Health organisations have issued a warning after a man died following a detox treatment derived from the poisonous skin of frogs. The drug, known as Kambo, is being offered by self-appointed unregulated ‘shamans’.
Wellbeing coach Kristian Trend, 41, became a victim of the treatment when he collapsed during a ‘ceremony’ at his flat in Leicester on April 11. His mother, Angie Flood, has called on authorities to clamp down on the deadly practice. She told the Telegraph she didn’t want anyone else to suffer the ‘devastating pain’ she had been through.
Mrs Flood said her son was looking to cleanse himself, was very spiritual and took lots of vitamins after surviving Burkitt lymphoma cancer at the age of 23. She said: ‘That’s the worst part. He was in hospital for four months and got through that and for this to happen is just awful.’
Kambo is sourced from the skin of an Amazonian tree frog. Proponents claim it can be used to treat certain illnesses, however this has not been clinically proven. Side effects range from hypotension and vomiting to kidney failure and psychosis. It has been banned in several countries including Australia, Brazil and Chile, and now MPs have joined Mrs Flood in calling for it to be outlawed in the UK.
Baroness Coffey, Tory peer and former health secretary, said: ‘While not marketed as a medicine, the Department of Health and Social Care should act quickly to ban this product, which is known to be harmful.’ The British Complementary Medicine Association urged people to check therapists’ qualifications before entrusting them with a treatment.
A 41-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of administering poison following Mr Trend’s death and was released on bail. A police investigation into the suspected poisoning remains ongoing.
