Frequently Asked Questions

A Kambo practitioner is someone who has extensive knowledge about the way this sacred remedy can be used to improve the health of his clients. A trained practitioner is skilled at making sure that the session is carried out safely and as comfortably as possible for the client and is able to respond adequately to any situation that may arise during a session. The goal is always to carry out the healing process with the utmost concern for the client.

I have successfully completed an intensive Kambo practitioner course with the IAKP (International Association of Kambo Practitioners), a rigorous and demanding training both in terms of technique, personal maturity and responsibility. It included teachings about the traditional use and origins of Kambo, the various application techniques, the proper way to adequately hold space for clients, the contraindications, as well as the response to any potential safety issues surrounding its use. IAKP is considered the reference for Kambo training.

Also, being part of the IAKP means that I have access to the knowledge and experience of practitioners all over the world and am always able to reach out with questions. I am confident in my ability to carry out the best possible experience for my clients, and I can safely say that my teachers are as well.

Kambo is safe for people who do not have major contraindications with it. Contrary to some beliefs, and based on the reports of many laboratory analysis, the frog secretion is not toxic and it is the peptides it contains which can render the body ill for the duration of the session. So while it is normal to get temporarily unwell during a Kambo session, this is simply a side effect of the cleansing process itself. Kambo has its own intelligence and the person receiving it will be given what they need and what they can handle.

During the first meeting with this powerful frog remedy, we always carry out a single test point to check for every person’s individual reaction to the substance and to make sure that a full dose would not cause any health concern. Were any issues to arise, the point is quickly and easily removed and any effects disappear within seconds or a few short minutes and are fully reversible.

The main issue to keep an eye on during a Kambo session is related to water consumption, and it is both the client’s and the practitioners’ responsibility to make sure specific guidelines are followed. The client must know that it is important to avoid drinking much water in the 12 hours preceding the session, must not drink any water 2 hours prior to the session, and this is the reason why it is advised to avoid any forms of water-based detox in the days before and after the session. The practitioner is well aware of the water guidelines and the client’s water consumption during the session and we always remain well within completely safe consumption limits. With all this taken care of, any danger associated with water consumption is completely eliminated. Clear information will be provided to you before the session to make sure you are well aware of all of this and safely proceed.

Of course, only you know if you should take Kambo; I am simply here to offer the service if you feel called to do it. That said, something brought you to this page and I know from experience that the frog calls us when we are ready for it, and it is here to help if we need it. Plenty of people suffer from various ailments, be it psychological, physical or even spiritual, and have found little reprieve from what allopathic medicine has to offer. In fact, many of the medicines offered by the mainstream medical establishment seem to cause more harm to the body in the long run, often times they are simply ineffective, and many people find that they fail to address the root cause of their health issues. This beautiful substance from the jungle acts on the body’s innate ability to heal and has brought wonderful results to so many, all the while empowering them in their own healing and acting as a great teacher. It truly is an approach like no other and for this reason, it requires us to shift our mind’s paradigms concerning what healing looks like. There are many who claim that Kambo has successfully helped them recover from conditions they had come to think of as incurable or that they have suffered with for many years or even decades, and they feel deeply grateful for this gift from the frogs.

Although Kambo is safe when used responsibly under the care of a trained practitioner, there are some important contraindications. Before setting up your first appointment with a Kambo practitioner, you will need to confidentially disclose any physical and mental health issues you have in order to make sure that Kambo is safe for you. The following information is a good starting point, although please note that other medical issues may be contraindicated.

Who cannot safely take Kambo?

• People with serious heart problems or who have had heart surgery, including those with a pacemaker (excluding stents)
• People who have had a stroke or a brain hemorrhage
• People who have aneurysms or blood clots
• People on medication for low blood pressure
• People with Addison’s disease
• People with current and severe epilepsy
• People recovering from a major surgical procedure
• People who take immune-suppressants for organ transplants
• People with serious mental health problems (excluding depression, anxiety and PTSD)
• People undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy and for 4 weeks afterwards
• Women who are or may be pregnant
• Women who are breastfeeding a child under 6 months old
• People who lack the mental capacity to make the decision to take Kambo
• Anyone under the age of 18

Caution is required in the following cases:

• People taking immune-suppressants for auto-immune disorders
• People taking slimming or sleeping supplements
• People with active drug or alcohol addictions

Other concerns

If you are taking any pharmaceutical medications or natural supplements, it is important to disclose it to make sure Kambo can be safely administered. Some medications are clearly contraindicated, some need to have cleared from our bodies before applying Kambo, and most can simply be avoided on the morning of a session.

