Kambo, Peptide based therapy for Pain Management and Substance Use Disorder

Kambo has been used by tribes in the Amazon for thousands of years. It is a treatment that comes from the secretion of a frog called the phyllomedusa bicolor that has been used as hunter’s medicine to increase energy, suppress hunger, gain vision and assimilate with the jungle in a way that their prey cannot sense them. It contains peptides that stimulate the immune system and can clear people of certain diseases, parasites, bacteria, yeasts, killing certain kinds of cancer cells, balancing hormones, and more. It was first introduced to the United States in the 1980s but did not grow in popularity until around 2010. Research is showing that the peptides in Kambo hold a key to non-addictive pain management and restoring those struggling with Substance Use Disorder (SUD).

Kambo is legal in the United States and non-journey medicine, meaning that it does not induce any kind of visions or psychedelic state. It is often confused with another substance called Bufo Alvarius or Sonoran Desert Toad, which is not legal in the United States and is highly psychedelic. It is administered subcutaneously through superficial burns or “gates” made on the skin with skinny stick that has been burned to create a hot ember. The medicine, comes dried, transported on a flat paddle shaped stick. It is hydrated with either water or saliva and scraped into a paste and formed into tiny 1/8 inch balls and placed on the gates and kept wet so that the peptides from the secretion can enter the bloodstream causing numerous biochemical responses throughout the body and brain.

Substance Use Disorder is a chronic illness characterized by relapse and remission, with symptoms of tolerance and withdrawal. Individuals undergoing SUD treatment are typically given medication to support them through addiction and withdrawals. Often, users may experience relief in some forms but struggle to adhere to their medication protocols as their level of tolerance changes. There are several other factors that might lead to relapse in the individual, which is why we cannot rely on chemicals alone to create the desired change.

Morphine-based medications are most often prescribed analgesics (pain management) in post-operative patients and for those with cancer. It is highly addictive and patients can quickly build a tolerance to it.

“Chronic exposure to morphine induces the phosphorylation of opioid receptors by GRKs. This phosphorylation prepares opioid receptors for arrestin binding. Arrestin binding blocks further G protein-mediated signaling, thereby, inducing desensitization of opioid receptors” (Listos)

It also causes dopamine to be released in the brain but the sensation is temporary, as the dopamine is quickly depleted and that also causes an upset to other neurotransmitters, including noradrenaline, glutamate, serotonin, orexin, and cortisol which will contribute to a multisystemic amplification of withdrawal symptoms and create even more difficulty with dependence. In addition to its addictive properties, morphine has other unpleasant side effects including the risk of death due to overdose.

The common prescribed medications to interrupt SUD and maintain sobriety have been shown to be very in interrupting active addiction. Methadone, Buprenorphine are synthetic opiate agonists which activate receptors. Naloxone and Naltrexone are synthetic opiate antagonists which work by displacing opiate agonists from the opiate receptors, reversing overdose. While these drugs are powerful, some of them require regular use in order to maintain sobriety and have been compared to “liquid handcuffs” and create their own form of dependency.

“Methadone and buprenorphine target mu opioid receptors (MORs) in the brain to treat opioid dependence by reducing withdrawal and craving, whereas naloxone is an opioid antagonist used to treat opioid overdose. Mu, kappa, and delta are opioid receptor subtypes with common analgesic effects, and each also has unique effects and distribution in the brain. MORs in distinct brain regions, such as the nucleus accumbens and basolateral amygdala, trigger the euphoria and incentive properties of rewarding stimuli. Kappa opioid receptors can trigger anti-reward effects and produce dysphoric effects. Delta opioid receptors can induce anxiolytic effects. Though effective medications are available, relapse is still common due to neurobiological changes in brain pathways and tolerance of opioid receptors with repeated abuse of substances.” (Wang)

Synthetic medications used to bind with opiate receptors can offer a person a chance to stop their cycle of addiction and potentially stabilize, but it is not a simple long-term solution. Changes in sensitivity must be addressed to determine that the medicine is still having the correct effect and going off medication for some is not an option.

In research studies, the peptides deltorphin and dermorphin have shown a high affinity for binding with opiate receptors and be even more effective than alkaloid opiates as analgesics to the mu and delta opiate receptors. Because they are peptides and not alkaloid based, they do not have the same addictive quality, as it is a natural compound that the body recognizes. The peptides from the kambo even clean out the opiate receptors of any residual alkaloids, and in doing this, resets the tolerance and clear the chemical dependency.

“In the secretion of the frog at least 3 bioactive peptides have been isolated, with clear painkilling properties. Two of these peptides activate he morphine-related opioid receptor, MOR, and one has high affinity for the delta-opioid receptor, DOR. In animal models, all these 3 molecules have analgesic properties; dermorphin and cerulein have also been tested in humans, both in healthy volunteers, as well as in patients, for instance suffering from cancer pain.” (Hesselink)

At present, the peptides, deltorphins, have shown to be more effective at binding with DORs than any other compound.

