Cleansing with Kambo
“The focus here is not on ritual itself, but on opening up something in hearts and spirits that has been locked away so long that individuals can barely remember the source.”
— Malidoma Patrice Somé, “Ritual: Power, Healing and Community”
It is my honor to offer Kambo ceremonies for individuals and communities seeking deep cleansing and clarity.
Kambo cleanses our hearts and clears our minds, allowing for our deepest desires to manifest in the now.
Kambo, also known as “frog medicine”, is the secretion of Phyllomedusa Bicolor (the giant leaf frog). This bright green tree frog is native to the Amazon basin and is a non-psychoactive, legal, Sacred Earth Medicine. Kambo is traditionally used amongst indigenous tribes to promote physical, spiritual, mental, and communal wellness.
Physically, Kambo has been known to defeat malaria, snake bites, fevers, strengthen the immune system, and reduce inflammation. More interestingly, it is used to remove ‘panema’, which is defined as dark, heavy, or stagnant energies that manifest as bad luck, illness, lethargy, lack of clarity or simply feeling stagnant. In Western culture, we might describe this energy as “bad vibes”, or use words like anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
Some Kambo participants describe a sense of relief or a heavy weight being lifted after just one session. The physical, emotional, and energetic purging that takes place during a session not only frees our body of what no longer serves us, but allows us to feel deeply cleansed and connected on all levels.
Possible Benefits and impacts of working with Kambo:
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Internal System Cleansing – Flushes out toxins by stimulating the lymphatic system and liver.
Immune System Boost – Increases the body's natural defense mechanisms through antimicrobial peptides.
Pain Relief – Contains powerful analgesic peptides that may help with chronic pain.
Increased Energy & Stamina – Enhances physical endurance and reduces fatigue.
Anti-Inflammatory Effects – Helps reduce inflammation in the body, aiding conditions like arthritis.
Improved Circulation – Promotes better blood flow and cardiovascular function.
Digestive Health Support – Aids in gut health by balancing the microbiome and reducing gut inflammation
More Efficient Recovery & Healing – Speeds up recovery from injuries and illnesses.
Improved Connection to Sensation in the Body - Supports purging the physical impacts of colonization and oppression
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Emotional Release & Trauma Processing – Helps release stored emotional pain and past trauma.
Reduced Anxiety & Depression – Promotes a sense of calm and emotional balance by regulating neurotransmitters.
Mental Clarity & Focus – Enhances cognitive function, decision-making, and concentration.
Increased Resilience & Stress Reduction – Strengthens the nervous system’s ability to handle stress.
Greater Sense of Purpose & Motivation – Can provide clarity on life direction and personal growth.
Improved Mood & Emotional Stability – Helps regulate mood swings and promotes a sense of well-being.
Deeper Connection to Self & Intuition – Encourages introspection and self-awareness.
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Cleansing of Heavy Energies (Panema Clearing) – Clears energetic blockages and removes stagnant, negative energy that may be causing disharmony in life.
Strengthened Connection to Nature & Spirit – Deepens one's relationship with the natural world, ancestral wisdom, and spiritual guides.
Purification of the Soul – Seen by Indigenous traditions as a sacred purge that aligns body, mind, and spirit for greater harmony.
Enhanced Intuition & Spiritual Awareness – Opens channels for deeper insight, inner knowing, and connection to the unseen realms.
Energetic Protection & Fortification – Creates a shield of resilience against external negativity and spiritual interference.
Alignment with One’s True Path – Helps individuals reconnect with their purpose, values, and life direction.
Heart Opening & Greater Compassion – Encourages a deep sense of empathy, interconnectedness, and love for oneself and others.
What to expect
during ceremony:
My intention as a practitioner is to cultivate a safe and healing space where you have the space to connect with yourself and with the Spirit of the medicine.
When you arrive to ceremony, we will begin with a conversation about your state of wellbeing that day, and your intention for ceremony. We will then open with a prayer and begin the treatment process with Rapeh and Sananga.
You will then be asked to drink 1-1.5 liters of water which will support the purging process and help to flush the whole lymphatic system, liver, kidneys, gall bladder, and other organs. As you drink the water, I will create small burns or ‘gates’ on the skin and then place the medicine on your ‘gates’ so that it can enter your lymphatic system.
