Kambo

What is Kambo?

Kambo is a medicine secreted from the skin of the Giant Monkey Frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor) that lives in the Amazonian jungles of Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru. Indigenous tribes throughout the Amazon jungle use this medicine to heal their bodies, and over the last few decades, the Western world has become aware of its unique healing properties.

A Kambo ceremony puts the body through a rapid detoxifying and purging process. At the same time, it exposes the body to a cocktail of powerful peptides with healing properties that are…

  • Anti-inflammatory

  • Anti-bacterial

  • Anti-fungal

  • Anti-microbial

  • Painkilling

  • Detoxing

  • Immune boosting

  • Energizing

Why Kambo?

My personal experience working with Kambo to help heal my chronic pain led me to a path of deep study and service with this medicine.

Of the dozens of treatments I tried, Kambo has been, by far, the most effective. In addition to helping heal the root cause of my chronic pain, Kambo has assisted me with immune support, weight loss, hormonal balancing, chronic fatigue, parasites, detoxing, digestive health, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and more.

I’m honored to hold an altar for deep transformation, surrender, and release using Kambo at my studio in Nosara, Costa Rica.

Offerings

  • See the next section of this page for a detailed description of what to expect in a Kambo ceremony with me.

    Ceremonies are often in the morning, but can also be done in the afternoon or evening for those more comfortable fasting.

    1.5–2 hours / $150

    Sliding scale available for those in need.

  • For maximum benefit, it is recommended to sit with Kambo three times in a 28-day period. Often called the “jungle vaccine,” these repeated treatments open up the opportunity for your body to work with this medicine in a deeper way.

    1.5–2 hours per session / 3 sessions for $400

    Discuss your health and intentions with me, and we can find a cadence that works best for you.

  • Microdosing is a more gentle way to work with the Kambo medicine, and can be a beautiful way to meet Kambo. If you are intimidated by a full session, I recommend trying a microdose. You do not have to fast or drink water at the beginning. The experience of the medicine is lighter and shorter, usually without a purge. You are typically with the medicine around 15-20 minutes.

    25–45 minutes / $75

  • For some people (like me!), it is beneficial to work with Kambo in an intensive or ongoing way. If you would like to do an intensive or begin working with Kambo in an ongoing way, we can work out a schedule and pricing that suit you.

  • Couples and small group ceremonies are an intimate and connected way to experience Kambo. I can host up to four people in my studio, or come to you for a group session. Also available to come as part of a retreat.

    1.5–2 hours / $125 / person

Kambo Ceremonies with Andie

I hold ceremonies at the healing studio in my home in the Garza area of Nosara, Costa Rica, or I am selectively available to come to your home in the Nosara area.

Allow 1.5–2 hours for the full experience. You will typically sit with the medicine for 15–35 of those minutes.

Prepare for your ceremony by fasting for at least 8 hours and setting an intention. Before your ceremony, you can have coconut water or herbal tea.

When you arrive, we open the ceremony by smudging. Smoke is a sacred tool for energetic cleansing, and I work with copal, sage, and/or palo santo.

We pull a card or cards from a shamanic oracle deck to call in guidance and insights on your current healing path.

As I prepare the medicine, you will drink 1.5–2 liters of water, which will help your body purge once the medicine goes on.

We will discuss your intentions and wishes for the ceremony. Before applying the medicine, I will lead a brief grounding meditation to help you consciously connect and guide your body through the process.

Based on your unique needs, experience, and sensitivities, I will select a number of Kambo dots for you. We begin by making that number of gates, which are light/quick burns to the first layer of skin. Similar to a blister, the gates allow the medicine to enter your bloodstream. When you’re ready, we apply the medicine. I typically “layer,” meaning I add one dot at a time to allow for a gradual build up in intensity.

Once the medicine is applied, you will begin to feel the effects within a few moments. For the first few minutes, your heart rate will rise and you may feel flushed. Then you may begin to feel like you have a light flu and nausea. You may vomit in the bucket or need to use the bathroom (I will escort you if so).

