A wellness coach collapsed and died after taking part in a “detox” ritual involving an alternative medicine made from the poisonous skin of an Amazonian frog.
Kristian Trend, 40, died of suspected poisoning on April 11 after taking part in a “Kambo” cleansing ceremony at a flat in Leicester. His mother is now calling for the drug to be banned in Britain.
Trend, who worked as a wellbeing coach and owned a plant-based energy drink company, had become “immersed in holistic wellness and meditation” while travelling through Asia.
He had recovered from cancer in his twenties and shared health tips on an Instagram account called “Kristian The Feel Good Guy”.
Kambo is the name given to a poisonous waxy substance secreted from a species of giant leaf frog in South America, which is used in ceremonies conducted by tribes in the Amazon.
The ceremony involves drinking a litre of water, then creating small burns on the skin and applying the frog toxin to the open wounds. This causes a rise in blood pressure, heart rate, and vomiting and diarrhoea, which proponents say acts as a “detox” and boosts mental clarity and physical strength. There is no evidence to support the claims.
Secretions from the giant leaf frog contain peptides that affect the body’s biochemistryMartin Jung/imageBROKER.com/Alamy
In the past decade, Kambo has been co-opted as a wellness trend in western countries and has been linked to deaths, seizures, liver failure and heart attacks.
This has led to bans on the drug containing the frog toxin in Australia, Brazil and Chile. Trend is thought to be the first British death.
Trend’s mother, Angie, told The Telegraph that she wanted Kambo to be banned in Britain. She said: “He was going to cleanse himself, that’s what he said to me. He was very spiritual. He took a lot of vitamins. But I don’t know what happened.
“We haven’t had the test results back yet. I don’t know anything and I don’t even think I want to know what happened. It won’t bring him back.”
She added: “He recovered from Burkitt lymphoma cancer, which he nearly died from. That’s the worst part. He was in hospital for four months and got through that, and for this to happen is just awful. It was his birthday the week after and I’d bought all these presents.
“I hope they ban it, but I’m not strong enough to fight for it.”
Trend working at his energy drink business
Trend had started Feel Good Polys, a plant-based energy drink which he said was an alternative to coffee. On the drink’s website, he wrote: “At 23, I was given up to six months to live without intensive treatment. A rare cancer diagnosis forced me to choose: live in fear, or surrender to a higher purpose.
“After much travelling through India and Asia, immersed in holistic wellness and meditation, the path became clear. Amongst the temples of Ubud, Bali, the vision for Feel Good Polys was born.”
Australia banned the sale, supply, and use of kambo in 2021. It came after the death in 2019 of Natasha Lechner, 39, after she held a kambo ceremony at her house.
Leicestershire police said: “An investigation into the circumstances of the incident is continuing.”
A government spokesman said: “Our thoughts are with Mr Trend’s family and loved ones. Any substance that poses a risk to public health or safety will be kept under review.
“We urge individuals to exercise caution when considering alternative therapies and to be aware of the potential risks involved.”