Sapo: The Potent Tradition of the Matsés Tribe
In the heart of the Amazon, the Matsés tribe has long revered the Phyllomedusa bicolor frog. From this creature, they derive Sapo, a powerful substance used in healing rituals and as a hunter’s medicine. For the Matsés, Sapo is applied before hunts to enhance strength, stamina, and sensory perception. This practice helps detoxify the body, masking human scents that might alert prey, and aligning the hunters with the natural environment. The Matsés use their own saliva to activate the peptides in the frog secretion, believing this method harnesses the full strength of the medicine. Applied traditionally with burns made by the tamishi vine, Sapo is known for its intense effects, often requiring fewer applications compared to Kambo. This intense yet short-lived experience prepares hunters for the physical and mental challenges they may face, sharpening their instincts and endurance.
Kambo: A Different Approach
Utilized by several indigenous groups in Brazil, Kambo involves the secretion of the Phyllomedusa bicolor frog similar to Sapo. Unlike Sapo, Kambo practitioners use water to activate the frog’s secretions. This method involves more burns, usually made with smaller incense sticks, and is applied to various chakra and meridian points. Traditionally, Kambo is used for cleansing, healing, and strengthening the immune system. It is believed to clear physical and emotional blockages, enhance physical endurance, and provide spiritual purification. Participants drink 2-3 liters of water before application to facilitate purging through vomiting. This process helps expel toxins from the body and often includes ceremonial elements such as chanting and music to create a supportive environment for healing. Kambo ceremonies are known for their intensity and are highly valued for their potential to bring about profound physical and emotional healing. The secretion is typically applied to small burns on the skin, and the effects include increased heart rate, sweating, and purging, which are seen as signs of detoxification.
Key Differences:
- Activation: Sapo uses saliva to activate the peptides in the frog medicine, while Kambo uses water. Both methods are effective and offer unique experiences. The saliva activation method in Sapo involves fewer applications, whereas the water activation method in Kambo typically involves more burns, each providing its own distinct benefits.
- Burns: Sapo uses tamishi vine for traditional burn applications, whereas Kambo often uses much smaller incense sticks, resulting in the need for more burns for similar results.
- Preparation: For Sapo, participants arrive with an empty stomach to allow purging in many forms and drink very little water, if any. In contrast, Kambo involves drinking 2-3 liters of water right before the ceremony, resulting in purging of water as a focus.
- Application Sites: Sapo is traditionally applied to the shoulder/upper arm for optimal absorption into the bloodstream, whereas Kambo is applied to various chakra and meridian points, incorporating elements of Indian, Chinese, and New Age beliefs.
Our Ceremony at Two Birds Church
At Two Birds Church, we combine the strengths of both Sapo and Kambo to create the best and safest experience possible.
- Moderation in Water Intake: While drinking too much water can be dangerous and has led to many Kambo-related incidents, a moderate intake of up to 8oz before your circle is effective. This helps dilute bile and protect the throat if purging occurs, but does not make the experience solely focused on vomiting large amounts of water. Purging can manifest in many ways, such as sweating, crying, shaking, or yawning. By not focusing purely on excessive water purging, the experience can also bring up waves of emotions rather than just physical discomfort.
- Burn Applications: We lean towards the larger application burns of Sapo rather than the many smaller burns of Kambo. Instead of requiring 5-10 Kambo-sized burns, 2-3 Sapo-sized burns are equally, if not more, effective.
- Application Sites: For safety, we follow the Sapo method of administering the burns to the upper arm only. This provides the safest experience and avoids Kambo-related incidents where burns can be applied in many places, such as over the heart.
- Ceremonial Aspects: While Sapo as a hunter’s medicine often has minimal ceremony, we incorporate the deeper ceremonial aspects of Kambo. Your ceremony at Two Birds will be accompanied by guidance and music to deepen the experience. We also incorporate Hapé afterward to help ground each person and sharing circles to illuminate group wisdom.
- Activation Method: While traditional Sapo uses saliva, we find the Kambo application of using water to be effective and more hygienic. Therefore, we use water to rehydrate the frog peptides, as it is sent from the tribes dried to preserve it for transport and use.
By combining these elements, we create a balanced and holistic approach to our Sapo/Kambo circles, ensuring a profound and transformative experience for all participants.