DOSE:

transdermal

Phyllomedusa bicolor

(tar / resin)

BODY WEIGHT:

160 lb

Every once in a while, I get the urge to seek out and try something off the beaten path. Additionally, I consider myself something of an urban shaman, so my interests often lead to Central and South America. I was searching for information about the frogs used for poisoned blowgun darts when I stumbled upon mention of the species, Phyllomedusa bicolor.

Intrigued, I proceeded to watch a couple videos and read some articles, which presented wildly varying reports of effects. The general consensus stated that usage was immediately followed by severe vomiting/diarrhea and cardiovascular distress; then opinions diverged.

Never one to be put off by a little purge, I decided to take the plunge and order a ‘kambo stick’ from an online purveyor of entheogens. A week later, I received the package in the mail. It was a thing about the size of a popsicle stick, a bit wider and longer, covered in a thick, clear, solid resin. Also included were some cylindrical bamboo sticks and incense.

At first I was a little scared. The route of administration is a bit strange, but after hearing the anecdotal horror stories of ‘frog’s disease’, caused by alternate methods such as ingestion, smoking and insufflation, I decided to bite the bullet.

I lit the end of a bamboo stick on fire, blew it out, and burned my upper arm five times. It didn’t really hurt so much. I rubbed the burned layer of skin off and was left with five white circles of vulnerable flesh. Then, I spat on my knife and worked it into a small section of the resin on the stick, sort of scraping it back and forth and stirring with the tip of the blade. Once it was the texture of… boogers?... I caught some on the knife and applied it to one of the sites. Even as I was just preparing the second dot, I could feel a pulsation beginning in my heart and lips. I hurriedly went through the process three more times until each burn had a bit of slime upon it.

By this time, about five minutes in, I was feeling horrid. I felt the fear, heard the little voice that tells me I did too much, and felt my bile rising.

My heart was in full-on tachycardia mode. I counted 190 BPM, and prayed it wouldn’t get any worse.

->((*If you have a heart condition, stay away from this*))<-

I threw up until nothing was left, then dry heaved, then puked out this weird, yellow foam. Sorry if that’s TMI, but that’s how it is. I had to force myself to stop retching. I wiped the sweat from my brow and looked in the mirror. I had a double fat lip from what I assumed were burst blood vessels, but as I stared they receded to normal size.

My perception had been altered, but in a barely perceptible manner. I didn’t notice any of the effects such as sleeplessness or lack of hunger that I had read about, though I did feel as though my senses were much sharper. It’s not at all hallucinogenic, at least for me. It’s very difficult to explain what it’s like. In a way, I would relate it to the time I snorted a Zoloft. The primary benefit gained seems to be that all other pain and suffering pales in comparison, leaving the survivor stronger for the experience.

I am left with very mixed feelings about this substance. On the one hand, it did feel as though I cleaned out my system with the purge, and I did notice some mild perceptual alteration, but these things could easily be written off as placebo for me. If I’m intentionally choosing a path through hell, there had damn well better be some definite reward at the end of it. My friends who have tried it with me during repeat experiments have shared my viewpoint. Especially concerning to me are the cardiovascular side effects.

I’ll admit: I still do one or two dots sometimes. It doesn’t really do much, but I’m kind of a masochist and I get bored, plus I want to finish my design.

Exp Year: 2013	ExpID: 103731
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: 23
Published: Jan 26, 2016	Views: 7,613
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Phyllomedusa bicolor (482) : First Times (2), General (1), Alone (16)