What Is Kambo?
Kambo is the dried secretion of the giant monkey frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor), which lives in the Amazon rainforest.
For generations, tribes such as the Katukina, Matsés and Yawanawá have used Kambo as a ritual of cleansing and strength. Before long trips into the forest, hunters used it to build endurance, sharpen their senses and go longer without food or rest — the reason it earned the nickname "hunting magic."
It is also the tribes' remedy for panema — a streak of bad luck, apathy and heaviness. In their tradition, a run of misfortune is itself the sign that it's time for Kambo.
How Kambo is collected
Before sunrise, harvesters find the frog by mimicking its call. They take a small amount of secretion from its skin onto wooden sticks, where it dries and keeps for up to a year, and then let the frog go. The species is rated "Least Concern" by the IUCN, has few natural enemies, and won't produce the secretion in captivity — so these frogs live and stay in the wild.
The peptides in Kambo
Kambo contains a rich mix of bioactive peptides — short chains of amino acids that bind to receptors in the human body. Scientists have already identified at least 28 different peptides in the secretion of this frog, many of them in families with several variants, and research continues. The Italian pharmacologist Vittorio Erspamer, who also discovered serotonin, spent years studying amphibian skin peptides and described this frog's secretion as one of the richest he had seen.
Here are the best-known peptides and how each one benefits the body, based on laboratory and animal research:
Phyllocaerulein
Supports digestion and cleansing
Stimulates the stomach, gallbladder and pancreas to release digestive juices and bile, helping the body clear what it no longer needs.
Phyllokinin
Boosts circulation
Widens blood vessels and improves blood flow, bringing warmth to the whole body.
Phyllomedusin
Lifts energy and well-being
Activates the gut and salivary glands and, in research, raised beta-endorphin and adrenaline — the body's own feel-good and energy signals.
Sauvagine
Helps with stress and hormonal balance
Acts on the body's stress and adrenal system and, in research, lowered elevated prolactin levels.
Dermorphins
Relieve pain, bring calm
Natural opioid peptides that, in research, produce strong pain relief and a sense of well-being.
Deltorphins
Pain relief and better mood
Act on delta-opioid receptors, linked to both pain and mood. They cross into the brain and showed strong pain-relieving effects in research.
Dermaseptins
Support immune defense
The largest family of Kambo peptides. In lab studies they fight a wide range of bacteria, fungi and parasites. Dermaseptin B4 also stimulated insulin release.
Adenoregulin
Supports energy, sleep, mood and the brain
Acts on adenosine receptors and is being studied for depression and for brain health, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Phylloseptins
Protect against infections
Fight bacteria, fungi and parasites — including those behind malaria — while staying gentle on human cells in lab tests.
Dermatoxin and Phylloxin
Antibacterial protection
Help defend against bacterial infections, working together with the dermaseptins.
Skin polypeptide YY (SPYY)
Antimicrobial and hormone support
Fights microbes and influences hormone signaling in lab studies.
Calcitonin gene-related peptide
Supports calcium balance
Binds to calcitonin receptors, which help regulate calcium in the body.
Tryptophyllins
Nervous system support (under study)
Short peptides that researchers are still exploring for their role in the nervous system.
Sources: Frontiers in Pharmacology review on Phyllomedusa bicolor (2022), review of dermaseptins (2019), deltorphin research.
Spiritual aspects of Kambo
Beyond the body, many people experience Kambo as a teacher. In the quiet after the purge, insights often surface on their own: a decision that suddenly feels obvious, a habit that's ready to go, a feeling that's finally allowed out. I hold space for this part of the ceremony as carefully as for the physical one.
Sananga and Rapé
Sananga is a traditional Amazonian eye drop made from the roots of the sananga plant. It brings a short, strong sting followed by clarity and calm. Rapé is a ceremonial snuff made from tobacco and other plants, blown into the nose with a pipe to ground and center. Both are offered during the ceremony and are optional.
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