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  The Kambo practitioner will open the ceremony. Your gates will be burned and then opened. The gates are the places on the body where the Kambo medicine will be applied. The location of the gates will be decided between you and the practitioner beforehand. They are burned with a small incense stick and are about 4-5 mm, or 1/3rd the size of a pea. Only the top layer of skin gets burned and the pain is very minimal. After this, water with a cloth or paper towel is used to clear the area so the medicine may enter in through the lymphatic system. 

  You will then drink between 1.5 liters within 15 minutes which is what will help facilitate the purge and clear toxins from the body. After your water has been drunk your medicine will be applied to the gates. If this is your first time working with Kambo, we will apply just one point of medicine. (When the Kambo is prepared, it is referred to as points or dots) This first point will be an assessment point. We will watch your reaction to the medicine as we observe your heart rate, breathing, if there's any swelling, or skin reaction. Once we observe that your test point has reacted with the normal markers of what Kambo does in the body, we will place the rest of the points on their gates. 

  Once the medicine is in place the effects are usually felt very quickly. You may feel a pounding sensation in the heart or head, increased heart rate, flushing of the skin and/or swelling in the face, tingling or numbness, inflammation in the throat, increased blood pressure or lowered blood pressure, nausea, or stomach discomfort. The effects of Kambo are usually only felt between 20-40 minutes and the most difficult part of it is usually just around 10 or 15 minutes. It is very common to purge during this time as the body is cleared of toxins, mucous, and bile. 

  After about 20 minutes if you have purged and the effects are subsiding, we will then remove the medicine and apply Dragon's Blood to the burns. Dragon's Blood (Sangre de Drago) is an antiseptic and analgesic liquid that aids in the healing of the burn points and reduces scarring. (Burn points usually are not visible after a few months) 

  After the Dragon's Blood is applied you will just rest and have some time to be with yourself. This is a time when quite often one experiences a heightened sense of clarity, memory, and peace. Often very important information and understandings may enter during this time.  Both myself and my husband find this to be our favorite part of the process. For some people the sense of clarity comes later, or over the next few days.  After you've rested for 30 minutes or so you may be feeling hungry. Food is good for Kambo afterwards and you are encouraged to eat something, which will also help your body restore electrolytes. 

  Many people report incredible benefits when receiving Kambo 3 days in a row or 3 sessions within a 28 day moon cycle. When treatments are received in a close time frame it allows for the medicine to work in an accumulative way. Most of our Kambo ceremonies are held in a group setting with multiple participants, but we do offer individual sessions as well. 

A 10 to 12 hour fast is required before taking Kambo. This is a food and water fast. Small sips of water can be taken during the 12 hour fast, but absolutely nothing 2 hours prior. If you are receiving a treatment in the later afternoon or evening then you can have a smoothy for breakfast as long as it is a minimum of 8 hours prior to treatment, and you may also sip tea with honey throughout the day to maintain your energy levels, but nothing 2 hours prior.  Abstain from supplements the day of treatment, as well as any medications you may take that you have and your practitioner have discussed. See the Contraindications section for more details.