> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.thepsychedelicblog.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Kambo Is More Dangerous Than You Think - URL: https://www.thepsychedelicblog.com/kambo-is-more-dangerous-than-you-think/ - Published: 2026-09-13T14:05:50.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-13T14:05:50.000Z - Author: Andrew M Weisse ## **42-year-old man, Italy** Found dead after using Kambo. The frog secretion peptide deltorphin A was detected in his blood. --- ## **Natasha Lechner, 39, Australia, 2019** Died shortly after a Kambo ceremony. Medical experts concluded an acute coronary event was the likely cause. --- ## **Jarrad Antonovich, 46, Australia, 2021** Died after taking Kambo at a festival. His esophagus ruptured following severe vomiting. --- ## **Marcela Alcázar, 33, Mexico, 2024** Died after receiving Kambo at a retreat in Durango. She reportedly suffered severe vomiting & diarrhea before her condition rapidly deteriorated. --- ## **35-year-old woman, United States, case published in 2025** Developed severe hyponatremia & catastrophic brain swelling after a Kambo ceremony. She was declared brain dead. --- These are not deaths linked to some obscure street drug. They are deaths associated with Kambo, the popular ritual involving the toxic secretion of an Amazonian frog. While advocates make sweeping claims about its ability to detoxify the body, strengthen the immune system, treat addiction & improve mental health, the evidence supporting those benefits is remarkably thin. The evidence that Kambo can cause serious harm is not. --- ![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XykN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F19e9a422-4f2b-4398-8a71-0d5878f6a927_1656x1116.png) --- The documented risks of Kambo extend well beyond death. Medical case reports have linked its use to: - Severe hyponatremia - Seizures - Psychosis - Hepatitis - Prolonged vomiting - Cardiac arrest - Esophageal rupture More recent cases have included rhabdomyolysis, acute kidney injury, liver toxicity & metabolic acidosis severe enough to require intensive care. Some of this begins with the very reaction Kambo practitioners are trying to induce. Within minutes, users can experience a racing heart, dramatic changes in blood pressure, facial swelling, dizziness, abdominal pain, diarrhea & intense vomiting. In one observational study of 241 Kambo sessions, every participant vomited, more than 70% experienced facial swelling & roughly 1 in 10 fainted. The danger can escalate quickly. Kambo ceremonies involve drinking large quantities of water before or during the purge. Combine that with repeated vomiting & Kambo’s physiological effects, and sodium levels can fall dangerously low. Severe hyponatremia can cause confusion, seizures, brain swelling, coma & death. --- ### **The Danger Is Part of the Intended Effect** But my research turned up something about Kambo that I find particularly unsettling. Every substance carries risks. What makes Kambo uniquely concerning is that one of its most serious risks can arise not because something goes wrong, but because the substance does exactly what it’s supposed to do. Kambo induces intense vomiting. In rare cases, that vomiting can rupture the esophagus, a life-threatening medical emergency. That’s what happened to Jarrad Antonovich, one of the people at the beginning of this piece. In other words, you don’t necessarily need an unusual reaction or contaminated substance. The intended physiological effect itself can create the mechanism for a potentially fatal complication. Hard pass. --- *To read the rest of this blog, become a paid subscriber on* [*my Substack here*](https://thepsychedelicblog.substack.com/)*.*