A month ago, I decided to participate in an Ayahuasca ceremony. However, before I tell you about that experience, I will start with what happened the day before – the cleansing Kambo ceremony*, utilizing the poisonous venom of an Amazonian frog.
*Here, I want to clearly state that the purpose of publishing this article is solely to share my experiences gained during almost three years of living in Southeast Asia. It is not my intention to encourage participation in any illegal practices described by me.
What is the Kambo ceremony and how does it work?
Kambo is a traditional, Amazonian “substance” obtained from the venom of the Phyllomedusa bicolor frog, used for detox, which means strengthening immunity, cleansing the body and mind. The toxin is applied to an open wound on the skin. For this purpose, it is punctually burned with a heated Amazonian vine called tamishi. Then, the diluted venom is applied. The effect is intense vomiting, sometimes accompanied by diarrhea. A special diet is recommended for a few days before (avoiding all stimulants, red meat, sweets, and intense spices). This is a common practice before the Ayahuasca ceremony, which aims to enable deeper experiences in a deeply cleansed body.
Preparation for the Kambo ritual – what to expect?
The alarm rang at 7:30 AM. This was early enough to prepare for today’s Kambo ceremony, which started at nine. Since yesterday evening, a strict fast had been in effect, so I got on my scooter with an empty stomach. We were advised to wear light, airy clothes, bring water bottles, and towels – after all, a rather intense experience awaited us.
I arrived a minute before time, slightly stressed that I had miscalculated the travel time. Everyone was already there, with the exception of Zosia, who appeared right after me. Zosia, who also lives here, is one of two Poles with whom I maintain close contact. It was she, this good soul, who convinced me to participate in tomorrow’s Ayahuasca ceremony – for which I am very grateful.
The gathering took place in a charming cottage, tightly surrounded by a lush garden, which created an amazing sense of privacy and a deep connection with nature. One of the walls inside was entirely glass – exactly the kind of solution I dream of having in my future home, wherever it may be. Tom played the guitar, and we, half-asleep, exchanged smiles full of excitement and subtle stress. There were six “participants” of us, Tom – the ceremony leader, and Julia, who was to look after us today.
Tom led a brief introduction, explaining what, how, and why it would happen. Then we proceeded to a few minutes of meditation. Honestly, I always have trouble maintaining focus even for a minute, and my thoughts about what was about to happen effectively thwarted any attempts at calming down. But it didn’t matter. Julia handed out “survival kits” to all of us – a roll of toilet paper and a bucket – after which she filled our water bottles to the brim.
My Kambo experience – the ceremony step by step
Francisco was first, Zosia last, and I was right before her. We began with the punctual burning of the skin on the front of the shoulder. Tom suggested four to five points – the more points, the stronger the dose and the more intense the body’s reaction. One by one, we approached Tom, who exposed the selected skin area, asked for a deep breath in, and with an exhale applied the tamishi – a heated, thin Amazonian vine. It hurt gently, but was still bearable. Half the group chose four points, one girl who was undergoing the ceremony for the second time – six, and I asked for five.
Okay, time for the main event. We started with Francisco. The leader applied the frog venom to his burned points, simultaneously intoning special incantations. The venom crystallized quickly, so from time to time he had to moisten it with water. Then, to the rhythm of the singing, he grabbed an instrument made of a large feather and a rattle, waving it near Francisco’s chest, face, and above his head. The girl with six burns was next. Halfway through her ceremony, Francisco had already started vomiting.
We were all equally excited and stressed. I, like probably everyone else, had a flurry of thoughts in my head such as: “What am I doing here?”, “Patryk, what are you even doing with your life?!”. But don’t worry, it was more of a humorous comment on the absurdity of the situation, which allowed me to release tension. The rule was simple: halfway through the next person’s ceremony, the previous one usually started vomiting.
