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How do I prepare for Kambo?

 

Preparation for Kambo can begin as soon as one feels called to the medicine, though of course more practically speaking preparing for your experience with Kambo is recommended to start a few days to a week before your session. During this time it is recommended to eat a diet of primarily vegetables and fruit, well-cooked grains and easy to digest foods. Avoid meat, dairy, sugar, and caffeine for this time too if you’re able. Strictly avoid alcohol and other substances for at least 24 hours before receiving Kambo.

 

10 to 12 hours before you are intending to sit with Kambo it is important to begin fasting. This allows for the body to clear itself of any heavy foods and begin the detox process as well as leave room for the water required to drink prior to receiving the medicine. Having only water in the stomach when working with Kambo provides the best condition for a more smooth and effective process of sweeping through and cleansing/clearing any toxicity that may need to be purged. Though a fair amount of water is required to be drank immediately before the application it is not necessary to be overly hydrating throughout the day before coming in for a session.

 

Take some time for mindfulness around your experience. Journal, meditate, ask yourself questions, and set an intention. Kambo is a powerful medicine not just for it’s physical detox and healing properties but for it’s incredible potential to help grow and help heal the mind, emotions, and lifestyle patterns. When we take time to focus on an intention and set our experience on the course to work through that intention, the results of our experience can be significantly enriched.

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How is the amount of points decided?

 

When someone reaches out to receive Kambo it is important that information be gathered regarding their age, state of mental and physical health, whether or not they have received medicine before, and what medical history they have if any. Information regarding mental patterns, addictions, or other imbalances are also things worth mentioning to your practitioner before you receive an application of Kambo. We feel it is responsible for a practitioner to ask you these questions and be able to demonstrate the ability to hold space for you when you arrive for treatment.

 

With this information and a few other factors considered in the moments before the application the amount of points is intuitively determined. Depending on the application, additional points may be added during a session.

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Where should I receive my points?

Traditionally, within the lineage of the Noke Kuin and Katukina, women will typically receive their application of Kambo on the lower body (the legs, thighs, or sacral region) due to a woman’s primary energy center being the uterus from which their cycle flows. For men it is typical to receive points on the upper body (the arms, chest, or back) due to their primary energy center being the heart from which they derive life into the rest of their vessel.

 

Although it is our recommendation to follow the traditional method of application, we understand that in order to receive Kambo it is necessary to leave temporary scars and for that reason the location on which one receives their points is ultimately up to them. That being said, there are a few places that we will not apply Kambo including the face, directly on the spine, genitals, or other particularly sensitive regions.

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Should I stop taking my prescription medication in order to receive kambo?

 

In short, the answer is no with a few exceptions. Medication prescribed for conditions including but not limited to high blood pressure, bacterial infection, depression, anxiety, or light pain should be taken without interruption as suggested by your doctor. Certain prescriptions for high pain management may be recommended to pause for a window of time both before and immediately after receiving Kambo. Because of certain biological compounds contained in Kambo, it is important to communicate with your practitioner any medications currently being taken whether prescribed by a doctor or not.

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What are the contraindications in which I should not receive kambo?

 

One of the most important things to avoid when receiving Kambo is arriving for your session intoxicated. If for any reason one is in a state of intoxication and it is not evident to the practitioner before applying the medicine the results could be quite unpleasant and risk factors are significantly increased. This is not a common occurrence but it is of utmost importance to clarify as much as possible. Consumption of any mind altering substance, especially alcohol should be avoided for a minimum of 24 hours before coming to receive Kambo.

 

Other strict contraindications in which one should not receive Kambo include pregnancy (could cause birth and health complications not worth the risk), having had an organ transplant or pacemaker installed (because Kambo medicine significantly boosts the immune system the application could actually cause a rejection of the foreign organ or device resulting in severe physical complications), or if a doctor has prescribed restriction from any strenuous physical activity or exercise (eg. jogging, working out, heavy lifting, or sex) because of Kambo raising the heartrate and strength at which the heart pumps blood throughout the body.

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How many sessions should I receive and how far apart should I space them?

 

There are several traditions that recommend a treatment of at least three sessions within the same lunar cycle (28 days) to activate an initiation of the medicine into your being (body, heart, mind, & spirit). Through working with this medicine in the way *we* have, we have found there to be optimal results when one is able to receive a treatment of three or more sessions over consecutive days. Most often we facilitate Kambo in any given location for at least 5 days in order to give people ample opportunity to receive while we are there. Having a day in between sessions is fine though the closer together, with a recuperation window of at least 10-12 hours, the better.

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