While we emphasize the spiritual and integrative benefits of our Sapo Circles at Two Birds Church, it’s important to acknowledge that the peptides found in Sapo have been studied for their various properties. Many participants report a range of positive effects following their experience, which align with findings from scientific research. It is worth noting that these studies are ongoing, and we are still understanding the full scope of the science behind these peptides. In this section, we will explore these peptides and their potential impacts, offering insights into the fascinating intersection of traditional practices and modern science.
The Science Behind Sapo
Phyllomedusa bicolor, commonly known as the giant monkey frog, is native to the Amazon rainforest and is notable for its secretion containing a complex mixture of bioactive peptides. These peptides have diverse physiological effects, potentially beneficial to the human body. Scientific research initiated in the 1980s by Italian and American researchers has shown that the frog’s secretion contains peptides capable of traversing the blood-brain barrier and stimulating the endocrine glands of the brain. This process may result in immune responses and deep body cleansing.
The Main Families of Bioactive Peptides in Sapo Secretion
Phyllomedusin: These peptides, such as tachykinins (which also act as neuropeptides), produce contraction at the smooth muscle level and increase secretions of the entire gastrointestinal tract, including the salivary glands, stomach, small and large intestines, pancreas, and gallbladder. These are primarily responsible for the deep purge produced by the administration of Kambo.
Phyllokinin and Phyllomedusins: Both are potent vasodilators, increasing the permeability of the blood-brain barrier for their own access and that of other active peptides. This family includes medusins, which have antimicrobial and antifungal properties.
Caeruleins and Sauvagines: These peptides have chains of 40 amino acids with myotropic properties on the smooth muscles, causing contraction of the colon and urinary bladder. They produce a drop in blood pressure accompanied by tachycardia, stimulating the adrenal cortex and pituitary gland, contributing to greater sensory perception and increased resistance. They also possess significant analgesic power, aiding in physical strength, the capacity to confront physical pain, stress, and disease, and diminishing symptoms of fatigue. Medically, these peptides contribute to improved digestion and provide analgesic properties against various types of pain.
Dermorphin and Deltorphin: These small peptides are potent agonists of opiate delta receptors, significantly more potent than morphine. They act as powerful analgesics and have been used in the treatment of ischemia. This secretion also has antibiotic properties and may strengthen the immune system while physically destroying pathogenic microorganisms. Potential benefits include treating conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, AIDS, cancer, depression, and chronic pain.
Adenoregulins: Discovered in the 1990s by John Daly’s team at the National Institute of Health in the United States, adenoregulin works on the human body through adenosine receptors, a fundamental component of all human cellular fuel. These receptors may offer a target for the treatment of depression, stroke, and cognitive loss diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Antimicrobial Peptides: Dermaseptins, including adenoregulins (with 33 amino acids), plasticins, and phylloseptins, form a family of broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptides involved in the defense of frogs’ bare skin against microbial invasion. They show lethal effects against a broad spectrum of bacteria, fungi, yeasts, and protozoa. Research has shown that peptides Dermaseptin B2 and B3 are effective in killing certain types of cancer cells.
Bradykinins: These peptides, such as phyllokinins and tryptophilins, have structures and properties similar to human bradykinin. They produce vasodilation, contraction of non-vascular smooth muscle, and increased vascular permeability, also related to the mechanism of inflammatory pain.
Bombesins: These peptides stimulate the secretion of hydrochloric acid by acting on the G cells of the stomach, increase pancreatic secretion, intestinal myoelectric activity, and smooth muscle contractility.
Ceruleins: These peptides stimulate gastric, bile, and pancreatic secretions and certain smooth muscle actions, potentially useful in treating paralytic ileus and as a diagnostic medium in pancreatic dysfunction.
Tryptophilins: Neurotransmitter peptides consisting of 4 to 14 amino acids that are opening new perspectives on how the human brain works.
These biopeptides have generated significant scientific interest and many have been synthesized in laboratories and patented. Research continues to evolve, aiming to find clinical applications in medicine and pharmacology, and to study new mechanisms of action in human biology.
For thousands of years, Amazonian tribes have used and benefited from this chemical cocktail according to their ancestral traditions, intuition, and magic. Now, it is up to us, within our rational and scientific culture, to appreciate and potentially benefit from this gift of nature, beyond what can be demonstrated by pharmacological experiments in scientific laboratories.