sapo: medicine or nostrum?

[faustus]

it's a little long, but given that there aren't many trip reports i figure i'd be detailed.

********

 

Sapo: Medicine or Nostrum?

 

 

Gender: Male

Age: 25

Weight: 78 kg

With an equal measure of excitement and trepidation I was recently given the opportunity to try sapo, the secretions of the South American frog Phyllomedusa bicolor. Sapo is used for medicinal purposes by the Amazon-dwelling Matses, where it is said to imbue them with heightened senses and enhanced stamina – all the makings of success during a prolonged hunting expedition. Traditionally, several matchhead-sized burns are applied to the participant's skin and the sapo is administered topically on the burned flesh. This is thought to enhance transdermal absorption of the peptides that are present in the sapo.

Few Westerners have partaken in the sapo ritual, but there is one consistency in their reports. Within moments of administration, one falls wretchedly ill; nausea; vomiting; facial flush; rapid heart rate; stomach ache; loss of bladder and bowel control; sweating; and lachrymation. This generally lasts 15 minutes or so, but once this adverse reaction resolves the user feels invigorated, and sapo's therapeutic effects are said to last several days.

Call it curiosity, male bravado, sheer stupidity, or perhaps a smattering of all three, but I was intrigued by the prospect of trying sapo, if only to seize the rare opportunity of submitting the first sapo trip report to Erowid. Moreover, I found myself strangely attracted to the notion that in order to experience the beneficial effects of this medicine, one must take a brief detour through the inner sanctums of Hell. No pain, no gain, as they say in the classics!

I had told my friend E about sapo and he was keen to try it too. We had originally agreed that we'd do it at his apartment at the same time. But rather than potentially risk two lives through an unforeseeable adverse reaction, we decided that it would be more appropriate that one of us try it. I'm not sure how I ended being the guinea pig because I sure as hell don't recall volunteering. In hindsight, I think it was a good idea that I go first because I had no idea what to expect. The fear that accompanies the unknown is oftentimes less than the fear of knowing the awful, ugly, truth. I was by no means ignorant of the side-effects of sapo. In fact, I embellished to my friends that it "feels like you're dying for about 15 minutes, but then you feel real good for a few days" … I knew that this was a facetious exaggeration, but hadn't really taken it upon myself to consider what I was getting myself into.

Regardless, it was 10 p.m. at E and T's apartment and we were ready to rock n roll. We decided to burn my skin using a Phillips head screwdriver that was placed on an oven hotplate for several minutes. Unsure if the burns would scar, I chose my inner thigh as a precaution. I'd previously tried to administer the burns myself, but it's impossible because your natural instinct is to pull it away before you get the chance to properly burn your skin. E burned me four or five times. The agony! I was able to peel off the surrounding loose skin and I now had a 3 cm square area of burned skin. This is a considerably larger area than those typically administered by the Matses.

After burning me, E then applied saliva to the sapo stick, and using a knife scraped up the sapo into gum-like clumps. He then daubed the sapo onto the burned area of skin with the knife.

The onset of sapo was inordinately rapid, within 1 minute of application, and I'm still quite impressed by its fast onset. I initially felt a mild throbbing sensation on my thigh, followed by a noticeable increase in heart rate and faintness. My vision started to go a bit blurry, as though not enough oxygen was getting to my brain. This feeling was more odd than unpleasant, but increased in severity quite rapidly. In a matter of moments I began to feel flushed and was sweating profusely. I was overwhelmed with an intense feeling of nausea and reached for the bucket. Over the next while I tried to induce vomiting because I thought that it was inevitable, but thankfully it just wasn't happening.

To quell the nausea I kept changing my body position to lying on the floor, back onto the couch, then crouched over with head between my legs to suppress the gag reflex. I just couldn't get comfortable and everything just felt so wrong. It felt like an eternity had passed. I asked T, "How long has it been?"

"2 minutes."

