# Anyone knows Kambo? Does it works? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 14, 2011, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-knows-kambo-does-it-works/578305 "2011-04-14T00:28:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pinguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac8455/32.png) [@pinguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinguin)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-knows-kambo-does-it-works/578305/1 "2011-04-14T00:28:38Z")
Kambo is a teraphy that comes from the Amazons, that consist in injecting the poison of a frog called Phyllomedusa bicolor into the skin of the patient, to cure several illnesses. It is a milenary Indigenous teraphy of the natives of Brazil. Anybody know if it works? and if it does, what really cures? Or it is just a dangerous way to take a fly? Picture of the frog [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Phyllomedusa\_bicolor.jpg/694px-Phyllomedusa\_bicolor.jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Phyllomedusa_bicolor.jpg/694px-Phyllomedusa_bicolor.jpg) Picture of Kambo sticks and teraphy. [http://www.paula.cl/blog/wp-content/uploads/kambo2.jpg](http://www.paula.cl/blog/wp-content/uploads/kambo2.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-knows-kambo-does-it-works/578305/2 "2011-04-14T03:17:33Z")
> [@pinguin](#): > > Anybody know if it works? and if it does, what really cures? The fact that indigenous natives of Brazil are steadily declining in population (several tribes have already gone extinct) seems to contradict the idea that they know some secret medical therapy that cures lots of different diseases. ---
**Author:** ![pinguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac8455/32.png) [@pinguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinguin)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-knows-kambo-does-it-works/578305/3 "2011-04-14T15:17:43Z")
Ha. The indigenous population of Brazil is the fastest growing segment of the population. Besides, 30% of Brazilians have Amerindian markers… So, I bet Kambo helps, but I needed the comment of an expert. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-knows-kambo-does-it-works/578305/4 "2011-04-14T15:55:51Z")
> [@pinguin](#): > > Ha. > The indigenous population of Brazil is the fastest growing segment of the population. Besides, 30% of Brazilians have Amerindian markers… > So, I bet Kambo helps, but I needed the comment of an expert. Have you noticed you only seem to accept data you agree with? ---
**Author:** ![pinguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac8455/32.png) [@pinguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinguin)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-knows-kambo-does-it-works/578305/5 "2011-04-14T16:03:51Z")
I have noticed many people post without having an answer. I asked a question (first post), and I would like to receive a question for that answer. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-knows-kambo-does-it-works/578305/6 "2011-04-14T16:21:27Z")
> [@pinguin](#): > > I have noticed many people post without having an answer. > I asked a question (first post), and I would like to receive a question for that answer. Thanks. I think you mean an answer for that question. To answer the first question you posed in your original post, no, I do not know Kambo. Neither does Wikipedia. Neither does Quackwatch. ---
**Author:** ![pinguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac8455/32.png) [@pinguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinguin)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-knows-kambo-does-it-works/578305/7 "2011-04-14T16:56:41Z")
Here you have a link [http://www.shamanic-extracts.com/xcart/shamanic-products/kambo-sticks-sapo.html](http://www.shamanic-extracts.com/xcart/shamanic-products/kambo-sticks-sapo.html) ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-knows-kambo-does-it-works/578305/8 "2011-04-14T17:05:30Z")
Somehow I get the vague feeling that I already know which position a site calling itself “shamanic extracts” is going to take without even opening the link. Wonder if I’m psychic? Hmmm… ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-knows-kambo-does-it-works/578305/9 "2011-04-14T17:10:07Z")
Interesting background article. [![](https://web.williams.edu/AnthSoc/native) ](https://web.williams.edu/AnthSoc/native) Poisonous Tree Frog Could Bring Wealth to Tribe in Brazilian Amazon By PAULO PRADA Published: May 30, 2006 ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-knows-kambo-does-it-works/578305/10 "2011-04-14T17:16:31Z")
This was also interesting Kambo…frog medicine ceremony [https://www.dmt-nexus.com/forum/default.aspx?g=posts&m=85064](https://www.dmt-nexus.com/forum/default.aspx?g=posts&m=85064) ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-knows-kambo-does-it-works/578305/11 "2011-04-14T17:27:38Z")
