The medicine was applied and the usual feelings of heat and pressure in the face, neck and chest began to slowly creep in. I sat with bated breath, mentally preparing for nausea’s familiar iron grip to take hold.

Yoga encourages mindfulness and self-awareness through breathwork and physical postures, while kambo can bring about a sense of clarity and focus. Both practices can help to quiet the mind and bring the practitioner into a state of deep relaxation and inner stillness. It is best to abstain from alcohol 24 – 48 hours prior to ceremony, depending on amount consumed. But alcohol can make for an uncomfortable treatment and this helps show respect for the medicine…And give the Kambo the space needed to do it’s best work afterwards.

You May Not Be a Candidate for Kambo

You should be in the hands of someone who can guide and care for you appropriately. Remember that kambo also leaves permanent scars, so you truly are putting your body in the hands of your facilitator. Pregnant people should not take kambo, as it has abortive properties. Read more about Hapé here. It is even used traditionally to end pregnancies – and it is not a pleasant process.

Is Kambo dangerous?

Most recently was in 2019, when a 39-year-old Australian woman had a fatal heart attack at a private ceremony, thought to have involved kambo. She had taken kambo several times before, and was herself a certified IAKP (International Association of Kambo Practitioners) facilitator. This case garnered a lot of publicity, and led to the Australian government banning two unrelated kambo practitioners from serving the medicine for 12 weeks. The case brings to light a number of questions regarding best practices in ceremony and in vetting medicine practitioners beforehand. To better understand what happened, we spoke to S, a California-based facilitator who’s been administering kambo for the past six years and has served thousands of people in ceremony. If you are looking for a kambo ceremony, search for an educated and responsible facilitator who will take your safety and wellbeing as a priority. This will not only maximize the chances of you having a positive experience, but will also raise standards of kambo facilitation and help the medicine become available to all.

Your Body is Your Home

“Part of that is because a lot of dietas ask for no salt to be consumed, so the sodium levels in the body are already low if they’ve been on a traditional dieta,” S says. It’s recommended to drink two liters of water within 20 minutes of receiving the kambo, he explains.