FAINTING ON KAMBO
If you’ve worked with Kambo long enough, chances are you’ve witnessed someone faint during a session. It can be surprising the first time it happens, for both the practitioner and the participant, but fainting on Kambo isn’t unusual. In fact, it’s a natural response to the powerful physiological and emotional processes that the medicine activates.
Peptides in Kambo That Lower Blood Pressure
Kambo contains a range of bioactive peptides — three in particular are directly responsible for lowering blood pressure through vasodilation (widening of the blood vessels):
- Phyllomedusin: Expands blood vessels and lowers vascular resistance.
- Phyllocaerulein: Dilates blood vessels and slows heart rate.
- Sauvagine: Mimics stress-related peptides and contributes to transient hypotension.
When these peptides enter the bloodstream, the body responds by lowering blood pressure, which can lead to dizziness, lightheadedness, and in some cases, fainting.
Why Do People Faint on Kambo?
Some individuals have naturally low blood pressure or are predisposed to dizziness. Others may respond emotionally or energetically to the intensity of the experience. Common triggers include:
- High doses
- Sudden standing or walking during the session
- Emotional overwhelm or fear
Fainting is the body’s protective mechanism. When blood flow to the brain drops, the body takes over — causing the person to fall into a horizontal position, which helps restore blood and oxygen flow to the brain.
The Different Types of Fainting During Kambo
- Common Syncope
It can happen while in a sitting position but most often it happens when someone stands up to go to the bathroom during the session. Blood pools in the legs, brain gets less oxygen, and the person collapses. This is typically brief and harmless when managed correctly. - Convulsive Syncope
In rarer cases, a faint may be accompanied by seizure-like movements: twitching, jerking, stiffening, eye-rolling. This looks dramatic and may remind on epileptic seizers but it’s not epilepsy. It’s caused by a temporary lack of oxygen in the brain that causes neurons to fire chaotically. People will not remember it and they will recover quickly.
Practitioner Perspectives: How to Handle Fainting
There are different approaches among Kambo practitioners when it comes to dealing with fainting. Some practitioners believe that fainting is part of the healing process, and that if a person faints, it is best to leave them in that state, trusting that a healing process is taking place which shouldn’t be interrupted. They trust the body’s intelligence and believe the person will regain consciousness in their own time.
Others may try to bring the person back as soon as they see them fainting. They might sprinkle water on their head, reposition them, or gently call their name to bring them back to awareness.
Lastly, there are practitioners who do everything possible to prevent fainting altogether as they believe that it is dangerous, they may work only with small doses to reduce the risk of faintingand and if someone still faints, they even consider calling an ambulance straight away.
Personally, I prefer the middle path. I don’t see the necessity for someone to remain unconscious longer than needed, but I also don’t think it’s necessary to call an ambulance as long as the person is breathing normally and regains consciousness within 1–2 minutes.
In my experience, most people respond quickly when the practitioner tries to bring them back. Often, there is a strong urge to vomit immediately after regaining consciousness. In rare cases, a person may even vomit while unconscious. For this reason, the practitioner must be fully present with their client, making sure they don’t fall and injure themselves, and ensuring that they are never lying on their back in case they vomit.
It is essential that the practitioner stays close and attentive to prevent complications, and this is one of the many reasons why it is so important to have a trained and qualified practitioner conducting the session — someone who knows how to respond responsibly to such situations.
What People Report After Fainting
When asking people about their experience of fainting during Kambo, most say they don’t remember it at all. Considering that many people vomit immediately after coming back, it’s often experienced as a positive thing — especially if it happens at the beginning of the session. It’s as if the unpleasant part prior the purge was skipped.
Others may report a more emotional or even spiritual experience, saying the fainting felt like a needed reset. In many cases, emotions related to control or resistance, especially when someone is holding onto something that no longer serves them, are released during the fainting. For others, it simply feels like a moment of bliss, lightness, or surrender as they come back.
Overall, fainting during a Kambo session is something that every practitioner should be prepared for, as it can happen to anyone — most commonly at the beginning of the session, or when the person is standing up or walking. Considering that practitioners may have different approaches to how they handle such situations, it’s important to be well-informed about your practitioner’s way of working, so you know what to expect if you find yourself in such a vulnerable state.
What matters most is that the practitioner is well-prepared and knows how to respond appropriately. Being able to provide a safe and grounded healing space for clients should always be the top priority.