Mexican actress Marcela Alcázar Rodríguez passed away after ingesting Amazonian frog venom during a cleansing ritual at a spiritual retreat. Reports suggest that the 33-year-old actress suffered from severe diarrhoea, which was a side effect of exposing her body to the poison of the Amazonia frog. The actress was rushed to the hospital as her condition worsened; however, it was too late and the doctors couldn’t save her life.
According to the Mirror report, the traditional South American Kambo cleansing ritual in which the actress lost her life involves drinking a lot of water, getting burns on the body and then exposing the burn wounds to frog venom. This ritual is said to remove toxins from the body but has deadly consequences.
What happens in the Kambo ritual?
Those who take part in this spiritual cleansing ritual are asked to drink more than a litre of water. Then, small burns are created on their skin, followed by the application of frog mucus on the wounds.
Reportedly, the said mucus has venom, which increases blood pressure, leading to vomiting, and in some cases diarrhoea. Other after-effects include fainting, dizziness, swollen lips and face, lasting for nearly half an hour. However, even a little extra exposure of the venom to the bloodstream can cause seizures and death.
What happened to Marcela Alcázar Rodríguez?
As soon as the cleansing ritual began, the actress reportedly started showing signs of side effects. Reportedly, it began with vomiting and then she suffered from severe diarrhoea. Since these symptoms are often considered as ‘healing,’ initially, Marcela refused help. However, she gave in when her friend visited her.
According to the Metro, a shaman at the retreat in Mayocoyani, Durango, first told the actress that she couldn’t leave the venue. However, as her condition worsened, the shaman fled. Reportedly, the shaman is on a run and the police are searching for him.
Following the news of her demise, Durango Film Guild paid tribute to the actress with a post that reads -“A young woman who worked in various short films, series and movies filmed in Durango. She leaves a void in the hearts of the people who knew her working in what she loved: cinema.”