“Deltorphins are endogenous linear heptapeptides, isolated from skin extracts of frogs belonging to the genus Phyllomedusa, that have a higher affinity and selectivity for delta opioid binding sites than any other natural compound known.” (Erspamer V)

While Kambo offers a high success rate in delivering bioactive compounds to the body, it is only capable of meeting the determination of the individual with what they are willing to do for themselves. The process of being administered Kambo is not for the faint of heart, literally and figuratively. The isolated peptides have a lot to offer in the area of analgesics and chemical dependency but psychological dependency requires other kinds of support for that individual and it is important to approach this treatment as an ally, or as a supplement. Part of healing from addiction is seated in the consciousness, and it includes desire to get well and the discipline to go through the motions.

In its native home, Kambo is treated with reverence and respect and it is known to be a gift to have the opportunity to interact with the frog and its secretions. When a person approaches this treatment, there is a spiritual aspect of exchanging disease for wellness, clearing and making room. A person choosing to undergo this process is likely experience things during the treatment that can resonate on such a deep level that they might be inspired to make changes on a psycho-spiritual level. Emerging from a Kambo treatment, many people report feeling better, lighter, clearer than they ever have with long term positive effects.

Kambo is safe on its own however there are contraindication which could present a dangerous situation if a person’s body and immune system were responding to the medicine, including heart problems, stroke, epilepsy or certain other conditions. The reasoning is that some of the peptides cause the heart rate to speed up, for the blood pressure to drop and some cross over the blood-brain barrier. A trained Kambo facilitator will screen users and assess whether or not Kambo would be safe for that person. It is also a requirement that a person be of sound mind and able to make the educated decision to be administered Kambo.

Some people might argue that Kambo is unsustainable. As of the time of this writing, the phyllomedusa bicolor is living in abundance and is not on any endangered watch-lists but it is true that in order to be responsible, we humans must do a better job stewarding the home we share. When kambo is collected properly, the frogs will never be harmed or killed, and are not kept in captivity. It is only their initial flush of the secretion that should be collected, and then the frogs are release to where they were found and given thanks and reverence. Interesting to note, when the frogs are kept in captivity, they are unable to produce the peptides in their secretions. Also, there are over 70 patents on kambo research, isolating peptides and recreating synthetics to help treat specific diseases.

It is important to work with Kambo only in a setting that is safe, with someone who is trained, knowledgeable and experienced in understanding how the treatment works and what to expect in the bodily reactions, anticipating and responding to anything that may happen.

Kambo has become a highly poached and often counterfeited substance, sometimes using egg-yolks as they resemble kambo when dried, which could be dangerous for someone with an egg-allergy. When a person has received their training from a lineage of teachers stemming from a stewarding tribe, they can be assured that their secretions are authentic and properly collected.

The peptides in Kambo have a lot to offer and teach us about the way we approach brain health, pain management and addiction. Modern pharmaceuticals have come a long way and can provide a sort of tourniquet or a band-aid to the symptoms but have limitations as far as healing biochemical balance and opiate receptor function. Kambo works by clearing out receptors and activating them to resume their primary function.

Peter Gorman was one of the first westerners credited with introducing Kambo (also called Sapo) to the United States, in the 1980s. He wrote the book Sapo in My Soul and ended it with this. “My dream: When my mother was in the last month of terminal cancer, she was on a morphine drip that kept her sleeping for about 23 hours a day. If someone could make the dermorphin and deltorphin from sapo into a pill or a drip, how different that month would have been. With pain-killing properties nearly two to here dozen times stronger than morphine but with no induced sleep, my mother could have been up and walking and talking and singing for that whole last month, something I think she would have preferred to the sleep induced by the morphine to eliminate pain. What I wouldn’t give to have had that month with her. What I dream is that someone else’s mother will get that last month, pain free, awake and alert.”

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Works Cited:

Erspamer V, et al. Deltorphins: a family of naturally occurring peptides with high affinity and selectivity for delta opioid binding sites. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1989 Jul;86(13):5188-92. doi: 10.1073/pnas.86.13.5188. PMID: 2544892; PMCID: PMC297583

Guidelines for the Psychosocially Assisted Pharmacological Treatment of Opioid Dependence. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2009. Annex 4, Pharmacology of medicines available for the treatment of opioid dependence. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK143173/

Gorman, Peter. Sapo in my Soul, The Matses Frog Medicine. Gorman Bench Press, 2015. Print.

Keppel Hesselink JM (2018) Kambo: A ritualistic healing substance from an Amazonian frog and a source of new treatments. Open J Pa.in Med 2(1): 004-006. DOI: 10.17352/ojpm.000007

Lawrence H. Lazarus, et al. What peptides these deltorphins be1Paraphrased from Lucius Annaeus Seneca, “What fools these mortals be,” ca 4BCE–65ACE; Epistles 1, 3.1, Progress in Neurobiology, Volume 57, Issue 4, 1999, Pages 377-420, ISSN 0301-0082, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0301-0082(98)00050-1.

Listos J, et al. The Mechanisms Involved in Morphine Addiction: An Overview. Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Sep 3;20(17):4302. doi: 10.3390/ijms20174302. PMID: 31484312; PMCID: PMC6747116.

Wang S. Historical Review: Opiate Addiction and Opioid Receptors. Cell Transplant. 2019 Mar;28(3):233-238. doi: 10.1177/0963689718811060. Epub 2018 Nov 13. PMID: 30419763; PMCID: PMC6425114.