An actress in Mexico tragically lost her life after she ingested Amazonian frog venom as a part of a cleansing ritual while at a spiritual retreat. She experienced severe diarrhoea after taking part in the ceremony and was rushed to a hospital, but the doctors failed to save her life.
The 33-year-old actress Marcela Alcázar Rodríguez took part in the traditional South American Kambo ritual, which involves drinking water, getting burns on the body, and ingesting frog venom to cleanse the body of toxins, reported the Mirror. However, this ritual is known to have deadly consequences.
How is the Kambo ritual performed?
The participants in the ritual are made to drink more than a litre of water. Small burns are then created on their skin, following which frog mucus is applied on the wounds.
The mucus, which contains venom, increases blood pressure and induces vomiting, reported the outlet. It also causes diarrhoea in some cases. Other symptoms involve fainting, dizziness, swollen lips and face. Usually, the symptoms last for nearly half an hour. However, extended exposure of the venom to the blood stream can cause seizures and also death.
What happened to Marcela Alcázar Rodríguez?
Soon after beginning the ritual, Rodríguez reportedly started throwing up and eventually suffered from severe diarrhoea - these symptoms are often considered the body’s "healing" reactions during the cleansing process. Initially, she refused help but gave in when her friend visited her.
According to the Metro, a shaman at the retreat in Mayocoyani, Durango, told her she couldn’t leave. However, after her condition worsened, the person fled. Reportedly, police are now searching for the shaman.
Tribute to the actress
In a social media post, Durango Film Guild paid tribute to the actress after her untimely demise. They remembered her as "a young woman who worked in various short films, series and movies filmed in Durango.”
The guild added, "She leaves a void in the hearts of the people who knew her working in what she loved: cinema.”