Throughout the ceremony, I will be right beside you to support you and monitor your reaction. I will utilize various tools—including singing Kambo songs, burning palo santo, and offering sacred fragrances—which will assist you in completing your purge.

When your process is complete, I will remove the medicine and you will lie down on a comfortable mattress for a period of rest. Within a few minutes, the difficult effects begin to fade and, usually, you may begin to feel euphoric and drift off into a blissful sleep.

During your rest, I offer sound healing with crystal bowls, harp, chimes, and other instruments. I offer hands-on and auric Reiki energy healing. The vibrations and energies of these healing modalities will support your body’s integration of this journey.

Once your rest is complete, I offer some nourishment: fresh coconut water, fruit, and, if you’re up for it, eggs or a light meal. You have fasted, your body has worked hard, and now it needs to be replenished! At this time, we will discuss your process and I will give guidance on your integration.

Once your ceremony is complete and you head out into the world, integrate by resting, spending time in nature, and journaling about your experience. You may feel up to activities or work later in the day, but I recommend resting and relaxing if you can.

Pay close attention to how you feel in the days following, and listen to your body’s wisdom about any lifestyle changes that may support your wellbeing moving forward. In the days following your ceremony, I recommend eating a nutritious but easy-to-digest diet.

Complimentary Medicines

Rapeh & Nunu

Rapeh (or hapeh) is a sacred tobacco snuff used in indigenous cultures to connect with the spirit of Grandfather Tobacco. It increases intuition, opens the third eye, and decalcifies the pineal gland. The Matses tribe in whose lineage I learned serve their own version, called Nunu, which I will sometimes serve.

I serve rapeh as needed during the ceremony, as it can assist in giving you a little “push,” when you need to purge but feel stuck. I can also serve it after the ceremony, to support your integration. Communicate with me about your preferences and any existing/past relationship with tobacco.

Sananga

Sananga is a powerful Amazonian plant, commonly served as an eye drop tincture. It sharpens both the physical and energetic vision and can even heal eye ailments.

Sananga is a brief but potent experience (just a few minutes). It causes a strong burning sensation in the eye that will challenge you to manage the ego’s voice as it rises up. It can lead to strong somatic releases like twitching, shaking, and auditory expressions. Afterward, you will feel clear, awakened, and deeply grounded in your body.

I offer Sananga for those who want to try it after their ceremony.

Testimonials

“Andie allowed my first experience with Kambo to feel safe, approachable, and autonomous. She was just clear enough about how the process would go, but left room for me to discover how my own journey would be. The Kambo journey itself wasn't easy for me but I felt supported and trusting with Andie there. She created a beautiful environment in the ceremony space and I felt taken care of before and after. She is a talented musician and played crystal bowls and the harp for the most blissful ending!”

Lexi

“Andie is an incredible facilitator and lovely person. During our ceremony together, I felt very safe and supported on every level. She is a wonderful space holder for the Kambo medicine. Her intuitive nature enables her to be fully present throughout your experience, understanding how to provide the best support for you to maximize your experience. I highly recommend working with Andie if you're interested in exploring Kambo.”

Bridgett

What are the benefits?

Kambo is used to support many facets of health, including…

  • Improved immune system

  • Improved energy, stamina, and physical performance

  • Chronic pain relief

  • Relief for anxiety, depression, and PTSD

  • Migraine relief

  • Detoxification

  • Cleansing of the digestive system, removal of parasites and candida

  • Reduced inflammation

  • Supporting your immune system in healing chronic and acute infections, including Lyme

  • Mental clarity and focus; improved mood

  • Improved fertility

  • Support healing substance dependencies

The benefits of the Kambo peptides are widely researched, and further studies with Kambo on humans are now underway. I’ve listed here outcomes that are widely recognized and reported within the Kambo community.

