doodlekid
Esteemed member
As I've been having this somewhat cheesy frog avatar for a while, receiving an invitation to talk about it and already had some text prepared on it, here goes:
Introduction
Since 2011 I’ve been doing kambo applications. I’ve learned it from someone who in turn learned it from someone else. After a while I got the hang of it and started doing it myself. In time I’ve had opportunities to administer it to others.
I'm not initiated in a traditional way of using kambo. My ties are through the chain of persons who taught each other till it got to me. This way I’ve been free to tailor it to my own needs, but on the other hand also not thoroughly aquainted with it’s traditional uses.
I’ve had good results and noticed it goes well with my constitution. Admittedly there is always a degree of suffering with each application. Kambo is not for crybabies, but it also isn’t as harsh as some people portray it. When well prepared and confident the suffering is a minor price for the results it gives.
What is kambo?
I'll keep this short, so just for the record: Kambo is the general name of the practice of using skin secretions of the Phyllo Medusa Bicolor frog as a medicine. These secretions are collected on a piece of wood, which is commonly called a kambostick.
The way it's used is through a ritual in which burns are made on the skin with a piece of wood, large quantities of water are ingested and the secretions are applied on the burns.
Then follows an categorically unpleasant experience of purging that can include vomiting, diarrhea and sweating. When this passes most often people experience a profound sense of wellbeing that lasts between days, weeks or even months.
It's used for various purposes, the main of which is called curing 'panema' which is a kind of a umbrella term for all kinds of ailments ranging from depression to bad luck. My own experience is that it relieves or releases mental/ emotional debris and does this through body fluids.
Lasting effects
Over time I’ve started to notice how kambo effects last for a while and then start to wear off. There are direct effects that last a day, maybe two or a few. And there are effects that are a little subtler but also last longer, like weeks or maybe a month or so.
It’s the longer term subtler effects which are most interesting. From what I’ve seen, there’s a sort of dismantling of thought/ emotional complexes. So in a sense the way things are experienced become less influenced and burdened by these. It can be that for days or weeks you are able to go through daily life with the least amount of unnecessary thoughts and emotions.
So for example: When I walked through the local forest past few months, this place acted as a sort of mirror for some repeating thought patterns and their emotional responses. I felt very sickened by the place over time and in the end realized it was my own perspective. I could see how much those thought patterns inflicted states of emotional and physical suffering. Just feeling bad and noticing how the body responds and the enviroment reflects.
Then I applied kambo a few weeks ago and directly after that the same place appeared so much more transparent. Instead of seeing grief in each tree, instead I saw the processes that were going on for this time of the year. My own projection was suspended and that suddenly made the place appear a lot brighter.
Gradually I see the old pattern return, step by step. It’s not blasted away for good, yet it is temporary relieved. This is a chance to see some things for what they are, without the burden of stacked up feelings. So that’s what I do and in this way kambo acts as a catalyst for transformation.
So, if there are certain dispositions or causes that usually lead to discomfort or difficulty in life, these are relieved, albeit temporary. For some things kambo can provide lasting healing, but a lot of other things get relieved for a while. When the underlying causes are dealt with, they ofcourse stay away.
When you reach a certain point in developing or dealing with issues, there can be a point in which kambo functions as catalyst for transformation.
General application
First there are the burns. It’s a deliberate mutilation which can be self-inflicted. They leave scars which often completely disappear but not always. As such this act has some depth, cause goes against natural disposition. It requires some qualities of character, like courage and determination.
Then there’s the ingestion of large amounts of water. Which wouldn’t be that alarming, but with the whole prospect of the application it serves as prelude to nauseau and often I’ve noticed myself being on the brink of vomiting long before the kambo is put on the burns. This to can be seen as a sort of test of determination and purpose.
So these two elements already set the stage of a kind of it being a kind of ordeal. Maybe it can be seen as a substitute for the ordeals we go through normally. It this case it is by choice and with intention.
This intention is something profound. So the taking of a medicine as cure for something as broad defined as ‘panema’ goes accompanied with a very specific and personal intention. I don’t know if this is something native to the tribes who originally used it, but I suppose so.
Like there is always something you want to get rid of when doing kambo. But also you can choose in which light you want to heal from this. Same goes with Ayahuasca, Iboga, San Pedro as well. In fact when getting accustomed to the practice of intention it fills up a big gap in the mechanical purpose of applying any kind medicine or psychoactive.
