A controversial and illegal frog toxin is being offered as therapy in an East Kilbride house – at almost £500 a session.
Kambo is being served up as part of an Inner Mastery retreat which people can sign up to at the click of a button using PayPal.
The remedy uses poison scraped off the back of the giant Amazonian leaf frog, which is then placed on to open wounds on the human body, created by burning small holes on the surface of the skin.
Taking Kambo leads to a massive rearrangement and overload of the nervous system, changing the neurochemistry of the subject, and comes with a number of physical symptoms.
But a global community celebrate it as a form of alternative help, enlightenment, and spiritual guidance. Now those seeking such help can embrace its properties as part of a weekend retreat here.
East Kilbride course facilitator Claire Ross told us the immersive weekend is not about alternative medicine or treatment, but about “creating a path for those searching for something more”.
She told the News: “This is an integrative three-day, two-night opportunity to connect with true inner evolution.
“Where people can be open to look deeply and honestly at themselves, consciously integrate where they are on their path in all areas of their selves and lives, and thus begin to tranform.”
Those taking part are offered a number of “tools” to help with what ails them as part of the weekend.
That includes creative expression sessions, involving meditation and breathing techniques; conscious integration, which talks about supporting comprehension and ancestral remedies, such as Kambo, Rapéh, and Inwasi.
Used by Amazonians for hundreds of years, Kambo’s qualities and benefits are praised worldwide, with many saying it offers a path to enlightenment and ridding the body of negative energy and substance.
But Kambo has plenty of detractors and side effects, as well as complicated risks, with a number of deaths reported in its practice.
Within minutes of the substance being absorbed into the body, Kambo causes nausea and for the body to heat up rapidly as it fights the toxins.
The body begins to purge and videos online show several purges lasting up to an hour. That materialises with projectile vomiting and incontinence, as well as fever-like sweating and the shakes.
Fainting can also occur, as well as rigor, making hands or legs go stiff.
The Scottish Government said it would discourage anyone from taking any substance not prescribed by a medical practitioner.
A spokeswoman for the government added: “We support measures to support the reduction of harm being caused by those who experiment with drugs.
“Where we have information that a substance is in circulation that is harmful, we will use our local and national networks to bring this to the attention of people who use drugs, treatment services and the police.”
By definition, the potent opioid receptor agonists in the central nervous system of the Kambo will affect the mental state of the individual. In plain terms, the drug is a psychoactive and illegal under the Psychoactive Substances Act that came into force in May 2016.
A Home Office spokeswoman confirmed crimes associated with Kambo are punishable by a maximum sentence of seven years imprisonment.
The toxin is scraped off the back of the frog after it is tied in an X shape, with its limbs bound to sticks with string.
It is then tapped on the head, releasing the poison on its back, which is then scraped off before the frog is returned to the jungle, completely unharmed.
It may seem inhumane to the animal, but practitioners insist the welfare of the frog is paramount to the Kambo community.
The giant leaf frog releases Kambo as a defence mechanism, producing a ‘molecular electric shock’ in a predator’s mouth so it is quickly released.
The poison works by overloading the predator’s internal system with chemicals, prompting regurgitation, muscle spasms, vomiting and intestinal convulsion.
When used by people, this secretion – which contains opioid peptides such as dermorphin, dermenkephalin and the deltorphins – is ingested into the body via the burn points.
Kambo leads to a massive rearrangement and overload of the nervous system, changing the neurochemistry of the subject, and comes with a number of physical symptoms.
Many people suffering with depression or mental ill health celebrate the properties of the toxin, saying it offers them clarity and and a calm demeanour where they may previously have been anxious and confused.
- Kambo has been used by Amazonian tribes for centuries for health, but is increasingly used in the west for spiritual purposes
- Kambo ceremonies can only be conducted after intensive training with International Association of Kambo Practitioners (IAKP)
- Prior to participation, clients drink two litres of water and must fast up to 12 hours beforehand.
- Some proponents believe Kambo can treat Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, forms of cancer, infertility, chronic pain, depression and anxiety, migraines, infections and addiction.
- Kambo is a toxic substance that can be lethal, with reports of people falling seriously ill after participating in cleanses
- There are also reports of people’s bodies reacting severely to the purge aspect of the process, with a number of heart attacks recorded
- Inner Mastery say they have certified conventional-medicine doctors on hand during their ceremonies.
