If we want to keep kambo legal, and make sure that everyone has access to its healing benefits, we must minimize avoidable deaths. Read more about Kambo here. If authorities get the impression that facilitators can’t manage the risks, it’s likely that this ancestral medicine will find itself restricted and stigmatized. “There are a number of very simple safety protocols that make a tremendous difference in reducing the risk of accidents related to kambo. The biggest risks of kambo are hyponatremia and the participant potentially fainting and injuring themselves.
This makes the experience slightly easier to go through and can help you process the emotions. Many of the benefits will only occur if you follow the tips below. Unfortunately, some benefits may not last for longer than a few months after taking the substance.Most (if not all) of the side effects are preventable and they will not happen if you follow the Safety checklist. A recent lawsuit filed against Soul Quest Church—known to host plant medicine ceremonies in Orange County, Florida—has brought questions of harm reduction to the fore. After Kambo is removed from the top layer of skin, the entry points are closed with a Peruvian anti-bacterial/fungal tree sap (Dragon’s Blood). This helps the entry points heal faster and acts as a “liquid bandage”, while offering a secure antibacterial barrier. DO NOT pick at the points or try to remove/clean off the Dragon’s Blood.
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Usually for a first treatment, one should expect to receive 3-5 points. Generally the marks go away in about 1-6 months, depending on how healthy the body is. We find later sessions healing quicker than previous ones because the body is running more optimally.
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Since kambo affects heart rate and blood pressure, people with conditions related to the heart should avoid taking it. Heart or blood pressure medications should not be combined with it. Kambo deaths involving people who are left unattended (such as the case in Brazil in 2008) are likely due to poor facilitation, and could possibly have been avoided. Similarly, when people are allowed to drink too much water after a ceremony, this indicates a facilitator who has failed to educate and care for their participants. It can cause vomiting, a drop in blood pressure, an increase in heart rate, and a boost of adrenaline.
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As I rolled up my sleeve to receive my first Kambo burns, the mantra “trust the medicine” was playing over and over in my mind like a broken record. On the flipside, while a Western facilitator may lack the wisdom and experience of an indigenous facilitator, they could have the benefit of knowing more about contraindicated medications and health conditions. There choice between Western or indigenous facilitators is not straightforward and depends on what exactly you’re looking for.