Two South Australian 'Kambo' practitioners have been issued prohibition orders, banning them from providing the frog poison treatment for an indefinite period of time.
'Two Wolves - One Body' - run by Carlie Angel and Brad Williams - is no longer able to provide, or assist in the provision of health services related to Kambo or a second substance, Sananga.
Kambo is derived from the poison of an Amazonian tree frog. Toxins are applied to superficial burns on the skin, resulting in vomiting and sometimes diarrhea. Users believe the purge can shift depression, boost immunity and even aid recovery from serious illnesses.
The Feed first met Angel and Williams earlier this year, as part of a documentary on the Kambo treatment. At the time, they were under an interim HCSCC ban.
The pair said they believed the practice of Kambo was misunderstood.
"There is so much more about ritual, about community, about the ceremony of it. That sense of not feeling alone," says Brad Williams.
Since launching their business just over 2 years ago, Two Wolves - One Body had treated 570 clients.
"I think there can be a misconception about the type of people that come to Kambo," Carlie Angel told The Feed.
"From my experience there's a broad range of people that will come, so that can be the businessman who has been struggling with grief [or] there's a mother and daughter coming together."
Although the course is not officially recognised in Australia, Ms Angel and Mr Williams were trained through the International Association of Kambo Practitioners. At the time of filming, both warned that banning the alternative treatment would shift the practice underground, making it more dangerous.
The order follows an investigation by the Office of the HCSCC into the pair, which concluded that there was not enough significant evidence to prove that Kambo or Sananga had medical benefits.
"Significantly, the expert opinion is that the application of Kambô and Sananga treatments have a range of adverse physiological effects," the HCSCC said in a statement.
"In the case of Sananga, reports of pain, ranging from mild to severe, have been documented."
In addition to prohibiting the provision of the treatments, the South Australian Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner (HCSCC) has also banned the pair from offering, advertising or promoting health services related to the two alternative treatments.
From the expert evidence, I have formed they are unsafe, and that the effectiveness of such treatments cannot be guaranteed.
"I have decided to issue the indefinite prohibition orders to protect South Australians from potential harm from these practices," the Commissioner's statement read.
It's unclear if other South Australian Kambo practitioners will face the same ban. The Office of the HCSCC says Two Wolves - One Body is the only provider of the service in the state that they've actually been able to identify.
The Feed reached out to Ms Angel and Mr Williams to comment on the latest developments, but had not heard back at the time of publishing.