[_Phyllomedusa bicolor_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllomedusa_bicolor), or the Giant leaf frog, produces a waxy secretion from its skin with potential pharmaceutical uses. [There is concern that this may lead to over-harvesting](http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/55841/0) in the future, but so far harvesting has been limited to traditional tribal levels and small levels for new research. I have no idea what “milenary Indigenous teraphy” is supposed to be, other than a poor automated Portuguese-English translation. I certainly wouldn’t say it is a legitimate “cure for several illnesses,” or even that this is its primary indigenous usage. One indigenous group, [the Matsés](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matses), use it [to enter a hallucinogenic state](http://www.erowid.org/archive/sonoran_desert_toad/bicolor.htm), at the cost of “an agonizing attack of diarrhea, vomiting, tachycardia and systemic collapse.” Does that sounds like a recommendation to you? That said, researchers are starting to find many potential uses for _purified peptides_ derived from _P. bicolor_ secretions. [ul] [li]Dermaseptin B2 and B3 have been shown in vitro and in mice to reduce proliferation of tumor cells [/li][li]Dermaseptins have also demonstrated antimicrobial activity including against fungi and yeast as well as against bacteria[/li][li]Deltorphins have shown interaction with opioid receptors, so they have potential use as pain medication and also as a GI medicine[/li][/ul] One particularly exciting potential use as an adjunct therapy for AIDS patients or those taking immunosuppressive drugs (e.g., after an organ transplant). The antimicrobial activity of the dermaseptins attacks a number of common opportunistic infections these groups suffer. But at the risk of repeating myself: _don’t take this as any kind of endorsement of the supposed traditional therapy you describe_. These beneficial effects are actually _side-effects_ of the primary purpose of these frog’s secretions: as defense mechanisms against predation. These secretions are produced to make whatever comes into contact with them very, _very_ sick. Stay away from them. ---
**Author:** ![Reverend\_Nemu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c57346/32.png) [@Reverend\_Nemu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reverend_Nemu)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-knows-kambo-does-it-works/578305/12 "2011-05-07T15:02:11Z")
Hello people. I have taken it 9 times. A course of 3 applications was recommended to me because every time I went swimming in the Amazon, I got an ear infection. I had always been prone to them. After the first application, I honestly felt physically worse than I have ever felt in my life. I threw up 7 times. I did two more, which were pretty bad, but they worked, and I have never suffered an ear infection since (about four years). I then took it for leishmaniasis, a flesh eating bacterial parasite. I can’t say if it helped, because it was part of a regime which involved diets, teas, tree bark washes and plenty of ayahuasca. Much to the surprise of the doctors, homeopaths, and locals who were under the impression that leishmaniasis is resistant to natural medicine, I got better after 8 months, and now I am fine. I have used it a few times since to strengthen my spirit. There is a more spiritual aspect, but it doesn’t become obvious for a few sessions, whilst you are busy feeling horrid. Kambo makes you strong. The Indians, and some clued up Brazilians, use it to overcome bad luck, if they are having no success in finding animals in the hunt, or women keep rejecting them. Yes, kambo works. Sit up straight, meditate deeply. It ain’t pretty, but it is amazing. More on kambo on page 47, here: [http://wp.nemusend.co.uk/reading-room/chapter-03](http://wp.nemusend.co.uk/reading-room/chapter-03) In response to paperback writer: The poison, as a defence mechanism, is harmful in the blood or stomach. The Indians do not let this happen, they do a very superficial subcutaneous application, so the immune system (through nerve endings) pick up the threat, and looks for sources of attack, which of course are not present, because the toxin has not entered the blood stream. That said, there is a lot more to it than physiology. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-knows-kambo-does-it-works/578305/13 "2011-05-07T19:21:02Z")
> [@Reverend\_Nemu](#): > > The poison, as a defence mechanism, is harmful in the blood or stomach. > The Indians do not let this happen, they do a very superficial subcutaneous application, so the immune system (through nerve endings) pick up the threat, and looks for sources of attack, which of course are not present, because the toxin has not entered the blood stream. > That said, there is a lot more to it than physiology. Or, indeed, from your description, biology. Or immunology. ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-knows-kambo-does-it-works/578305/14 "2011-05-08T22:17:16Z")