Two-fucking-minutes! All I could think was, "if this has only been two minutes, how the fuck am I going to survive the next 13?" By this stage, I was feeling like absolute shit. I was sweaty and flushed and nauseous and so unbearably drained that moving my body was a demand of monstrous proportions. As the physical discomfort intensified, I had E help me up and I staggered to the bathroom. I lay on the tiles of the bathroom floor, bucket in hand and a toilet nearby just in case I needed to barf, shit, piss, or all three. I think the reduction in sensory input helped me a lot as all the commotion in the lounge room was quite overwhelming and aggravated the nausea.

Over the next 15 minutes, I was confronted with a host of ailments. My throat, mouth, tongue and lips became inflamed, with the same numbness I imagine getting punched in the mouth or having a bad allergic reaction would feel. My mouth was extremely dry. My heart was racing and I was sweating. And for some reason my eyes wept profusely. I could hardly speak. I mumbled to T to get me some water. Unable to muster the strength to sit upright, I lay sprawled out on the floor and drank the water sideways.

The burn on my thigh was killing me and I was overwhelmed with anxiety. When the fuck is this going to end? I had the persistent feeling that I was going to barf without a moment's warning. I also experienced bowel distension. I got the impression that if my bowels weren't empty then I'd have likely soiled myself as a matter of course.

The remainder of this period is a blur, but I recall that in this state I had a frank and extensive inner-monologue as to why I like to subject myself to these sorts of things. I kept thinking to myself that the after-effects of sapo had better be worth it, because this physical feeling simply pointed to sapo being more like a poison than a medicine.

At around the 20 minute mark the horrible side-effects started to subside. First went the nausea and the rapid heart rate. Of all the physical symptoms I think my weeping eyes and swollen throat were the ones that persisted the longest. I still didn't have the strength to get up off the floor. It took me another 10 or so minutes before I could sit up and was ready to come out.

At about 30 minutes after the onset of the sapo, I felt in control enough to stand up and come back to the lounge room. I felt very hungover, and was unable to speak or engage anyone in conversation. My throat, lips and mouth still felt numb. E and T commented on how blood-shot and drug addled my eyes looked, that if I sat next to them on the train looking the way I did, they would be very concerned about their safety and switch seats. My mind was completely toasted and the mental strain of having to think was far too great, so I simply stared blankly at the TV until I was ready to go home.

12:30 a.m. I type this, having taken the sapo about 2.5 hours ago. The residual effects of the sapo have been gone for 30 minutes. I don't feel hungover anymore, but I don't feel euphoric. If I don't wake up tomorrow feeling fantastic, then what I went through wouldn't justify the effects.

NEXT MORNING, AFTER SLEEP

6:30 a.m. I feel pretty good. My throat feels a little croaky and I'm unusually energetic for such little sleep (~5 hours).

1:30 p.m. I don't feel fantastic. I have less desire to eat, but that's about it.

10 p.m. I've noticed that I've been pretty energetic the entire day, no afternoon tiredness or anything like that. I've also had a reduced appetite as well. The fact that I'm more alert during times of the day when I'm usually quite tired is pointing to the effects of the sapo. I have no desire to sleep. I'm compelled to conclude that sapo has invigorating properties.

DAY 2, BEDTIME

11 p.m. In retrospect it's difficult for me to exclude changes in my mood from just changes in my routine, and the true effects of sapo. Just gauging days previous to the sapo, I've had a reasonably strong increase in physical energy, and a moderate increase in mental energy. The next day after the sapo, I was able to do boring, repetitive tasks which I normally have difficulty doing. Today, the second day after taking sapo, I think the physical stimulation is there, but the psychic effects have diminished considerably.

DAY 3

Having had a bit more time to reflect upon my experience, I think sapo is peculiar concoction whose experience is worthy of trying once. If you care to recall your worst alcohol experience – feeling like you've poisoned your body and knowing that between now and your feeling better will involve a lot of anguish, the effects of sapo are somewhat akin to that. It definitely feels like you've taken a poison instead of a medicine, and although I wouldn't say that it feels like you're dying, you certainly feel so horrendously ill that you'd probably wish you were dead.

