Tabernanthe iboga

Iboga is native to tropical forests, preferring moist soil in partial shade.[3] It bears dark green, narrow leaves and clusters of white tubular flowers on an erect and branching stem, with yellow-orange fruits resembling an olive.[3]

Normally growing to a height of 2 m, T. iboga may eventually grow into a small tree up to 10 m tall, given the right conditions. The flowers are yellowish-white or pink and followed by a fruit, orange at maturity, that may be either globose or fusiform. Its yellow-fleshed roots contain a number of indole alkaloids, most notably ibogaine, which is found in the highest concentration in the root-bark. The root material, bitter in taste, causes a degree of anaesthesia in the mouth as well as systemic numbness of the skin.[6]

The first (probable...and confused) reference to Iboga is that of Bowdich in chapter 13 of his "Mission from Cape Coast Castle to Ashantee..." of 1819

The Eroga, a favourite but violent medicine,is no doubt a fungus, for they describe it as growing on a tree called the Ocamboo, when decaying ; they burn it first, and take as much as would lay on a shilling.

If this is indeed a reference to the drug derived from Tabernanthe iboga (Eroga appears to be a variant form of the names iboga and eboka) it is, of course, grossly in error in its assumption that iboga is not a plant but a fungus. Notable however is the observation of the potency of the drug - effective in small quantities. The description of the plant as growing on a tree is puzzling: Tabernanthe iboga does not usually grow as an epiphyte - if at all.[8][9]

The ritual use of iboga in Africa was first reported by French and Belgian explorers in the 19th century, beginning with the work of French naval surgeon and explorer of Gabon Griffon du Bellay,[10] who identified it correctly as a shrub belonging to the Apocynaceae - as recorded in a short essay by Charles Eugène Aubry-Lecomte on the plant poisons of West Africa, published in the year 1864.

Parmi les plantes rares ou nouvelles rapportées par le docteur Griffon du Bellay, la famille des apocynées contient encore deux poisons; l'un, nommé iboga, n'est toxique qu'à hautes doses et a l'état frais. Pris en petit quantité, il est aphrodisiaque et stimulante du systeme nerveux; les guerriers et chasseurs en font grand usage pour se tenir éveillés dans les affûts de nuit; de même que pour le M'boundou, le principe actif réside dans la racine qu'on mâche comme la coca.

[ Translation: Among the rare or new plants brought back by Dr. Griffon du Bellay, the plant family Apocynaceae contains two further poisons; the first of these, called Iboga, is only toxic in high doses and in the fresh state. Taken in small quantities, it is an aphrodisiac and stimulant of the (central) nervous system; warriors and hunters make considerable use of it in order to stay awake during their night vigils; as with the (plant) M'boundou, the active principle (of Iboga) resides in the root which is chewed like coca (leaf) ].[11]

Indole alkaloids, which make up about 6% of the root chemical composition of iboga,[3] include:

• Ibogaine[5]
• Ibogamine[4]
• Noribogaine[4]
• Voacangine[3]
• 18-Methoxycoronaridine[3][4]

Bark of Tabernanthe iboga. According to users in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, only 3 grams of shredded bark are required for a single dosage, or cup.

The Iboga tree is central to the Bwiti spiritual practices in West-Central Africa, mainly Gabon, Cameroon and the Republic of the Congo, where the alkaloid-containing roots or bark are used in various ceremonies to create a near-death experience.[3] Iboga is taken in massive doses by initiates of this spiritual practice, and on a more regular basis is eaten in smaller doses in connection with rituals and tribal dances performed at night. Bwitists have been subject to persecution by Catholic missionaries.[3] Léon M'ba, before becoming the first President of Gabon in 1960, defended the Bwiti religion and the use of iboga in French colonial courts. In 2000, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Gabon declared Tabernanthe iboga to be a national treasure.[12]

In lower doses, iboga has a stimulant effect and is used to maintain alertness while hunting.[13][14]

Anecdotal reports of self-treated opioid addicts indicated a reduced desire to sustain opiate abuse following iboga ingestion.[3] Since 1970, iboga has been legally prohibited in the United States following several fatalities.[3][4] Preliminary research for the potential use of ibogaine in the treatment of opioid dependence is ongoing in the 21st century, with several clinics using ibogaine in Western countries, Panama, and Caribbean islands.[3] Iboga extracts, as well as the purified alkaloid ibogaine, have attracted attention because of their purported ability to reverse addiction to drugs such as alcohol and opiates.[3] Ibogaine is a k-opioid agonist which may be the mechanism for how it affects opiate withdrawal symptoms.[4]

