Is Kambô psychoactive? Acute and subacute effects of the secretion of the Giant Maki Frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor) on human consciousness

Abstract

ABSTRACT Kambô is the name for the secretion of the Giant Leaf Frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor) containing a plethora of bioactive peptides. Originally, it is ritually used by different ethnicities from the Amazon basin as a remedy against bad luck in hunting. In the last twenty years, Kambô has spread to Western urban centers, often associated with the use of ayahuasca. Anecdotal reports claim beneficial effects on wellbeing and different medical and mental health conditions. However, to date it has been controversial if Kambô elicits altered states of consciousness. Here we retrospectively investigated acute and subacute psychological effects of Kambô in a sample of n = 22 anonymous users (n = 22, mean age: 39 years, ± 8.5; 45.5% female), administering standardized questionnaires for the assessment of psychoactive effects. Acutely, participants reported psychological effects which remained on a mild to moderate level, but no psychedelic-type distortions of perception or thinking. In contrast, persisting effects were predominantly described as positive and pleasant, revealing surprisingly high measures of personal and spiritual significance. Subacute and long-term effects showed some overlap with the “afterglow” phenomena that follow the use of serotonergic psychedelics.