Considering sapo as a simple equation of positive versus adverse effects, I would say that the adverse reaction doesn't justify its subsequent positive effects. That said, do I regret taking it? Hell no! It's not every day that you get the chance to administer an Amazonian frog's secretions, and after my burns heal I can see myself trying it a couple more times. Well, maybe. It's been suggested to me that the fact that I didn't barf means that I didn't have a sufficiently high dose. However, I did experience extreme feelings of nausea, as well as most of the other symptoms documented. To be sure, if there ever is a next time, I'll probably try a slightly higher dose and see how well I fare.

FOR THOSE INTENDING TO TAKE SAPO I OFFER THE FOLLOWING ADVICE:

Make sure you have an empty stomach and drink a lot of water beforehand or you may get dehydrated. Empty your bladder and bowels, just in case of any unfortunate mishaps. Be careful when administering the burns, everyone who has seen my burns tells me that they'll scar… but I've had much more serious burns that have healed perfectly. I guess I'll have to wait and see. Most importantly, make sure you have a sober sitter that can look after you should anything bad happen to you. If you have a bum ticker, then I don't think taking sapo would be particularly wise. The decision to experience sapo shouldn't be taken lightly, but you've gotta try everything at least once!

EDIT: minor changes

Edited January 15, 2009 by twix elbert

[hebrew]

nice write up

sapo is good stuff i like it, it is hell but after if you do it you feel good for a few days plus you know you have given your body a really good cleanse, that in itself feels good. next time i wouldnt use a screwdriver to administer the burn, when i got my sapo, i was also sent a tamashi vine stick, i will try and get a photo of it in the next day or so, its basically a little twig but when you light it it gets a nice ember on the end a quick jab to the skin and you peel off the top layer of white skin, i imagine a screwdriver would be quite an intense burn.

thanks for sharing your sapo experience.

[Amulte]

thank MOST kindly for sharing that, ive had a fascination with sapo for a few years now. its great to read something with substance behind it.

HUGE thanks :D sounds an intense experience no doubt.

personally i would think having something to purge from oneself might be beneficial to the experience. it certainly would allow the body to release the toxins much quicker, maybe leading to the end result quicker?

[Torsten]

awesome report. it does make me wonder why some people would want to do this on a regular basis though. Piers did sapo a few years ago and I'll ask him if he can enlighten us on the positive side a bit more.

so, who's next?

[gerbil]

thanks for the report twix, the blur period is of interest,

it appears from your experience it can be utilised in some sort of healing sense / self analysis,

but it more so puts you in a place where you need self motivated thought to be undertaken i.e. initiating and having a convo with yourself; rather than thrown down your throat in the more so traditional main healing entheogen style?

Interesting tool none the less even if it's only a brief period of insight

the screw drivers sound pretty intense

[faustus]

has anyone bothered to try it sublingually?

it appears from your experience it can be utilised in some sort of healing sense / self analysis,

hah, yes and no. i was writhing in total agony. when in that state, you can't help but ask yourself how you got there. in my case, it was of my own doing, i had only myself to blame. it clearly wasn't enjoyable, so the next question i asked myself was what made me decide to do it.

[hebrew]

first time i had sapo i snorted it i wouldnt try it sublingually, my nose burtn like a mother fucker my whole head was hot and i was in that place where you think you are going to die you think what the fuck did you do that for and why the fuck did you snort this shit

its better to burn it, you can always wash it off with water if it get far too strong.

sapo is not something you do often, well i cant do it often anyway, i generally take sapo once a year around this time of the year where i can sit outside on a nice summers eve and purge my heart out

[Amulte]

so, who's next?

hehe im game.

OUCH snorting doesnt sound fun. Has it been smoked or vapored before?

[Torsten]

has anyone bothered to try it sublingually?

friendly reported effects from simply handling the sticks, so maybe there is no need for the burns.