Purging
When applying there is a difference between purging and not purging. Purging usually means vomiting but can also include diarrhea and sweating. The difference is by degree of dosage which comes down to many dots and what size have been burnt.
So usually people will notice the effects from 1 dot onward, but only start purging at 4 or 5. When increased this will include sweating and maybe diarrhea.
I’ve experimented a bit on the amopunts but quickly realized that purging is to be preferred. People told me they did like 1 or 2 dots and just had the kambo feeling. And I tried that for myself. Yet I found that kambo triggers release of substance and this substance usually needs to exit the body, hence a purge. If not you can get stuck with concentrated substance on a specific location which can lead to trouble.
Anyway purging is automatically triggered with enough kambo and water taken. But also it’s a thing you learn as you go. After a while the body remembers and vomiting will start quickly after the effects are on. This makes things a lot easier.
For me, the worst part of it is always just before the onset of the purge. It's that moment when you realize you're never going to do this again, and that you're going to drop all those bad habits and even thinking about stuff is too much. Then the vomiting starts and the worst is over.
To keep the purge going it is helpful to keep drinking water in between vomits. When noticing that there is no water left in the stomach, purging can become quite discomforting and drinking water is less painful than keep on purging with nothing to purge. So even if you don’t want to, it’s a good thing to keep drinking.
What comes out differs from person to person and each session. But in general there are degrees, from clear water, milky white, light greenish slime, bright green gall, darkgreen gall but can also go to lightyellow slime, dark orange gall and reportedly black gall but haven’t seen that myself.
So there’s a kind of transition and you can notice this to get some idea of what’s going on. But I have to say that I am not an expert on this, just that I’ve taken care to notice what happens each time and just take this as a memory so I may be able to determine further on future occasions.
Other methods of applying
There are also reports of other applications than the now described 'traditional' oriented method. I read some of people insufflating it and maybe someone who took it sublingually. Anyway I didn’t bother to try those myself, and am of the opinion that the best way is the orthodox practice of burns on the skin. If the prospect of scars and burns is something you don’t want, then it’s not yet time for kambo.
Conclusion
While it may not appeal to the majority of people, there are some for who kambo is a blessing. I am of the persons who've had some experience in life that leave deep seated issues which tend to lead to accumulation of this so called mental/ emotional debris.
Most psychedelics touch on this too, but often there are long periods in each trip of severe discomfort. With kambo this discomfort is intense, but short lived.
Introduction
Since 2011 I’ve been doing kambo applications. I’ve learned it from someone who in turn learned it from someone else. After a while I got the hang of it and started doing it myself. In time I’ve had opportunities to administer it to others.
I'm not initiated in a traditional way of using kambo. My ties are through the chain of persons who taught each other till it got to me. This way I’ve been free to tailor it to my own needs, but on the other hand also not thoroughly aquainted with it’s traditional uses.
I’ve had good results and noticed it goes well with my constitution. Admittedly there is always a degree of suffering with each application. Kambo is not for crybabies, but it also isn’t as harsh as some people portray it. When well prepared and confident the suffering is a minor price for the results it gives.
What is kambo?
I'll keep this short, so just for the record: Kambo is the general name of the practice of using skin secretions of the Phyllo Medusa Bicolor frog as a medicine. These secretions are collected on a piece of wood, which is commonly called a kambostick.
The way it's used is through a ritual in which burns are made on the skin with a piece of wood, large quantities of water are ingested and the secretions are applied on the burns.
Then follows an categorically unpleasant experience of purging that can include vomiting, diarrhea and sweating. When this passes most often people experience a profound sense of wellbeing that lasts between days, weeks or even months.
It's used for various purposes, the main of which is called curing 'panema' which is a kind of a umbrella term for all kinds of ailments ranging from depression to bad luck. My own experience is that it relieves or releases mental/ emotional debris and does this through body fluids.
Lasting effects
Over time I’ve started to notice how kambo effects last for a while and then start to wear off. There are direct effects that last a day, maybe two or a few. And there are effects that are a little subtler but also last longer, like weeks or maybe a month or so.
It’s the longer term subtler effects which are most interesting. From what I’ve seen, there’s a sort of dismantling of thought/ emotional complexes. So in a sense the way things are experienced become less influenced and burdened by these. It can be that for days or weeks you are able to go through daily life with the least amount of unnecessary thoughts and emotions.
So for example: When I walked through the local forest past few months, this place acted as a sort of mirror for some repeating thought patterns and their emotional responses. I felt very sickened by the place over time and in the end realized it was my own perspective. I could see how much those thought patterns inflicted states of emotional and physical suffering. Just feeling bad and noticing how the body responds and the enviroment reflects.
