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A Mexican actress has died after participating in a native “cleansing” ceremony that included taking the venom of a poisonous tree frog.

Marcela Alcázar Rodríguez, 33, quickly became stricken after being administered the venom of an Amazonian tree frog named the Phyllomedusa bicolor during a native “Kambo” ritual meant to cleanse her of trauma and illnesses.

It is not clear if Rodríguez took the venom on Friday, November 30 or Saturday, December 1. But by Saturday afternoon she had already fallen very ill from the ceremony.

According to Mexican authorities, Rodríguez soon began vomiting and having severe diarrhea after taking the venom. The ritual reportedly includes blistering the skin with a hot stick, then applying the venom over the burn wound to allow it to enter the bloodstream.

The venom is reportedly 40 times stronger than morphine, according to the Daily Star.

It was not clear how long she had the severe symptoms before being taken to a hospital, but she died of her condition shortly after coming under a physician’s care, the Daily Mail reported.

Police in Mayocoyani, Durango, say they have launched an investigation into the retreat where the Kambo ceremony took place. The Attorney General’s Office of the State of Durango announced its own investigation, as well.

Witnesses say that the shaman of the retreat warned the actress that she could not leave but he fled after telling her to stay.

Some local reports noted that Rodríguez was attending the ceremony as part of a “Training of Healers” course she was reportedly taking.

The Kambo ritual is banned in many countries because of the dangers is presents to participants, but it is a popular purging ceremony in the Amazonian jungle and among the Matis Indians tribe in Brazil.

Rodríguez has been acting since 2010 and has appeared in ten movies and short films, including the acclaimed 2010 indie film, New Low.

Mapache Films, who worked with Marcela in previous projects, sent condolences to her family in a public statement, and wrote, “With deep regret, today we say goodbye to our partner and friend Marcela Alcazar, also wishing for healing for her closest family and friends.”

The Durango Film Guild said in a post on X that, “she leaves a void in the hearts of the people who knew her working in what she loved: cinema.”

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