For those who feel called to it, Kambo can be a powerful ally in your journey of healing yourself. I make no claims that Kambo will heal you, or that it is a cure for any specific disease. Your body is designed to heal itself, and this tool can support your body. Every body is different and will need a different number of ceremonies, dots, or alternative modalities in order to reach its goal.

What is panema?

The indigenous communities that work with Kambo talk about “panema,” which is a dark energy in the body, manifesting as illness, depression, a clouded mind, and “bad luck.” They use Kambo to clear the panema from the body, opening it up to vitality, health, and happier outcomes.

What does it feel like?

Almost as soon as the medicine is applied, you will begin to feel your heart rate rising and a flush of heat radiating through your body. As the effects build, you will begin to feel nauseous and like you have a light flu. Your body will begin to sweat and the medicine will cause your smooth muscles to contract, driving you to vomit and/or use the bathroom. You may feel lightheaded or slightly stunned.

Kambo is not painful, but it is uncomfortable, especially at first. It’s a sensation your body has never encountered before. This is why I lead you to consciously communicate to your nervous system a message of safety and guidance about what to expect. As you work with Kambo more, the sensation becomes familiar and easier.

After your session, you may feel energized and ready to take on the world. Indigenous communities take Kambo to give them strength, endurance, and insight for their long hunts.

You may be tired and need a longer period of recovery. For many people, the magic begins when they wake up the next day feeling incredible.

After sitting with Kambo many times, I have found that my reactions vary, depending on what my body is processing at that time. With all medicines, it’s best not be attached to the outcome, but recognize that medicine is working within you in the way it needs to at that time.

What is the purge?

As one of my teachers says, “purging is the act of wellness coming to your body.” While Westerners think of “getting sick” as a negative thing, in indigenous cultures, purging is a process of becoming well. Whether achieved through Kambo, ayahuasca, or your body’s own natural process, purging is a physical and energetic surrender. It allows what is no longer serving us to leave our bodies, clearing space for clarity, health, and healing to return.

During Kambo, your purge could include…

  • Vomiting

  • Defecating or diarrhea

  • Crying

  • Fever, sweating, and/or chills

  • Temporary swelling of hands, gates (where medicine is applied), or face (“Froggy Face”)

  • Runny nose or cough

  • Shaking or somatic release

  • Auditory releases like grunts or cries

All expressions of surrender and release are welcome. It’s also possible you may not purge, and that’s more than okay! The medicine is still working within you, and you’re still getting all the positive effects.

Purging can feel very vulnerable, and this medicine can help us heal our relationship with that experience. I work in a gentle and supportive way, to create a safe space for you and your body to surrender resistance and practice release.

Contraindications

For your safety, you must disclose all diagnosed health conditions and current prescriptions. Kambo is contraindicated for those with…

  • Serious heart issues including previous bypass or heart attack

  • Stroke, aneurysm, blood clots, or bleeding in the brain

  • Addison’s disease

  • Epilepsy

  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding (under six months)

  • Medication for low blood pressure

  • Chemotherapy in the past four weeks

  • Taking immunosuppressant drugs for an organ transplant

  • Recovering from a major surgery

  • Sat with Bufo in the last six weeks

  • Lack of mental capacity to decide to take Kambo

  • If taking medication for psychological reasons (except anti-depressants), discuss in advance

  • Anyone with a history of psychiatric treatments or serious mental health needs, discuss in advance

  • Under 18 years old

Kambo is often used as preparation for ayahuasca. If you are on an ayahuasca preparation dieta, please discuss your salt intake with me before your ceremony. You need to have a healthy electrolyte balance in your system to ensure a safe Kambo ceremony.

Women who have their moon (menstruation), please discuss with me before.

FAQs

  • No, Kambo is not psychoactive. It does not produce a high or trip. Kambo should not be confused with “the toad,” which is a powerful psychedelic also drawn from an amphibian. Kambo is understood to cross the blood-brain barrier and lead to greater mental clarity and improved mood.

