AHO KAMBO
FOR THE LOVE OF THE FROG
How my Kambo sticks are sourced.
I receive my Kambo sticks directly through The IAKP (International Association of Kambo Practitioners) whom work directly with the Matsés Tribe of Peru.
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Responsible, ethical sourcing and practice is fundamental to all IAKP activities. The IAKP works to ensure an ethical, responsible and fair trade practice between the Matsés, practitioners and clients.
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The Matsés are anamists - they believe that all animals have a soul and are spiritual beings. That said, as a spirit of the forest, the frog is never harmed but treated with utmost care and respect as the people believe that to harm the frog will anger the animal spirits that they live so closely with.
The collection and sale of the Kambo sticks helps provide community infrastructure and education for their children. IAKP practitioners are encouraged to give back a percentage of each treatment to a non-profit fund established by the IAKP and given directly to the Matsés.
On a personal note, I simply would not be serving Kambo if the frogs were treated inhumanely. Period.
THE HARVESTING PROCESS
How the secretion is collected.
The natives sing icaros and mimic their sound to call them down from the trees. The frogs descend from the high trees where they live, allowing the people to temporarily capture them. The frogs are passive and docile, likely due to the fact that they have no natural predators they do not react when picked up and handled. They've even been documented climbing up the native's legs.
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The frog is carefully suspended on strings, allowing the secretion from glands along the side of its body to be gently scraped onto a bamboo stick, where it dries. The frog is released and returns back to their original home unharmed. The string used, leaves behind a small white line on each leg which stops anyone from harvesting the same frog again until it has faded which takes at least 3 months. This process does not drain the frog of its natural defense and ensures that only the strongest secretion is applied to the stick.
Kambo harvested in this way - the agreement between The IAKP & The Matsés - is 100% ethical.
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HMMM...
​​Big Pharma has had its eye on Kambo for some time. Attempts to breed the frog outside its natural habitat have failed; frogs held in captivity do not secrete the medicine. The scientists can't figure out why...
