‘Shaman’ charged after frog toxin, ayahuasca death at wellness retreat

Jarrad Antonovich spent the final hours of his life groaning in agony before collapsing at a “wellness” retreat after ingesting exotic frog toxin and ayahuasca, while the man leading the retreat allegedly delayed treatment.

“Shamanic movement” leader Soulore Solaris, 52, will face court later in March after being charged with manslaughter over the October 2021 death at a property near Kyogle in northern NSW.

An inquest into Antonovich’s death was suspended in May 2024 after Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan decided the case could be referred for prosecution.

Homicide detectives reportedly raided a property connected to the investigation in November that year.

Antonovich ingested “kambo” frog toxin and ayahuasca during the week-long Dreaming Arts Festival at Collins Creek on October 16, 2021.

He later died from a perforated oesophagus, likely caused by the excessive vomiting, or attempts to vomit, which can follow kambo and ayahuasca ceremonies, the inquest previously heard.

His death, as well as that of Natasha Lechner in March 2019, highlighted the risks of serious illness and death from kambo and the importance of accessing urgent medical attention, O’Sullivan said.

Solaris, also known as Peter George McIntyre, was the subject of a permanent prohibition order from the NSW Healthcare Complaints Commission in September, after police sought assistance regarding Antonovich’s death.

“The commission’s investigation found that Soulore Solaris did not provide health services in a safe or ethical manner,” the commission said.

It said Solaris, who claims “over 20 years’ experience in shamanism and the healing arts”, led ceremonies and administered ayahuasca at the retreat, and allegedly allowed Antonovich to take the powerful psychedelic again, “despite being obviously unwell” after an earlier kambo ceremony, in which Solaris was not involved.

Kambo is harvested by scraping the skin of an Amazonian giant tree frog, Phyllomedusa bicolor, and is used as traditional medicine in cleansing rituals in South America. In a kambo ceremony, a person’s skin on their arm or leg is burnt before the substance is dabbed on the open wounds.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration banned the use of kambo in Australia on October 1, 2021 – about two weeks before Antonovich’s death – on the grounds it posed a danger to human health.

The active ingredient in the plant brew ayahuasca, dimethyltryptamine, is also banned in Australia.

One witness who attended the inquest into Antonovich’s death remembered the Lismore resident as a “very friendly, beautiful man”.

Solaris in January published a 692-page book, Way of the Hummingbird: Shamanic Tales, Ayahuasca Journeys and the Dreaming of the Whole Earth, under the name Lore Solaris, offering to help readers “discover an unparalleled journey into the sacred realms of ayahuasca”.

“Written in an accessible academic style, the anthology blends lived experience with rigorous research, welcoming a diverse audience,” the description on online bookseller Amazon reads.

Solaris was arrested and charged with manslaughter on Tuesday and granted conditional bail to face Lismore Local Court on March 30.

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