Preparing for a Kambo session requires attention to a few elements. If you are undergoing any treatment, be it pharmaceutical or natural, it is important to mention during the intake to make sure that Kambo is safe for you at this time. That said, here are a few elements to be mindful of and to avoid around doing a Kambo cleanse.

To avoid for 7 days before and after a Kambo session

• Water or juice fasting, as this depletes the body of essential nutrients and strength
• Specific supplements such as:
  • Slimming supplements: ephedrine or diet pills
  • Serotonin modulators: 5-HTP and others
  • Sleeping aids: melatonin
• In the case of active alcohol and any form of drug addiction, it is paramount to be sober for at least 7 days before the session to ensure safety and positive results

To avoid for 3 days before a Kambo session

• Colonics, enemas, liver flushes or any water-based detox (can be resumed 3 days after the session)
• Any form of intense detox
• Hot yoga, saunas or sweat lodges (can be resumed 2 days after the session)

Food and water restrictions

It’s important to avoid ingesting any food or liquid nutrition for 12 hours before the session. Keep water intake to a minimum in that period (a glass or two is ok), and make sure to avoid any water intake for 2 hours before your appointment.

How to prepare yourself

It’s best to go inward in the days and especially hours preceding the session. Do any health and spiritual practice you have, such as any form of meditation, yoga, gentle exercise, journaling, creative practice, breathing, relaxing as much as possible and ideally spending time with those who nurture your soul and believe in you. Do anything that connects you with your essence, with nature, and does not deplete you mentally and physically. Take some time to think about your intentions surrounding your session, how you want to feel once you have cleared the issues you are working through and try to have as much positive and strength-affirming self-talk as possible. If you struggle with any of these, do not be hard on yourself, as the frog truly is here to help and support you in your healing. A Kambo session can be challenging, but your work is simply to show up, to be as calm and open as possible, and the result will be very worth it. Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothes for the session, making sure to dress in layers as you may get warm or cold.

Before our meeting for a Kambo session, we will have a discussion to ensure that Kambo is safe and indicated for you, to answer any questions or concerns you may have and to get to know one another. Once you come in for the session, it will play out like this:

• I will prepare the space before your arrival
• We will sit together and have a short talk and discussion about what is about to unfold, about the number and location of gates to be placed and the particular issues you may be working on
• We will open the Kambo circle together and set our collective and individual intentions for the session
• You will begin to drink water, I will place the gates on your body and prepare the Kambo points
• Once the points are placed, your Kambo healing session will last between 20 and 40 minutes. Typical reactions during the session are an initial increase in heart rate and blood pressure (which subsides after a few minutes), sweating, nausea, purging (vomiting as well as downward purging), a feeling of heaviness and pain in the body, emotional release and many more. During this time, your work will consist of focusing on your breath and staying as open to the healing as possible, and I will be there to assist you; my job will be to make sure everything is unfolding completely safely and calmly, to hold space for you and all that you are courageously releasing, to sing for you and for the frog and hold you in deep healing intention, to assist you with anything you may need, to continually clear the space and help you move through the session
• Once the frog has done its work, I will remove the Kambo points, at which point the session will be over and you will take the time you need to rest for as long as you need, have some warm tea and a snack, and take the time to recover
• We will close the circle together, hug and congratulate you on a job well done 🙂

It is suggested not to plan any intense activity for the remained of the day, as you may feel the need to rest and relax some more, sleep and simply give love to your body in any way that works for you. This is particularly important for anyone dealing with chronic and long-term physical health issues, as it can make you feel tired and pained. It may take a few days for the body to recover and you can temporarily feel worse before you feel better (ex. increase in body pain, headache or migraine, increased difficult emotions, etc.). If you have ever had treatment for your condition that has caused a “herx”, you are likely well prepared and you know it is only temporary. However, in my experience (as someone who has dealt with many of these reactions over the years), I have experienced way worse and much longer herxes from different treatment modalities. Kambo works to immediatly detox the liver and help it process toxins better, allowing it to work through a herx in a much smoother way. In many ways, some of my more intense herx symptoms after a Kambo ceremony have been felt on an emotional level, as I could feel very old (maybe even ancient) stored and repressed feelings suddenly coming through and out of my body and mind.