  • Kambo is safe for most people, and a qualified practitioner will adequately screen you for contraindications. See the section on contraindications.

  • Yes, Kambo is legal in most countries.

  • The burns can go many different places on the body, but typically they go on the upper arm. This is a practical position, because it’s easy to access and manage during the ceremony, even if you move around.

    Everyone’s burns heal differently. Most of my burns have completely disappeared over the course of several months. Sun exposure will increase the scarring. Certain places on the body also scar more readily.

  • You will feel a slight, quick sting when I make the burns. I find that the medicine stings a little bit when it first goes on. After that, the experience of Kambo is not painful, but it is uncomfortable, especially at first. As you work with Kambo more, the sensation becomes familiar and easier.

  • Within about 10 minutes of the medicine being removed from your body, the difficult effects will have faded. Within about 30 minutes, you will be able to drive yourself home. You may feel energized, connected, joyful, light, and/or tired. I recommend taking the rest of the day off to rest, integrate, and enjoy the positive effects of the medicine. However, many people need or choose to attend to work or other responsibilities after their ceremony.

  • I purchase my Kambo from Matses community members who work with my teacher in Peru. The Matses collect the medicine from the skin of frogs in the Amazon jungle, and dry it out on sticks.

  • At my training, we observed the Matses extracting Kambo from the skin of the frogs. The frogs were not harmed, but it looked like a stressful experience for them. It’s impossible to say that the frogs are never harmed in the process of harvesting Kambo, but I do have trust and faith in the indigenous communities who have worked with these frogs for generations. It’s important to know where your medicine comes from and how frequently the frogs are “milked.” The Matses I work with make sure they wait plenty of time (three months) for the frog to replenish before they are milked again. Additionally, they have preserved safe, natural habitats where the frogs are protected from logging and can reproduce with minimal threat.

  • The frogs are not endangered, but it is true that the growing global interest in Kambo may threaten them in the future. From what I observed and was taught by individuals who work closely with the tribes, they believe there is a healthy enough population of frogs that there is enough medicine to go around. We were taught how to use as little medicine as possible to the highest benefit of each participant. Using the “minimum effective dose” helps make sure that we only take and use as much as we actually need of this precious resource.

My Training and Approach

After receiving Kambo regularly for a couple of years, I trained to serve Kambo in Peru with Kambo Naturista. Our three-week training in the Amazon jungle was supported by Matses community members, who shared about their culture and practices, helped us meet the frogs, and even served us fresh medicine—right from the frog.

In addition to classroom learning, extensive self-application, and practice serving one another, we completed an eight-day dieta. An important practice for facilitators, the dieta included silence, isolation, media and technology fasting, limited simple meals, and communion with the jungle and the medicine. The whole training was one of the most challenging experiences of my life, but it gave me deep experience and confidence with this medicine.

My approach with Kambo is gentle and trauma-informed. As someone who has experienced and overcome complex trauma (cPTSD), I believe that this medicine’s power is best harnessed with a gentle spirit and loving container. In fact, a Kambo ceremony can be deeply healing to our body’s nervous system if it is affected by past trauma. First, Kambo activates our sympathetic nervous system’s response in a controlled and healing way. When our process with the medicine is complete, the parasympathetic nervous system settles into a restful and healing state, closing the stress cycle and reinforcing safety in the system.

I feel deeply blessed to have had many healing experiences under the leadership of indigenous teachers and shamans. Through their healing modalities, which have stretched and supported me, I have learned that the only person coming to save me is me. I seek to hold space in a way that supports each client to unlock their own personal power, in the context of physical and emotional safety.

I share the gift of Kambo with humility, as a forever student of this medicine, of the Earth, and of the indigenous wisdom keepers whose generosity of spirit allowed for my healing.
Gracias, Kambosito. Gracias, Pachamama. Gracias, Universo.