Ibogaine is classified as a schedule 1 controlled substance in the United States, and is not approved there for addiction treatment (or any other therapeutic use) because of its hallucinogenic and cardiovascular side effects, as well as the absence of safety and efficacy data in human subjects.[3][5] In most other countries, it remains unregulated and unlicensed.[15]

Independent ibogaine treatment clinics have emerged in Mexico, Canada, the Netherlands, South Africa, and New Zealand, all operating in what has been described as a "legal gray area".[15][16] Covert, illegal neighborhood clinics are also known to exist in the United States, despite active DEA surveillance.[14] Addiction specialists warn that the treatment of drug dependence with ibogaine in non-medical settings, without expert supervision and unaccompanied by appropriate psychosocial care, can be dangerous — and, in approximately one case in 300, potentially fatal.[3][16]

Iboga is outlawed or restricted in Belgium, Poland, Denmark, Croatia, France,[17] Sweden, and Switzerland. In the United States, ibogaine is classified by the Controlled Substances Act on the list of schedule I drugs,[3] although the plant itself remains unscheduled.

Non-profit organization Föreningen för hollistisk missbruksvård is trying to convince the Swedish government to start up clinical investigations of its anti-addictive properties, loosen up the prohibition law against ibogaine, and allow the creation of treatment facilities in Sweden.[18]

Exportation of iboga from Gabon is illegal since the passage of a 1994 cultural protection law.[19]

Shredded bark of Tabernanthe iboga for consumption. Contains ibogaine.

While little data is available on the exploitation and existing habitat of the iboga plant, the destructive effects of harvesting and slow growth could have already severely damaged the wild iboga population.[20]

Iboga, les hommes du bois sacré (2002)

In this French-language film, Gilbert Kelner documents modern Bwiti practices and Babongo perspectives on iboga.[21] Odisea broadcast a Spanish-dubbed version titled Los hombres de la madera ("The Men of the Wood").[22]

Ibogaine: Rite of Passage (2004)

Directed by Ben Deloenen.[23] A 34-year-old heroin addict undergoes ibogaine treatment with Dr Martin Polanco at the Ibogaine Association, a clinic in Rosarito Mexico. Deloenen interviews people formerly addicted to heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine, who share their perspectives about ibogaine treatment. In Gabon, a Babongo woman receives iboga root for her depressive malaise. Deloenen visually contrasts this Western, clinical use of ibogaine with the Bwiti use of iboga root bark, but emphasizes the Western context.[24]

"Babongo" (2005)

In this episode (series 1, episode 4) of the English documentary series Tribe, presenter Bruce Parry ingests iboga during his time with the Babongo. BBC 2 aired the episode on 25 January 2005.[25]

• 
  Plant in fruit: fusiform-fruited form.

• Entheogen
• Psychoactive plant

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tabernanthe iboga.

• Holy War- A Tale of Bwiti Initiation, Part 1 by Jim Dziura (Psychedelic Times, 2018)
• Holy War- A Tale of Bwiti Initiation, Part 2 by Jim Dziura (Psychedelic Times, 2018)
• Plants of The Gods by Richard Evans Schultes and Albert Hofmann (Healing Arts Press, 1992)
• Adam, Eve and Iboga, Giorgio Samorini. (Originally published in Integration 4: 4-10)
• The Bwiti Religion and the psychoactive plant Tabernanthe iboga (Equatorial Africa), Giorgio Samorini. (Originally published in Integration 5: 105-114)
• Pharmacodynamics and Therapeutic Applications of Iboga and Ibogaine, Robert Goutarel, Otto Gollnholfer and Roger Sillans (Originally published in Psychedelic Monographs and Essays, 6:70-111 (1993).
• The Religion of Iboga or Bwiti of the Fang, P. Barabe. (originally published as "La religion d'Eboga ou le Bwiti des Fanges", Med. trop. 12(3):251-257, (May/June) 1982)

• Tabernanthe iboga in West African plants – A Photo Guide.
• African Spirit Medicine Patrick Haize writes in Vision Magazine about his experience getting treated at Crossroads Ibogaine Treatment Center in Rosarito, Mexico.
• Trips Beyond Addiction | Living Hero Radio Show and Podcast special. With Dimitri Mobengo Mugianis, Bovenga Na Muduma, Clare S. Wilkins, Brad Burge, Tom Kingsley Brown, Susan Thesenga, Bruce K. Alexander, PhD ~ the voices of ex-addicts, researchers from The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies and Ibogaine/Iboga/Ayahuasca treatment providers sharing their experiences in breaking addiction with native medicines. Jan 2013. (Soundcloud archive of the full 1:27:09 episode)