Ibogaine: From Ancestral Expeditions to Addiction Cure

What is Ibogaine? Where does it come from? Who discovered its properties?

Tabernanthe Iboga is a tropical shrub, adorned with tangerine-colored fruit common within the tropical lowlands of the Congo basin. Its terrain spreads from the coast of Gabon into the Democratic Republic of Congo up into Cameroon. Embedded within the root bark of this botanical beauty, is the great indole alkaloid, ibogaine.

Ibogaine has been a sacrament in Western Africa for over 2,000 years. Within the past few centuries, the Bwiti religious cult of Gabon has upheld the ceremonial use of Iboga. Before this, the Pygmies of that region stumbled upon the intoxicating properties of this plant in a fun and unusual way. Legends claim this sacrament’s properties were unearthed after observing boars devouring the roots only to erupt in a frenzy.

The ceremonial use of Iboga is central to the Bwiti religion. Members will regularly ingest small quantities for weekly ceremonies and hunting. To become a true member, one needs to have “seen Bwiti” which can only happen after eating copious amounts of the root bark. This initiation ritual typically takes place just before the start of their teenage years.

During the over 24-hour initiation ritual, up to three baskets of the root bark are consumed, beginning at 6 am and continuing into the evening, where all tribe members perform ritualistic dances. Another basket of Iboga is consumed into the twilight, allowing younger initiates to have visions until dawn. The visions that present are entrenched within the central ideologies of the religion. This sacrament allows them to see their god, explore the realm of the dead, receive information from spirits, and create the solvent of social cohesion for the community they exist within.

What is it like to be under the influence of Ibogaine?

The experience invoked by ibogaine is unlike any other drug, psychedelic or otherwise. It does not typically provoke open-eye visuals besides rainbow-like auras surrounding objects near its peak. Instead, it induces a dream-like state coined “oneiric”, with neurophysiological parallels to REM sleep. With eyes closed the user envisions panoramas and worlds where they exist as viewers. Many claim to see their lives projected before them, some exploring the depths of the deceased, and the world of their ancestors. 

The doses required to induce a psychedelic state trigger activity which can last over a day, and can feel like even longer for people under the drug’s trance. Researchers have compartmentalized this experience into three phases to track the user experience and better understand where consciousness resides at each point of this extended altered state. The ‘acute’ phase lasts about 4–8 hours, the ‘evaluative’ phase occurs between the 8 and 20-hour point, and finally, the residual occurs between the final 24 to 72 hours of the experience.

The Bwiti propose a fourth stage to this experience, ‘normative visions’, crucial in their initiation ritual. It involves seeing ancestors and hearing messages to perpetuate the lessons gleaned from the trip providing further depth. Western patients report a similar phenomenon, claiming to hear voices that help them refrain from relapse.

Reflecting on one’s life, especially for an individual who may have made burdensome decisions while in the throes of addiction, can be traumatic. Ibogaine often won’t provide you the pleasant sensations of relaxation you are used to with other drugs. It provokes difficult feelings and shows you things about yourself you don’t want to face.

To provide reprieve some researchers and treatment centers have explored using 5-MeO-DMT immediately following the ibogaine experience. Our article, Ibogaine And DMT Show Results In Treating A Notoriously Difficult Population outlines what this combination looks like when applied clinically.

So why is Ibogaine so unique?

Well, it does not fully bind to the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor like classic psychedelics. Rather it activates and deactivates a milieu of receptors and transporters across the central nervous system.

A brief overview of this complex pharmacology includes agonism (activation) at the kappa opioid receptor, the same site Salvinorin A binds. Antagonism (deactivation) of the mu-opioid receptor holds an opposing effect compared to drugs like heroin. Research suggests opioid receptor activity is key to the absence of withdrawal symptoms after ibogaine use. It antagonizes NMDA receptors with activity similar to ketamine contributing to the neuroplastic activity of the drug and potentially its attenuation of drug craving. It also inhibits serotonin and dopamine transporters (SERT and DAT), increasing the concentration of both neurotransmitters and contributing to alteration in mood.

It also diminishes activity at the specific nicotinic acetylcholine receptor nAChα3β4 and has a high affinity for the sigma 2 receptor. Both are believed to play a major role in ibogaine’s anti-addictive power. The combination of these pharmacological and psychological properties potentiates the changes users find long after the drug’s effects have subsided.

Essentially, ibogaine is an all-in-one pharmacopeia, influencing the circulating concentration of nearly every major neurotransmitter in the central nervous system.

When was it first introduced into the West? When was its first anti-addictive use?

Ibogaine was first discovered by the West in 1885. By 1939 the root extract was sold in France under the name Lambarene,  a neuromuscular stimulant used to combat fatigue and depression. In 1970 sales halted as ibogaine was classified as a substance of abuse by the World Health Assembly. The same year it was deemed a Schedule 1 substance in the US with no therapeutic value.

