Harvesting the Medicine

The frogs are always treated with utmost care and respect, as the Matses believe that to harm the frog will anger the animal spirits that they reside along within the jungle. They have a deep respect and love for them, knowing that they are our teachers and our healers.

 The medicine is generally harvested at dawn, locating the frogs by singing and imitating their songs. The frogs are located in 70-100 ft. trees near the rainforest waterways, where they gather to sing and announce the rain. 

The frogs are very passive and do not react when picked up because they have no known predators. We carefully tie them by each leg with straw strips into an “X” shape. Sometimes it's needed to massage the toes to encourage the secretion which is then carefully scraped off and left to dry on small sticks. We “milk” the frogs at appropriately-spaced intervals, so they never need to be poked or “smoked” in order to stimulate secretion. We then release them and they return to their habitat unharmed. The straws leave a tiny white line on each leg which stops anyone from harvesting the frog again until it has faded which takes at least 2-3 months.

 If the frog is being properly harvested, it is only the first secretions that are taken. One, because this is the strongest and two because this method leaves the frog with sufficient secretion to defend itself from predators.