Mortification of the Flesh Using Sananga: A Masochistic Perspective

It was my first introduction to sananga. The practitioner of the Kambo frog medicine ceremony carefully dripped the drops of sananga into my eyes in preparation for the Kambo ritual. I was informed that receiving the stinging sananga would center my energy releasing any energy blocks stored in the body, leaving me calm, grounded and open to receive the Kambo.

Sananga has been used by tribes in the Amazon for thousands of years. Sananga is a liquid derived from the shredded roots of the Amazon jungle shrub, Tabernaemontana sananho. Tribesmen typically used sananga drops to improve their night vision before a big hunt. More importantly, sananga was also believed to clear what the tribesmen call panema, or negative energy, which has accumulated in the body. It is panema that causes illness, depression, irritability, even bad luck and other negative states. Sananga is so strong that it is said to possess medical benefits improving near or far-sightedness and glaucoma by removing the outer layers of affected eye tissues.

Having been a spiritual “seeker” most of my life, I heeded the call to experiment with plant medicines. A few years back I began with the Amazonian tea Ayahuasca, then tried the venom of the desert toad Bufo alvarius, followed by the Kambo ceremony. These practices led me to discover the healing benefits of huachuma, the desert cactus, and now sananga, I was both perplexed and curious at the same time.