The onset of the medicine may include; increased heart rate, sweating and/or chills, perspiration, temporary loss of consciousness, swelling in the face (this wears off soon after ceremony), purging through vomiting, and bowel movements.
Ceremony lasts between 1 and 2 hours, including a 30-45 minute rest period. Participants will be able to drive and continue on with their day after the rest period.
Contraindications for participation:
For the majority, Kambo is a generally safe cleanse with many potential benefits. However, it is not suitable for everyone. The following list includes conditions that are possibly contraindicated from receiving Kambo. You will be required to complete an wellbeing intake form which I will review prior to our preparation session.
Have serious heart problems or have had heart surgery. This includes a pacemaker but excludes stents.
Have had a stroke or a brain hemorrhage
Have an aneurism or blood clot
Have experienced any previous oesophagus bleeding or rupture
Are recovering from a major surgical procedure with internal stitches
Are on medication for low blood pressure
Are undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy, or have done so within the last 4 weeks
Are taking immune-suppressants after an organ transplant
Have Addison’s disease
Have current and severe epilepsy
Have experienced bleeding or rupture of the oesophagus
Have Ehlers-Danlos syndromes
Are under 18 years old
Are pregnant or may be so, or are breastfeeding a child under 6 months old
People who have been partaking in long term fasting or water fasting within seven days of their Kambo session, excluding the required fasting beforehand.
If you have any doubts about your participation please use our initial Discovery Call as an opportunity to ask questions about contraindications. This list does not equate an automatic yes or no to participation.
The Ceremonial pathway
Our participation in our transformation begins long before we enter the ritual space; it begins by preparing our ritual space within.
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This initial call is an opportunity for us to connect, for you to ask any questions you may have about Kambo or my practice, and to discuss any possible contra-indications to participation. If at the end of this 15-minute call we mutually decide to move forward with the work, you will receive the links you need to complete the next step!
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Our initial Preparation Call is a time for us to build trust so that we can do deep work together! We will discuss your intake, clarify your intention, and hold space for any questions that are present.
Before the call ends we will agree on a date for your ceremony.
These calls typically last anywhere from 45-60 minutes.
*Pricing is dependent on how many sessions we will do and will be finalized in the prep call. I ask all participants to make a deposit of $225 prior to our first preparation call.
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Time to do the work!
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Our integration and commitment to liberation is an offering that we make back to the Spirit of these wise medicines.
During this 45-60 minute call we will revisit your intention and how you see it arriving in the days/weeks after ceremony. We will close making a commitment to continued integration.
*Additional Integration Sessions are available as an add-on
Small Group Ceremony:
Gathering together to heal in community is one of the greatest tools of resistance that we have access to in these times.
Join me in NYC on Thursday July 10th for an intimate community ritual with Kambo.
about your guide:
Charlotte Duerr James
Charlotte Duerr James is an educator, therapeutic coach, and initiated Medicine Woman of Afro-Caribbean and Germanic lineage. Her work is dedicated to creating a world where individuals can live boldly in pursuit of their radical transformation. Through her expertise in education, ceremonial facilitation, and therapeutic coaching, Charlotte fosters communities centered on collective liberation and healing.
With over 15 years of experience working with Sacred Earth Medicines, Charlotte’s spiritual journey is deeply rooted in traditional wisdom. She has completed an apprenticeship in Kambo, is a Mbanji initiate, and has facilitated hundreds of ceremonies, supporting groups and individuals in their healing processes. Her academic background includes a summa cum laude degree in Latin American Studies and Anthropology from Johns Hopkins University. Additionally, she is a graduate of a 3-year certification program in Transpersonal Psychology, Psychedelic Medicine, and Indigenous Wisdom through the Awe Foundation, where she also serves as a mentor.
Charlotte is the founder of Liberation Training, a psychedelically-informed organization that supports practitioners and journeyers in decolonizing their approaches to personal growth and collective healing. Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, she has lived throughout South America, where she deepened her connection with diverse healing traditions. A lifelong student of the Earth, Charlotte is committed to continuous unlearning and relearning, engaging with elders and wisdom keepers from various traditions to ensure that her facilitation is grounded in authenticity and integrity.
Believing that personal transformation is essential to fostering collective liberation, Charlotte remains dedicated to helping others navigate their own paths toward healing and empowerment.