Then I applied kambo a few weeks ago and directly after that the same place appeared so much more transparent. Instead of seeing grief in each tree, instead I saw the processes that were going on for this time of the year. My own projection was suspended and that suddenly made the place appear a lot brighter.
Gradually I see the old pattern return, step by step. It’s not blasted away for good, yet it is temporary relieved. This is a chance to see some things for what they are, without the burden of stacked up feelings. So that’s what I do and in this way kambo acts as a catalyst for transformation.
So, if there are certain dispositions or causes that usually lead to discomfort or difficulty in life, these are relieved, albeit temporary. For some things kambo can provide lasting healing, but a lot of other things get relieved for a while. When the underlying causes are dealt with, they ofcourse stay away.
When you reach a certain point in developing or dealing with issues, there can be a point in which kambo functions as catalyst for transformation.
General application
First there are the burns. It’s a deliberate mutilation which can be self-inflicted. They leave scars which often completely disappear but not always. As such this act has some depth, cause goes against natural disposition. It requires some qualities of character, like courage and determination.
Then there’s the ingestion of large amounts of water. Which wouldn’t be that alarming, but with the whole prospect of the application it serves as prelude to nauseau and often I’ve noticed myself being on the brink of vomiting long before the kambo is put on the burns. This to can be seen as a sort of test of determination and purpose.
So these two elements already set the stage of a kind of it being a kind of ordeal. Maybe it can be seen as a substitute for the ordeals we go through normally. It this case it is by choice and with intention.
This intention is something profound. So the taking of a medicine as cure for something as broad defined as ‘panema’ goes accompanied with a very specific and personal intention. I don’t know if this is something native to the tribes who originally used it, but I suppose so.
Like there is always something you want to get rid of when doing kambo. But also you can choose in which light you want to heal from this. Same goes with Ayahuasca, Iboga, San Pedro as well. In fact when getting accustomed to the practice of intention it fills up a big gap in the mechanical purpose of applying any kind medicine or psychoactive.
Purging
When applying there is a difference between purging and not purging. Purging usually means vomiting but can also include diarrhea and sweating. The difference is by degree of dosage which comes down to many dots and what size have been burnt.
So usually people will notice the effects from 1 dot onward, but only start purging at 4 or 5. When increased this will include sweating and maybe diarrhea.
I’ve experimented a bit on the amopunts but quickly realized that purging is to be preferred. People told me they did like 1 or 2 dots and just had the kambo feeling. And I tried that for myself. Yet I found that kambo triggers release of substance and this substance usually needs to exit the body, hence a purge. If not you can get stuck with concentrated substance on a specific location which can lead to trouble.
Anyway purging is automatically triggered with enough kambo and water taken. But also it’s a thing you learn as you go. After a while the body remembers and vomiting will start quickly after the effects are on. This makes things a lot easier.
For me, the worst part of it is always just before the onset of the purge. It's that moment when you realize you're never going to do this again, and that you're going to drop all those bad habits and even thinking about stuff is too much. Then the vomiting starts and the worst is over.
To keep the purge going it is helpful to keep drinking water in between vomits. When noticing that there is no water left in the stomach, purging can become quite discomforting and drinking water is less painful than keep on purging with nothing to purge. So even if you don’t want to, it’s a good thing to keep drinking.
What comes out differs from person to person and each session. But in general there are degrees, from clear water, milky white, light greenish slime, bright green gall, darkgreen gall but can also go to lightyellow slime, dark orange gall and reportedly black gall but haven’t seen that myself.
So there’s a kind of transition and you can notice this to get some idea of what’s going on. But I have to say that I am not an expert on this, just that I’ve taken care to notice what happens each time and just take this as a memory so I may be able to determine further on future occasions.
Other methods of applying
There are also reports of other applications than the now described 'traditional' oriented method. I read some of people insufflating it and maybe someone who took it sublingually. Anyway I didn’t bother to try those myself, and am of the opinion that the best way is the orthodox practice of burns on the skin. If the prospect of scars and burns is something you don’t want, then it’s not yet time for kambo.
Conclusion
While it may not appeal to the majority of people, there are some for who kambo is a blessing. I am of the persons who've had some experience in life that leave deep seated issues which tend to lead to accumulation of this so called mental/ emotional debris.
Most psychedelics touch on this too, but often there are long periods in each trip of severe discomfort. With kambo this discomfort is intense, but short lived.
