• People taking immune-suppressants for autoimmune disorders

• People taking slimming, serotonin or sleeping supplements

• Active drug or alcohol addiction

• Long-term or water fasting for 7 days before or after Kambo other than the required fasting

• Colonics, Enemas, liver flushes or any water-based detox should be avoided within 3 days either side of taking Kambo

• People with serious heart problems

• People who have had a stroke

• People on medication for low blood pressure

• People who’ve had a brain hemorrhage

• People who have aneurysms or blood clots

• People who lack the mental capacity to make the decision to take Kambo

• People with serious mental health problems excluding depression and anxiety

• People undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy for 4-6 weeks afterward

• People who take immune-suppressants for organ transplant

• Women who are pregnant or maybe so.

• Women who are breastfeeding a child under 6 months old

• People with Addison’s disease

• People with current and severe Epilepsy

• Are recovering from a major surgical procedure

• Under 18s

• Animals

It all depends on what you are looking to achieve from the treatment. Some traditions recommend doing Kambô every new moon to maintain your immune system healthy.

According to the Matses, “When things aren’t going right in your life, it’s the right time to take Kambô”.

I tell my clients that the frog will let them know when it is time.

No. Kambô is not psychoactive so does not produce hallucinations but can produce a short altered state of reality in some people. Many report receiving insights and messages about living a healthier life.

No. Kambô is not illegal in almost all countries. In Brazil, it’s forbidden to advertise the benefits of Kambô, but practice is allowed. This was due to a complaint from one of the native tribes. In 2021 Kambô was banned in Australia due to a case of severe practitioner malpractice.

After the dots of Kambô are removed, the points are dressed with a Peruvian tree sap solution ‘Sangre de Grado’ (Dragon’s Blood). This helps them to heal faster and ensures they stay free from infection until they scab naturally within a day or so.

The burn marks will heal and fade with time, but depending on your skin color and type you may always have small visible scars.

Most people see their Kambô marks as a badge of honor to be worn proudly and many ask to have the dots arranged on the skin in a pleasing artistic pattern. The same burn points can be reused after 2-3 months.

Kambô is very safe but should always be taken with a properly trained person administering and supervising the treatments at all times.

Certain health conditions prevent some people from taking Kambô just like some situations require special precautions. Please read carefully the contraindications and considerations section, it is very important that you share your whole health history with your practitioner.

If something is not clear or you don’t understand, please ask.

According to the indigenous people of the Amazon, the Kambô frog is a spirit of the forest and it is to be treated with the utmost care and respect.

The Kambô I use is directly harvested by the Matses tribe. The Matses reside along the Upper Amazonian Javar River, an area where the Kambô frogs are plentiful. The frogs live high in the treetops where they gather to sing and announce the coming of the rains. The Matses locate them by singing and imitating their songs, the frogs then come down from the trees, they are passive and docile, and because they have no predators they do not react when picked up and handled.

They are gently and carefully tied by each leg with palia (straw) strips into an “x” shape. Their secretion is then gently scraped off and left to dry on small flat sticks. The frogs are then released and returned back to their original home unharmed. The palia straw leaves behind a small white line on each leg which stops anyone from harvesting the same frog again until it has faded which takes at least 3 months.

The frogs are always treated with the utmost care and reverence, all the tribes have a deep respect and love for them, as they are considered teachers, healers and the carriers of sacred medicine.

Kambô collected this way is considered 100% ethically harvested. The funds the Matses raise from harvesting are shared among the 14 communities (approx. 3,200 Matses) residing within their extensive homeland.

*The IAKP, International Association of Kambô Practitioners, is a non-profit organization that is set up and working to promote and encourage the safe and responsible use of Kambô through training, research, and professional practice. They are committed to ensuring the sustainability of the tribes who own the knowledge of this ancient medicine and whom share it with us so generously.

The IAKP along with other key participants are currently working to provide the Matses tribe with better educational resources, and also teaching them sustainable farming techniques and bringing better health care to their remote villages. The lands of this tribe are located at the front lines of illegal logging and oil exploration.

To learn more about IAKP and how to get involved please go to: WWW.IAKP.ORG