An actress, identified as Marcela Alcázar Rodríguez, died after she consumed frog venom at a spiritual retreat in Mexico. As per reports, the 33-year-old ingested the venom as part of a "cleansing ritual" at the retreat.
Rodriguez participated in the 'Kambo ritual', a dangerous tradition practiced mainly in parts of South America, in which one is made to drink water, ingest frog venom, get burns on the body and more, all in a bid to get rid of toxins in the body.
In the ritual, the participants are made to drink more than one litre of water, post which small burns are created on the skin externally. The burn wounds are then covered with frog mucus, which contains venom, which results in increased blood pressure of the participant and vomiting to purge out the toxins from the body.
After participating in the ritual, Rodriguez reportedly experienced severe diarrhoea and vomiting, that are deemed to be part of the 'healing process'. However, when her condition worsened, she was rushed to a nearby hospital, but she succumbed during treatment.
An investigation has been launched in the case, and the shaman who performed the ritual at the retreat, fled the scene as soon as Rodriguez's condition worsened. Reports mentioned that no one helped the late actress initially when she kept vomiting, stating that it was part of the process. The shaman too instructed Rodriguez to not leave the retreat, reports said.
It is to be noted that the Kambo ritual is banned in several countries due to its fatal side effects.
