East Kilbride News

Controvers­ial therapy comes to EK

Frog toxin Kambo is being offered from East Kilbride home for £500

- FRASER WILSON

A controvers­ial and illegal frog toxin is being offered as therapy in an East Kilbride house – at almost £500 a session.

Kambo is being served up as part of an Inner Mastery retreat which people can sign up to at the click of a button using PayPal.

The remedy uses poison scraped off the back of the giant Amazonian leaf frog, which is then placed on to open wounds on the human body, created by burning small holes on the surface of the skin.

Taking Kambo leads to a massive rearrangem­ent and overload of the nervous system, changing the neurochemi­stry of the subject, and comes with a number of physical symptoms.

But a global community celebrate it as a form of alternativ­e help, enlightenm­ent, and spiritual guidance. Now those seeking such help can embrace its properties as part of a weekend retreat here.

East Kilbride course facilitato­r Claire Ross told us the immersive weekend is not about alternativ­e medicine or treatment, but about “creating a path for those searching for something more”.

She told the News: “This is an integrativ­e three-day, two-night opportunit­y to connect with true inner evolution.

“Where people can be open to look deeply and honestly at themselves, consciousl­y integrate where they are on their path in all areas of their selves and lives, and thus begin to tranform.”

Those taking part are offered a number of “tools” to help with what ails them as part of the weekend.

That includes creative expression sessions, involving meditation and breathing techniques; conscious integratio­n, which talks about supporting comprehens­ion and ancestral remedies, such as Kambo, Rapéh, and Inwasi.

Used by Amazonians for hundreds of years, Kambo’s qualities and benefits are praised worldwide, with many saying it offers a path to enlightenm­ent and ridding the body of negative energy and substance.

But Kambo has plenty of detractors and side effects, as well as complicate­d risks, with a number of deaths reported in its practice. Within minutes of the substance being absorbed into the body, Kambo causes nausea and for the body to heat up rapidly as it fights the toxins. The body begins to purge and videos online show several purges lasting up to an hour. That materialis­es with projectile vomiting and incontinen­ce, as well as fever-like sweating and the shakes. Fainting can also occur, as well as rigor, making hands or legs go stiff. The Scottish Government said it would discourage anyone from taking any substance not prescribed by a medical practition­er. A spokeswoma­n for the government added: “We support measures to support the reduction of harm being caused by those who experiment with drugs. “Where we have informatio­n that a substance is in circulatio­n that is harmful, we will use our local and national networks to bring this to the attention of people who use drugs, treatment services and the police.” By definition, the potent opioid receptor agonists in the central nervous system of the Kambo will affect the mental state of the individual. In plain terms, the drug is a psychoacti­ve and illegal under the Psychoacti­ve Substances Act that came into force in May 2016. A Home Office spokeswoma­n confirmed crimes associated with Kambo are punishable by a maximum sentence of seven years imprisonme­nt.

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 ??  ?? Sacred The giant leaf frog is held in high regard by Amazonians and the Kambo community
Sacred The giant leaf frog is held in high regard by Amazonians and the Kambo community
 ??  ?? Habitat The giant leaf frog is found in tropical humid forests
Habitat The giant leaf frog is found in tropical humid forests

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