Abstract
Background/aim:Kambô is a name for the secretion of the Giant Maki Frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor), which has been used by indigenous cultures from the Amazonas basin and has recently become popular in alternative healing circles in Western countries, with a certain overlap with psychedelic self-exploration.Methods:We carried out an online-based survey in English (54.92%) and German investigating motivations for using Kambô, settings in which rituals take place, and subjective experiences during and after the application.Results:Participants (n = 386, mean age: 38.08 years, (standard deviation = 9.95)) were well-educated individuals with an increased lifetime prevalence of the use of ayahuasca (67.88%). A plethora of motivations for using Kambô was reported, including general healing, detoxification and spiritual growth. Acute effects included severe physical reactions and mild psychoactive effects, most surprisingly, the feeling of being connected to the frog’s spirit (41.97%), whereas predominantly positive persisting psychological effects were reported. Few participants reported long-lasting physical (2.85%) or mental (1.81%) health problems which they attributed to Kambô. Of the participants, 87.31% reported an increase in personal well-being or life satisfaction, and 64.26% considered Kambô to have been at least of ‘very much’ spiritual significance for their lives.Conclusions:The majority of users claimed beneficial effects including more health-orientated behaviors, whereas only very few participants complained about new health problems which they ascribed to Kambô. In retrospect, Kambô was given a high personal and spiritual significance by many participants. Additional research is needed to determine in how far reported effects are modulated by setting and subjective expectations.
Highlights
The use of Kambô, a secretion stemming from the Amazonian Giant Maki Frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor), has gained increasing interest among certain complementary healing circles in the Western countries (Hesselink, 2018b)
While initial ethnological (Carneiro, 1970) and basic pharmacological (Anastasi and Erspamer, 1970) research on the biochemical components of the Phyllomedusa skin secretion have been conducted already in the late 1960s, to date little is known about how Kambô is used today in urban centres in the Western world (Hesselink, 2018b), where it has become popular since the beginning of this century (Labate and De Lima, 2015)
We addressed the following questions: (a) is Kambô usage associated with any specific participant characteristics?; (b) what are the motivations for using Kambô?; (c) how do users prepare for Kambô sessions and in which settings do rituals take place?; (d) which acute subjective effects are experienced when receiving Kambô, and how are these effects evaluated by the users?; (e) are these effects associated with dosage?; (f) which subacute and persistent effects on health are reported by users?
Summary
The use of Kambô, a secretion stemming from the Amazonian Giant Maki Frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor), has gained increasing interest among certain complementary healing circles in the Western countries (Hesselink, 2018b). While initial ethnological (Carneiro, 1970) and basic pharmacological (Anastasi and Erspamer, 1970) research on the biochemical components of the Phyllomedusa skin secretion have been conducted already in the late 1960s, to date little is known about how Kambô is used today in urban centres in the Western world (Hesselink, 2018b), where it has become popular since the beginning of this century (Labate and De Lima, 2015). This is true for the motivations of use and perceived subjective effects of Kambô by Western users
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