My turn came, and Zosia’s after me. Like everyone, after the venom was applied, I closed my eyes and focused on deep breathing – inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. This way, I always manage to control even the worst “physical discomfort.” After about 30 seconds, I felt a slight burning sensation at the burned points, and then, as the toxin gradually spread through my body, my heart rate sharply accelerated. A moment later, my colleague next to me was already vomiting. After about 3 minutes, surprisingly, I still had no nausea or gag reflexes. My heart was pounding like crazy, fueling thoughts about what was about to happen. A slight overthinking kicked in, and I actually wished for it to begin already. “You wish, you get.” I felt it was time to adopt the position I had planned earlier, deciding that kneeling, leaning forward, would be most comfortable. A moment later, it began.
I won’t describe the details, as there isn’t much interesting content there, but it’s worth mentioning Julia. She was an ideal caretaker for this unusual role. She made sure everyone felt safe and relatively comfortable. She skillfully instructed everyone to regularly drink water, which helps cleanse the stomach. An upright position was important, adapted to our state – with crossed legs, or kneeling, with the bucket under the chin or leaning forward. Of course, with these types of “attractions,” one can get messy, so Julia made sure everyone had toilet paper nearby for personal hygiene. Amidst these “human sounds” in the background, Tom and Julia kept singing songs.
Between the “purges” I chuckled slightly to myself in my thoughts, along the lines of: “It’s 4 AM in Poland now, all my loved ones are sound asleep, and Patryk decided to apply poisonous frog venom to himself, to vomit into a bucket among 5 strangers, and even paid for it.” The whole thing lasted probably 20-30 minutes. Julia monitored everyone and often encouraged us to drink an additional portion of water and manually induce reflexes. Zosia was to my right; from what I heard and occasionally glimpsed, she had a much more aggressive experience. Several times she had to lie down, which is forbidden due to the risk of choking. Therefore, the leader had to help her sit up and encouraged her that she could do it. After a few minutes, Julia approached me and whispered that if I felt well, I could lie down and rest. I don’t know how they assessed our condition, maybe by the shades of green on our faces, or the dynamics of putting our heads in the bucket… But some, even though they received their dose later, “finished” earlier, others were still “processing.” Towards the end of the session, I felt the need to use the toilet, but without any revolutions. By this time, I was quite well and despite recommendations for “toilet travel with a bucket,” I was allowed to go without it. After returning, I forced myself to drink half of my bottle, perform the last reflexes, and felt that it was over. We lay in silence, with our eyes closed. I was exhausted, dreaming of my own bed and a ninety-minute power nap. After 20 minutes, Tom invited us to assume an upright position and in a circle, he briefly told us about further instructions, adding a few comments about what we had gone through and what we could expect. Everyone, although a bit worn out, was smiling and proud that they made it.
We said goodbye with a declaration to meet for Ayahuasca tomorrow at 7:00 PM. I returned home via a roundabout route to ride the scooter a bit longer and oxygenate my brain. I had gotten very hungry and barely entered the house before making a substantial breakfast. For half the day, I was somewhat weakened and not necessarily focused, but overall everything was fine.
Kambo and Ayahuasca: Why is Kambo done before the ceremony?
The next day, I was very excited about what awaited us that evening. A few hours before the meeting, looking in the mirror, I was somewhat stunned. I looked… noticeably different, in a positive sense of the word. The condition of my facial skin was not just better, it was absolutely ideal – pimples were reduced by 90%, all discolorations disappeared, and my jawline was so exposed that I couldn’t believe what I saw in the reflection. Dark circles under my eyes, which had accompanied me my entire life, also completely vanished. I doubted the bathroom mirror’s reflection, so I went to check if what I saw was true in the living room, and then outside. I was in complete shock because I looked as if I had undergone a series of treatments yesterday, starting from neck skin tightening, through cleansing and moisturizing. I should add that to the touch, the condition of my skin was so good, it felt like I was 20 again. Upon arriving at the ceremony, I asked the leaders about these effects, and they confirmed that these are the results of a Kambo cleansing session, where primarily