It does seems that external application is a smart method if you want to stay alive as this is the only way the 'rest' of the dose can be removed by your sitter. That means smoking and snorting are probably not a good idea. Low doses might be Ok though.

[hebrew]

snorting is NOT a good idea trust me it comes from my own stupidity that i know this. i dont think sublingually would be any different. externally only i think.

[Chiral]

Mmmmm I have watched many videos of this and still wonder about whats actually happening..is some of the next dayness ...mmm placebo..?

here is an excerpt I pulled off a web page..I couldn't find out what the chemicals are in the frog venom.

The Matses have many rituals that involve the giving of “energy” from one person to another. With few exceptions, these rituals are extremely agonizing and are used by the Matses to increase one’s endurance and skill. Examples of these rituals are blowing “snuff” into one’s nose, whippings with urticating plants, being stung by ants, or receiving injections of frog venom (Phyllomedusa bicolor). Typically, the energy donor is an old male that possesses much energy while the receiver is most commonly a male youth. The Matses think that the energy receiver will become more energetic and possess enhanced work and hunting skills. The utilization of this frog venom (referred to as sapo, kambo, or kampo) is shared by numerous other Amazonian tribes, including the Matis, Kanamari, Kaxinawa, Katukina, Kulina, Yaminawa, Marubo, and Ticuna tribes.

H.

[rahli]

Daly JW, Caceres J, Moni RW, Gusovsky F, Moos M Jr, Seamon KB, Milton K, Myers CW.

“Frog secretions and hunting magic in the upper Amazon: identification of a peptide that interacts with an adenosine receptor”.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1992;89(22):10960-3.

IDs

Erowid RefID: 6657

PubMedID: 1438301

Abstract

A frog used for "hunting magic" by several groups of Panoan-speaking Indians in the borderline between Brazil and Peru is identified as Phyllomedusa bicolor. This frog's skin secretion, which the Indians introduce into the body through fresh burns, is rich in peptides. These include vasoactive peptides, opioid peptides, and a peptide that we have named adenoregulin, with the sequence GLWSKIKEVGKEAAKAAAKAAGKAALGAVSEAV as determined from mass spectrometry and Edman degradation. The natural peptide may contain a D amino acid residue, since it is not identical in chromatographic properties to the synthetic peptide. Adenoregulin enhances binding of agonists to A1 adenosine receptors; it is accompanied in the skin secretion by peptides that inhibit binding. The vasoactive peptide sauvagine, the opioid peptides, and adenoregulin and related peptides affect behavior in mice and presumably contribute to the behavioral sequelae observed in humans.

link

Edited January 15, 2009 by rahli

[hebrew]

i dont think it is placebo, the next day effects are pronounced and strong you are alert, senses are sharpened and you have vitality that is different to so called normal life, you feel positive and fresh, it is really nice, i feel clean after sapo, for me sapo is part of my yearly rituals of cleansing.

when i first got the sapo a few years ago i was also sent a bottle of NuNu, for me nunu is one of the most delecious amazing snuffs that has ever passed my nose, its like being kicked in the head by a horse but is some beautiful stuff, brings amazing dreams, and carries some strong essence spiritually. i dream of having more of that snuff, i wish i had some now. i would happily trade all sorts of things for another bottle of NuNu, what you write about here about transfering energy throuhg blowing snuff was detailed to me in a strange dream i had from the NuNu. matses medicine is hard but good strong medicine.

[faustus]

it might be cos i've had a lot on my mind recently but every day since i tried the sapo i've been sleeping 5-6 hours and waking up reasonably alert.

it's very hard to work out if what i've been experiencing is cos of the sapo or not. by the same token, i'd love to see how a placebo-controlled study would pan out!

[MORG]

Excellent report dude. Thanks for that.

Am I right in concluding you were the lucky EGA raffle winner?

[FancyPants]

The Sapo was one of the main reasons I wanted to win the competition, so I'm very grateful you did the rest of us curious people a favour by making your report so detailed.

