The Family
With Deep Gratitude
None of this would be possible without the knowledge, skill, and heart of the family behind these sticks.
For generations upon generations, the knowledge and tradition of working with kambo frogs has been passed down. The understanding is not something learned quickly or from a distance. It has been carried from warm hand to warm hand, through lived experience, through careful observation, and through a love for the frogs that runs deep in their blood.
Every stick carries more than a product. It carries a story of devotion, resilience, and relationship with the living world. It carries the hands of people who know this work intimately, who have walked with it through struggle and through blessing, and who continue to care for the frogs and the forest with respect.
I am deeply grateful to Rosie and her family for sharing their story, their knowledge, and their trust.
Rosie Shares the Family Story
"We are descendants of the Kukama tribe people. My family became friends with a Matsés man many years ago, and it was he who taught my father about the tradition of Kambo. Through him, my father learned everything about the medicine. My father was able to connect deeply with the spirit through kambo dieta.
During one Ayahuasca ceremony, my father had a vision of Kambo. In that vision, the Kambo spirits told him that he had been chosen to protect them. The male Kambo told him that the female's name is Esmeralda. That is why we call the female Kambo "Esmeralda."
In the vision, my father also saw the male Kambo wearing a crown. That is why, when you come to my home, you will see a painting of a Kambo frog with a crown. That is how our family's path with Kambo began.
Since then, we have dedicated ourselves to protecting the Kambo frogs that live at our center. That is also where the name came from. It means "House of Kambo."
We have several different places where we collect Kambo. For example, at certain times we work along the forest streams, and at other times we go into the higher forest. We do not harvest from the frogs repeatedly. We collect the medicine from each frog only once a year.
Thank you for supporting us to protect this land and the kambo frogs."