Things I Learned From Poisoning Myself: Part II
After my second experience with the Amazonian frog medicine, Kambo, I settled into what would turn out to be a month-long stay in Pisac, a town in the Peruvian Sacred Valley. I was relishing the focus and energy unlocked by the frog’s toxin. It had lifted the chemical veil of brain fog I had been squinting through for years.
Although I was satisfied with the results of the medicine, I soon found that I had underestimated its after-effects. My mind was not the only thing about me that was altered. I first noticed the second side effect while walking through the streets of Cuzco the morning after my first ceremony.
I was on my way to the market when I passed by a street food vendor selling xurros, a fried pastry that, when fresh, is a delicious roundhouse kick to the arteries. I was surprised to find that the normally heavenly aroma of the treats disgusted me.
Later, while going for lunch in the market, I wrinkled my nose at the smells that emanated from cooking meats, bakeries, and fried foods. They did nothing to stir my appetite. It’s not that I usually gravitate toward these foods in particular, but don’t things like freshly baked bread usually smell appetizing regardless of one’s dietary habits?
Oddly enough, I discovered that my cravings had gone in an unexpected direction when I meandered into the fruit section. I stopped at a stall selling persimmons. I’d always enjoyed eating the juicy, sweet fruit straight off of the tree on my grandparents’ farm in Chile, but that moment, my mouth watered at the sight of them as if I hadn’t eaten in days.
That was how I realized that I craved fruit and vegetables like a kid craves sugar. My body begged for plants! Those first days after my two Kambo ceremonies, I consumed huge quantities of fruit, vegetables, and nuts, readily available in the markets and well-suited to my backpacker’s budget.
A Chemical Change In My Appetite
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Though I’ve been somewhat health-conscious with my nutrition for years, I’ve never been one to go on diets. I always scoffed at the idea of willfully depriving myself of culinary delights. Still, I welcomed my new cravings since I didn’t miss processed foods. I was incredibly curious as to why my body now asked for plants like it used to ask for chocolate.
My research explained that in addition to ridding my body of harmful synthetic toxins, the frog medicine had also cleaned out the buildup of substances that make me crave things like refined sugar, fried foods, dairy products, meats, and pastries. After all, these foods are mild addictions that have been incorporated into human diets over time: but they are not ideal for our lengthy digestive tracks and ape-like metabolisms.
After Kambo, I was like an ex-smoker whose body has totally eliminated trace amounts of nicotine. My brain had no chemical ‘memory’ of these foods, so it didn’t know to ask for them. I learned that many detoxes can deliver the same effect over time, but my sudden disgust was caused by the abrupt way these substances had been expelled from my system.
The only thing that would drive me back to eating these less-than-healthy treats was the knowledge that a freshly made, dulce-de-leche-filled xurro would probably still taste like a bite out of heaven when I had one again(it did).
My new dietary impulses offered a major clue as to how I could draw out the benefits of the Kambo. I reasoned that my mind had sharpened because the unhealthy substances that the Kambo had eliminated used to create a foggy film over the lens of my perception, making it difficult to focus my attention. I was curious about some of the biggest culprits for that mental fog. A little research revealed that meat was one of the biggest dietary contributors to brain fog and lack of energy— which gave me an idea.
Vegetarianism: An Experiment
Soon after working with Kambo, I decided to try out a vegetarian diet. No better time to test it out than now, as the aroma of crispy Peruvian roasted chicken I smelled everywhere couldn’t tempt me!
The change in my diet was not an attempt to lose weight or to strive for perfect, all-natural nutrition. It was experiment. The knowledge that well-balanced vegetarian diets are healthy was never a strong enough motivator to actually make me give up meats. I’m Chilean, after all: asados of grass-fed beef cooked slowly over a wood fire are the ceremony and sacrament of Chilean culture. I had always loved all sorts of meat, poultry, and seafood. However, seeing the changes the Kambo made in my mind made me irresistibly curious to investigate what else I could do to naturally boost my baseline potential. I was especially interested in finding out if, and to what degree the carnivorous elements of my diet contributed to the lack of focus I had experienced my whole life.
For the next month, I cooked at the hostel and ate at the sole vegetarian food stall in the Pisac market. I touted the stall’s savory vegetarian dishes to anyone who would listen. The sweet cook took to smiling broadly at me every time I arrived with ever-growing groups of her fans, and sometimes gave me extra helpings of her fantastic lentils.
With every day that passed, I felt the effects of the cleanse intensify. Just a few days after starting the vegetarian diet, I felt lighter, and my skin had a clean, healthy glow. I slept more deeply, had more vivid dreams, and never needed naps— not even after morning hikes. From the moment my eyes sprang open in the morning, my energy felt boundless. I stopped needing coffee, a pleasure that had turned into a compulsive addiction with the rigors of school years before. Higher quality fuel had made for a faster car.
Lessons From The Frog
The Kambo and vegetarian diet gave me unprecedented insight into the effects of certain substances on my mind, energy levels, and body. The temporary absence of cravings taught me about my relationship to food. I began to see the degree to which I consumed things without the intention of actually providing my body nutrition. The changes I felt revealed that a more conscious, disciplined, and healthy relationship to food was the key to eliminating many physical and mental obstacles that I had come to accept as facts of life.
After I left the Sacred Valley and reached Lima and its world-renown seafood (I LOVE ceviche), I switched to a pescatarian diet, which simply added seafood to my otherwise vegetarian meals. I saw the effects of the cleanse only slightly reduced.
It was there, in Lima, that I discovered the final benefit of my cleanse. It was the most powerful, impactful, and unexpected of all.
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