I will be available to answer questions or concerns that would come up after the ceremony and to help you move through the process.

In order to administer the Kambo secretion to the body, the practitioner creates superficial burns on the top layer of the skin, known as Kambo gates, in order for it to enter the lymphatic system. No blood will be visible. The technique used was developed to minimize the pain that this causes (akin to a mosquito bite, when done properly) and to minimize the visibility of the resulting scars. After the session, we thoroughly disinfect and prepare the gates to heal properly and without any issue. Depending on your skin type, the placement of the gates and how well you care for them, the gates will slowly disappear within a few months. That said, a small skin discoloration or surface scarring may remain visible when placed under a certain type of light and for this reason, we chose the placement of your gates carefully should that be a concern to you.

There are various types of Kambo applications that can be administered. The basic one, which is typically the type used for a first session, consists of placing all the gates in a row (or in a simple pattern) in one place on the body. Often it is on the upper arm (right below the shoulder) or on the inside of the leg (right above the ankle). The practitioner and client agree on the number of points to be applied ahead of time, typically between 3 and 9, and they are all applied together at the beginning of the session (after doing a test point, if the client is coming in for the first time). This type of approach is used for any and all issues we wish to address with Kambo and it will act where it deems it is most needed in order to move forth with healing.

Kambo points can also be applied to specific regions of the body, such as chakra points, meridian points, as well as auricular (ear) points, when the client wants to target a specific issue and when we feel that a specific placement will be helpful. Generally speaking, Kambo knows where to work regardless of the place it is applied but it can certainly be beneficial to use specific points known to stimulate the body’s innate healing response and to work with the client’s intention.

Another approach is called the layered approach, where points are added gradually throughout the session. This can be helpful for those presenting with a more fragile state of health or those who are extremely anxious about the process. In this case, the session is gentler and doesn’t usually cause an initial intense response and we move with the body’s rhythm to gauge how deeply we want to go.

Sometimes, it can be helpful to do a few Kambo sessions that are close together, such as 3 sessions in 3 days, weekly sessions, and other more complex schedules, and this can allow for a deeper and more profound cleanse and to work through health blockages. Please contact me if you’d like to discuss your specific case and how Kambo can potentially help.

There are many scientists currently studying the beneficial effects of Kambo on the body and the various ailments it can help mitigate and cure. Anectodal evidence shows that Kambo is helpful to reduce the symptoms of a plethora of medical conditions of the body and the mind, and you will find evidence and testimonials on the internet. People report getting relief from conditions such as depression, anxiety, chronic pain, digestive troubles, migraines, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, nervous system issues, organ diseases, fertility issues, hepatitis, cancer, various addictions, chronic infections, PTSD, and many others.

That said, one doesn’t have to be ill to benefit from the frog medicine, which can be of great help to move through emotional and energetic blockages. Many people have reported that it has been tremendously helpful in boosting their immune system, it has helped women prepare for pregnancy and generally has helped detox anything which no longer serves us. The various peptides found in the frog secretion act with great intelligence and are often highly effective in making us feel better and bring more equilibrium and vitality to the body.

See the Relevant Links page for various articles discussing the health conditions Kambo can be effective for.

Much research has been conducted on the benefits of Kambo on the body, some of it dating back more than 60 years! More than 70 peptides have been identified in the secretion, some have been isolated and are the subject of much investigation. Each peptide performs specific actions on the body and helps it heal while working with it (and not against it). Research is ongoing and in the future, we will certainly have an increased understanding of the many beneficial applications of this generous frog’s gifts. Research on Kambo is now being conducted with regards to depression, migraine, circulatory problems, cancer, organ disease, skin and eye issues, fertility issues, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

See the Relevant Links page to access scientific research articles about the benefits of Kambo, and the What is Kambo? page to get more information on the various peptides found in Kambo.