> [@Reverend\_Nemu](#): > > Hello people. > > I have taken it 9 times. Here we go again. Never is a thread like this complete until we have a person register with the board specifically to post their endorsement of the “therapy” in question. Personal anecdotes are a must, apparently, no matter how worthless they might be as evidence. > [@Reverend\_Nemu](#): > > A course of 3 applications was recommended to me because every time I went swimming in the Amazon, I got an ear infection. > I had always been prone to them. So, let me understand: You suffered form recurrent ear infections, which you associate with swimming in a river teaming with all kinds of bacteria, and your solution to this was _to allow some-one to inculcate unregulated, unrefined toxins under your skin_? Had you ever considered, oh, I don’t know, maybe treating your bacterial infections with an antibacterial? Or, better yet, earplugs? > [@Reverend\_Nemu](#): > > After the first application, I honestly felt physically worse than I have ever felt in my life. > I threw up 7 times. Given the documented effects of the toxic excretions of frogs, entirely predictable and understandable. What isn’t understandable that you seem to think this was a good thing. > [@Reverend\_Nemu](#): > > I did two more, which were pretty bad, but they worked, and I have never suffered an ear infection since (about four years). How do you know the kambo worked? Did you purposely infect yourself with the water sampled at the same time and place as the previous times you got sick? I’m betting you didn’t. You are presuming an effect when the cause is not substantiated. As humans, our brains are hard-wired to perceive cause-effect relationships even when none exists. If B follows A, then we assume that A caused B. This is not necessarily true. It’s this type of thinking that leads some people to argue that [churches cause crime waves](http://www.umich.edu/~numbers/statistics/statistics3.html). > [@Reverend\_Nemu](#): > > I then took it for leishmaniasis, a flesh eating bacterial parasite. I can’t say if it helped, because it was part of a regime which involved diets, teas, tree bark washes and plenty of ayahuasca. Much to the surprise of the doctors, homeopaths, and locals who were under the impression that leishmaniasis is resistant to natural medicine, I got better after 8 months, and now I am fine. So few words, yet so much misinformation. First of all, [leishmaniasis](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002362/) (or Kala-azar) is not a “flesh-eating bacteria.” It is a disease caused by protozoan parasites transmitted by the bite of sand flies. Secondly, the Leishmania parasite is undoubtedly resistant to most natural medicines such as you describe, since the therapies that are proven are strong antibiotics like amphotericin. Thirdly, cutaneous leishmaniasis will often eventually be killed off after a number of months by your own immune system and there’s no reason to suppose your 8 month timeline is not a demonstration of this. Lastly, you can’t say if it helped not because of all the other loopy therapies you combined kambo with but because this is again merely anecdotal. The unreliability of anecdotal evidence is why scientists like to insist on large double-blind studies with control groups. If one person reports a beneficial effect from something, the meaning isn’t known. If lots of people report a beneficial effect from something and those people are generally the same as another group that didn’t get the same “something,” and none of them know what they got until after the end of the experiment, then we can say that something created the beneficial effect. What you report is, at best, an interesting story. > [@Reverend\_Nemu](#): > > I have used it a few times since to strengthen my spirit. > There is a more spiritual aspect, but it doesn’t become obvious for a few sessions, whilst you are busy feeling horrid. > Kambo makes you strong. > > The Indians, and some clued up Brazilians, use it to overcome bad luck, if they are having no success in finding animals in the hunt, or women keep rejecting them. No we’re into flat-out religious beliefs, and there is no scientific merit to any of this. How would we test the strength of your spirit? Does anyone have a psychodymanometer handy? How would we create a control group that had the same amount of bad luck? I’d really like to see a double-blind research design for overcoming rejection by women. > [@Reverend\_Nemu](#): > > The poison, as a defence mechanism, is harmful in the blood or stomach. > The Indians do not let this happen, they do a very superficial subcutaneous application, so the immune system (through nerve endings) pick up the threat, and looks for sources of attack, which of course are not present, because the toxin has not entered the blood stream. The poison _is_ cutaneously toxic - that’s part of the whole evolutionary point. Furthermore, the “superficial subcutaneous application” process inevitably would bring the toxins into contact with your bloodstream. You wouldn’t have experienced the toxic effects you yourself noted if it didn’t. > [@Reverend\_Nemu](#): > > That said, there is a lot more to it than physiology. And there are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in my philosophy, Horatio, but that doesn’t make kambo a real therapy.