Kambo has many different effects on fertility and pregnancy that potential users should be aware of.

Kambo has many effects on fertility and pregnancy that potential users should be aware of. Image source: Pixabay user Unsplash

Women who are sexually active tend to spend a lot of time thinking about our reproductive systems. We may spend years trying not to conceive, years trying to conceive, and months being pregnant. And for those struggling with fertility problems, trying to get pregnant can be a frustrating and disheartening experience. Perhaps you have suffered silently while you watched your friends begin to have babies. Many women go through infertility on their own, feeling apprehension, anxiety, and guilt over their inability to reproduce. After trying unsuccessfully for an extended period of time to get pregnant, you may find yourself more open to alternative methods of increasing your chances of having a baby—even the notion that certain psychedelics can increase fertility.

When it comes to psychedelics and pregnancy, your first thought may be that they simply do not mix. In general, that is true; pregnant women should avoid most psychedelics simply because there is insufficient research to fully understand the effects these substances may have on a fetus. But there is one treatment that some women turn to before, during, and after pregnancy: kambo. This venom from an Amazon frog has traditionally been used to increase fertility throughout pregnancy, but if you are considering using kambo in order to become pregnant or while you are pregnant, you should know the basic ways it can affect your pregnancy and how to approach the substance safely.

Using Kambo to Increase Fertility

Kambo can increase fertility in three main ways:

  • Kambo increases circulation throughout your entire body, including to your reproductive organs. It does this by causing your blood vessels to dilate and your heart to pump more rapidly. This increased circulation may help flush out any toxins in your reproductive organs and stimulate your organs to produce more reproductive hormones.
  • Kambo is an effective antiviral and antibacterial medication. Many people who suffer from infertility have minor infections in their reproductive organs that reduce the functioning of these organs. Small infections, if left untreated, can eventually cause sterility in some people. It is a good idea to work with a gynecologist to check if you have a reproductive infection and, if you treat it with kambo, to make sure it has been sufficiently cleared by the treatment.
  • Kambo is a powerful anti-inflammatory. If you currently have an infection or have recently had an infection, there may also be an inflammation in your reproductive system which is preventing you from getting pregnant. The swelling and irritability of your inflamed reproductive organs can make sex uncomfortable and cause your body to become hostile to fertilized eggs. Inflammation can also halt the production of key hormones used during reproduction. By easing your inflammation, you have a better chance of a pregnancy taking hold.

You will notice that most of kambo’s fertility benefits do not necessarily only apply to women. Men can also experience increased fertility from the increased circulation, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties of kambo. If you are experiencing fertility problems as a couple, you may want to both undergo kambo treatments at the same time to increase your chances of conceiving.

It’s also a good idea to work with a kambo practitioner who has experience treating fertility problems. Kambo has many different uses, and some practitioners specialize in using the medicine for just a few of its properties. While any general ceremony may help increase your fertility, you will have more success with a practitioner who combines kambo treatments with acupressure points or other natural fertility treatments.

Getting Pregnant While Using Kambo

Traditional kambo treatments involve several sessions. Some are spread out over the course of a week while others may occur once a month for several months. The multiple treatments work to cleanse your body thoroughly and prepare it for pregnancy, but if your treatments are spread out over a significant amount of time, it is possible you may become pregnant during your treatment process.

If this happens, you should consult a healthcare professional and kambo practitioner before continuing kambo use. Kambo causes the smooth muscles in your body to contract, which is why it causes purging. The uterus is also made of smooth muscle tissue, so women will likely experience slight uterine cramping during a kambo session. While this is usually not a problem, if you are pregnant, uterine cramping can lead to contractions and even a miscarriage, especially during the early stages of pregnancy. Because of the risk of miscarriage, you may want to put off trying to conceive until after your kambo treatments are complete. Alternatively, be sure there is enough time between treatments to take a pregnancy test and make certain you are not pregnant before you continue treatments.

Taking Kambo During Pregnancy

Although Western medicine does not recommend using kambo while pregnant, it is worth noting that traditional tribal use includes two treatments during pregnancy. The first treatment was during the first trimester to make sure the pregnancy was viable. The thought process was that if the fetus was strong and the pregnancy healthy, then the woman would not miscarry after a kambo treatment. The second treatment was towards the end of the pregnancy and, based on the color and consistency of a woman’s urine after the treatment, the practitioner could predict the sex and health of the fetus. Both these treatments involved very low doses of kambo applied to the inside of a pregnant woman’s wrist. However, kambo still carries a risk of miscarriage or preterm labor, and its effects on a fetus are currently unknown.

Later in pregnancy, the uterine contractions caused by kambo could possibly induce labor. Once you are at term, you may be interested in using kambo to help move the labor along. In theory, kambo could be used this way, and as an added bonus, the analgesic properties of kambo could help reduce the pain of childbirth. However, since this has not been thoroughly researched, it carries an unnecessary risk for both the mother and the baby.

Kambo During the Postpartum Period

Another sought after aspect of kambo is its ability to help manage depression. Kambo was traditionally used to treat “panema,” which translates to a feeling of listlessness, sadness, depression, general bad luck, or an inability to focus. It is unclear exactly how kambo treats depression, but many users experience a sense of euphoria and lightness for several days after a treatment and then a lack of depression for a month or more. This may be because of the way the medicine causes the body to release endorphins during a treatment or it could be caused by the peptide adenoregulin, which regulates the functioning of the hypothalamus and decreases depression and anxiety. This effect may be of particular interest to women who suffer from postpartum depression or postpartum anxiety. However, it is important to realize that kambo may pass through your breastmilk, so you should not take it if you are breastfeeding your child.

When considering undergoing a kambo treatment, you should consider the multiple ways the substance can affect your body. Kambo is a complex, powerful medicine that has simultaneous effects on multiple systems and deserves proper respect. With further research, kambo may change the way people get pregnant, carry their unborn, or give birth. Even now, it can be safely used to increase fertility in both men and women and give hope to couples or individuals struggling to conceive. But with the currently limited research on kambo, it is important that you use it safely and under the guidance of a practitioner who is experienced with both kambo and reproductive health.