Before this ban, a young New York City heroin addict, Howard Latsof, stumbled across ibogaine. The drug relieved him of his addiction and withdrawal like no other treatment he had tried before, leading him on a tirade to make its properties known. In 1985 in the face of the prohibition, Latsof filed a patent for the use of ibogaine in opioid withdrawal as well as cocaine, alcohol, nicotine, and polysubstance abuse.

Soon after American and Dutch scientists used animal studies to prove this drug’s addiction-diminishing properties. As early as 1993, Phase I studies using ibogaine were conducted, led by Dr. Deborah Mash, who to this day remains a prominent leader in the battle to bring ibogaine to the people of the West. Though these studies were soon halted, the spirit of the medicine and determination of its proponents remained unwavering.

Addiction is not the only ailment that ibogaine has the potential to remediate. Researchers at Stanford University led by Nolan Williams, are exploring Ibogaine for Traumatic Brain Injury in veterans, and have thus far seen promising results. Further details of this study can be found in our article, The Evolving Story of Ibogaine: OUD, Acute Detox & More.

Are there any risks associated with using Ibogaine?

With great power holds great responsibility is a sentiment well suited for health and harm held by ibogaine. Unlike psilocybin and LSD, ibogaine has been associated with at least 33 deaths typically within 72 hours after its use. Along with its multi-receptor action in the central nervous system, ibogaine and its active metabolite noribogaine, also have action at the heart’s HERG channel. This action alters the heart’s rhythm causing arrhythmias in some vulnerable individuals, potentially leading to cardiac arrest. For many who see ibogaine as their last hope for a clean life, the benefits outweigh the risks.

Where can someone receive Ibogaine treatment?

Despite the World Health Assembly prohibition, in many countries, ibogaine remains unscheduled or exists within a legal gray ground allowing unregulated use. These treatment centers have become increasingly popular in places like the Netherlands, Mexico, Costa Rica, and South Africa. With knowledge of its anti-addictive properties increasing exponentially, and the opioid epidemic continues to prevail in the US, new centers are popping up regularly.

To circumvent morbidity, ibogaine treatment centers run a medical history review, blood tests, and electrocardiographic before, during, and after administration. Beyond monitoring, treatment modalities, dosing, and setting between treatment centers vary dramatically. Typically psychotherapy is not given during the trip, though someone remains in the room to monitor the patient. Some centers place patients in a hospital room remiss of accouterments, some wear eye shades and listen to music, while others are provided musical instruments and guided yoga practice. Regardless of the center, clients are looking to pay between a $9,500 to $15,000 bill.

What companies are seeking approval for Ibogaine?

Gilgamesh, Delix, and Atai are the three psychedelic pharmaceutical companies currently researching ibogaine and its synthetic derivatives for clinical approval. Synthetic compounds with similar structures and actions are researchers’ way of maintaining the therapeutic efficacy of Ibogaine while avoiding its potentially morbid outcomes.

This past March, Gilgamesh was awarded a 14 million dollar grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to develop the ibogaine analog, GM-3009, for opioid use disorder. This analog intends to maintain the therapeutic properties of ibogaine while mitigating the cardio-toxic effects. As a joint venture between Atai and Demerx, ibogaine and noribogaine are undergoing clinical trials in the UK. Delix is working on a non-hallucinogenic ibogaine analog, DLX-007, which they purport to maintain its neuroplastic and drug-attenuating effects in pre-clinical models.

Closing Thoughts

It is crucial to consider the sourcing of Iboga and indigenous reciprocity in the current globalization of this historical sacrament. There are over 80 ibogaine providers globally who source their root bark out of West Africa. With the medical tourist boom, the local cost of ibogaine has risen over 800% promoting illegal poaching, which poses the risk of native population decline. The Nagoya Protocol is an agreement developed to ensure companies that benefit from genetic resources such as natural products, allocate some of their profits to the community to which the genetic resource originates. Gabon is the first country to enroll in the Nagoya Protocol on genetic resources specifically to protect its Iboga.

Ibogaine is a force, to be treated with respect regardless of the culture you find yourself in. For the Bwiti, it allows one to discover the “path of life and death”, providing an opportunity for salvation from confusion and the capacity to understand one’s purpose in the world. This sentiment is perhaps the greatest connection between ceremonial use and therapeutic use. When individuals find themselves on the brink of death, battling addiction with no success in sight, they often turn to ibogaine in search of a path back to life.

References

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Wasko, Michael J., Paula A. Witt-Enderby, and Christopher K. Surratt. “DARK classics in chemical neuroscience: ibogaine.” ACS Chemical Neuroscience 9.10 (2018): 2475-2483.

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https://www.delixtherapeutics.com/news/delix-therapeutics-awarded-national-institutes-of-health-grant-to-advance-vital-research-of-novel-neuroplastogen-for-substance-use-disorders/

https://psychedelicalpha.com/news/gilgamesh-scoops-14m-from-nida-to-develop-safer-ibogaine-analog-for-opioid-use-disorder

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/ibogaine-pschedelic-drug-root-fair-trade-gabon?loggedin=true&rnd=1711723563726