Erie, among the Zuwohi-Madihâ (weeping capuchin): the patients ingested the “campon” at about 5 a.m., some of them for fun; at 7 a.m. They were completely recovered, and at 8 am, one of them went out to hunt and returned with only a marai guan" (The Muru River – Its inhabitants. – Kachinaua Beliefs and Customs)Constantin Tastevin, 1925.Peter Gorman, who first experimented with Sapo (waterless Kambo) on the Matsés in Peru, is responsible for bringing a Kambo stick to a laboratory and helped discover the unique cocktail of beneficial peptides. Peter Gorman went on to author two books, Sapo In My Soul: The Matsés Frog Medicine and Ayahuasca in My Blood: 25 Years of Medicine Dreaming. He described his experience with waterless dow kiet (kambó) from the Matsés of the Gálvez River near the Angamos colony in 1990, located in the northeast of Peru, in the Loreto region: “The effects are astonishing: the moment you put the drug on your skin, your body starts to heat up. At times you feel as if you are burning inside and you begin to sweat. Your blood begins to pool; your heart pounds. You get stomach cramps and vomit violently. You lose control of your bodily functions: you may urinate, defecate, and drool uncontrollably. You fall to the ground and begin to lose consciousness, then suddenly you may feel an urge to do things you've never done before. You may find yourself growling, barking, or moving on all fours. You feel like animals are passing through you, trying to express themselves through your body. But this extraordinary feeling is secondary to the acceleration of your blood, a movement so fast that you think your heart is going to explode. For about fifteen minutes the acceleration is increasing, you are in agony. The pain becomes so great that you wish you could just die and have it over with, but you don't die. The heartbeat slowly becomes steady and rhythmic, and he gasps for air like a man saved from drowning. Finally, the blows subside and you recover, exhausted. And you sleep." (The Jaguar People: Shamanic Hunting Practices of the Matsés, Peter Gorman (1990). Vittorio Erspamer, an Italian scientist and Nobel Prize nominee from the University of Rome, was the first person to analyze Kambo in a laboratory. In 1986, he wrote that it contains a "fantastic chemical cocktail with potential medical applications, unparalleled by any other amphibian." The chemicals he was referring to were peptides, short-chain amino acids that make up the proteins in our bodies. We are made of water, peptides and proteins. There are currently over 70 Kambo patents registered, mainly in the US. UU. While scientists have been able to isolate and synthesize some of the peptides in Kambo, there is no substitute for the real thing. Some of the peptides in Kambo are neuropeptides, meaning they specifically affect brain and body activity by communicating with neurons. Insulin, oxytocin, and endorphins are examples of integral neuropeptides. Other peptides found in Kambo are bioactive, composed of a specific chain of amino acids that perform a function the body recognizes as beneficial. The body opens up to Kambo at a cellular level, allowing it to cleanse the deposits left by foreign substances in the cells without stressing them. This combination of peptides is a unique key that unlocks the body, allowing Kambo to cross the blood-brain barrier instead of being filtered by the body's defense system. This makes Kambo an extremely powerful way to reach and treat diseases. Kambo peptides include:Dermorphin – Dermorphin has an opiate-like effect on mu-opioid receptors making it a very potent pain reliever with effects 30-40 times stronger than morphine.Deltorphin – Deltorphin is also a potent pain reliever and delta opioid agonist.Phylomedusin – A neuropeptide (is it possible to link to the Wikipedia page on neuropeptides?) that has a powerful effect on the bowels and contributes to the purging often experienced when taking kambo.Phyllokinin – This neuropeptide can cause a long lasting reduction in blood pressure.Phyllocaerulein – Another potent pain reliever that lowers blood pressure and affects thermoregulation.Adenoregulin – A 33 amino acid peptide that acts with the adenosine receptor. This antibiotic peptide may have damage-reducing effects against a wide variety of bacteria, fungi, and protozoa including cancer cells. Dermaseptin : Induces potent antimicrobial activity against bacteria, yeasts, fungi, protozoa, and enveloped viruses that often cause serious opportunistic infections. Dermaseptin B produces autolysis (cell suicide) in some types of tumor cells Tryptophilins : Very potent against the yeast Candida, they may have potential in cardiovascular, inflammatory, and anticancer therapy. According to Leandro Altheman Lopes, a Brazilian journalist, urban use of kambó began in São Paulo in 1994. In the most popular version of the story, it was a rubber tapper, Francisco Gomes, who began to bring kambó through institutions such as Santo Daime and the UDV to states outside Acre such as Rondônia, Minas Gerais and São Paulo in the second half of the 1990s.

A comment

  1. Hello, I would like you to advise me because when you applied the medicine people cannot vomit, it is difficult for them, I already had kambo from 2 different providers and the same

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