The decision to experience sapo shouldn't be taken lightly, but you've gotta try everything at least once!

Yes. Agreed completely. So despite the seemingly rough experience you described I'm still keen to try this stuff.

To feel like you've gone through death, to be reborn with a new respect for life and health. It's a powerful feeling. Much safer than trying to get struck by lightning to simulate death.

[Aya]

Fantastic report Twix, nothing better then waking up to some good reading.

[faustus]

The Sapo was one of the main reasons I wanted to win the competition

LOL ditto

found this description by piers gibbon:

Well, bicolor eh! there's a strange one. My research disagrees with peter

gormans stuff about visions - both for me (one time only) and the matses

guys I spoke with the bicolor experience is not directly visionary

(afterwards in dreams yes perhaps)...it was for me an ordeal medicine, the

power comes from having survived it. I felt like I was going to die and then

almost wanted to, all defence shields were down (which has helped me

recognise when defence shields are up). Nasty nasty stuff, but I am glad I

did it and wd probably do it again!

http://www.erowid.org/archive/sonoran_dese...oad/bicolor.htm

[hebrew]

i have experimented with small doses before as well and its not that bad in small doses, you can actually enjoy that hot burning sensation, still have a grip on things but still be unable to move sweat like a mofo and feel energised afterwards, although that being said small doses make it easier to handle a big strong dose is well worth the cleanse, i see sapo as being a a quick hard detox.

that time i snorted it, the first time i ever had sapo, i was so hot i got into the shower and let cold water run over me, it was really surreal, i was detached from my body but at the same time well and truly within it feeling the sensations of burning up, but i was also had a sensation of being above my body looking at it experiencing the effects, it was really hard that experience very uncomfortable, but at one stage i felt like i was the frog, as i sat above my body i felt i channeled the frog into me so we coexisted in some way, i started groaning but it was a deep guttural groan from deep down my throat, kinda liek throat singing but whenever i made this groan sound i felt a little more at ease, still uncomfortable but it definately made the physical effects easier to handle. never felt that again. i found that very interesting.

[_e_]

ordeal, egodeath/nde, purge, refreshed/cleansed....

seems like the usual high dose entheogen experience but condensed time wise and without the visionary aspect.

great write up twix.... lolz at screwdriver.... "a sapo screwdriver a day... its the ozzy way" heheheh

[JDanger]

Nice report, and LOL at taking Erowid's SAPO virginity.

Sounds like it could be marketed as the next big detox, though I'd probably prefer a cigarette to a screwdriver.

You'd think a high-dose experience would make a hunting expedition seem like a walk in the park. It kinda reminds me of the amanita Berserker medicine (myth?).

A three-fingered salute to you, comrade.

[Chiral]

Hey Twix can I ask do you think it has the potential to help someone with addictions..I mean could one perhaps use it and give up smoking say..maybe even opiates.....does it have that potential or not.

H.

[planthelper]

thanks for that, very well written, reading it, felt like, i almost was there!

[faustus]

do you think it has the potential to help someone with addictions..I mean could one perhaps use it and give up smoking say..maybe even opiates.....does it have that potential or not.

insofar as addiction reflects the desire to look after your body, then i would say yes. i'm fortunate enough to never get sick (fucked in the head, yes, but never physically sick!) and on sapo i did realise how lucky i am. i remember thinking how much it would suck to be chronically ill, and how something like good health can be taken for granted. but for addictions in and of themselves, not really.

i really wonder about sapo. if it weren't for the novelty of burning your skin and applying it topically, would people be so willing to take it? what if the same adverse reactions could be derived from drinking detergent? would isolating and consuming the beneficial peptides in the absence of sickness detract from the experience?

i'd like to see someone else volunteer to try it. i'd be happy to send a dose. but if something bad happened i'd feel very guilty, so i'd prefer someone in good physical health.

[Amulte]

ill happily try it and write up a bio essay. currently in great health here. PM sent.

Edited January 18, 2009 by Amulte