Iboga

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Iboga

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Tabernanthe
Species: T. iboga
Binomial name
Tabernanthe iboga
(L.) Nutt.
For the record label, see Iboga Records

Iboga (Tabernanthe iboga) is a perennial rainforest shrub and hallucinogen, native to western Africa. Iboga stimulates the central nervous system when taken in small doses and induces visions in larger doses.

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. It has small green leaves. Its flowers are white and pink, while the elongated, oval-shaped fruit are orange. Its yellow-coloured roots contains 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 an anaesthetic sensation in the mouth as well as systemic numbness to the skin.

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[edit] Traditional use

The Iboga tree is the central pillar of the Bwiti religion practiced in West-Central Africa, mainly Gabon, Cameroon and the Republic of the Congo, which utilises the alkaloid-containing roots of the plant in a number of ceremonies. Iboga is taken in massive doses by initiates when entering the religion, and on a more regular basis is eaten in smaller doses in connection with rituals and tribal dances, which is usually performed at night time. Bwitists have been subject to persecution by Catholic missionaries, who to this day are thoroughly opposed to the growing religious movement of Bwiti. 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. On June 6, 2000, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Gabon declared Tabernanthe iboga to be a national treasure.

[edit] Addiction treatment

Outside Africa, iboga extracts as well as the purified alkaloid ibogaine are used in treating opiate addiction. The therapy may last several days and upon completion the subject is generally no longer physically dependent. One methadone patient said in the Dutch behind-the-news show Twee Vandaag that in just four days he reached a state that normally would have taken him three months, but without the agony. Evidence suggests that ibogaine may also help to interrupt addiction to alcohol and nicotine. The pharmacological effects are rather undisputed with hundreds of peer reviewed papers in support but formal clinical studies have not been completed.

[edit] Legal status

Iboga is outlawed or restricted in Belgium, Denmark, France[1], Sweden, Switzerland and the United States. Root material and extracts thereof is obtainable through various European smart shops.[citation needed]

"Drug Addiction Treatment from Iboga -- Out of Central and West Africa For a very long time, Iboga (Tabernanthe iboga) has been used in Central and West Africa. In low doses, the plant serves as a stimulant to maintain alertness, for example, while hunting. In larger doses, it is a hallucinogen, traditionally used for religious purposes by ngangas and in initiation rites,(McGown, Jay, 'Out of Africa')."

"In more recent years, Iboga (also spelled Eboga or Eboka) has come to be used as a (non-addictive) recreational drug by a small number of people in Europe and North America. This experimentation, while frequently illegal, has led to interest in iboga by drug addiction researchers. Iboga reportedly has the effect of ending cravings for addictive substances, both illegal (such as heroin) and legal (such as nicotine). Patents on this kind of use for iboga stretch back to 1985 (US 4,499,096).

Today, there is a burgeoning scientific literature about iboga, fueled by researchers who experiment with iboga and iboga-like compounds and try to more precisely elucidate iboga’s biochemical effects on the brain.In the United States, where iboga is listed as one of the most illegal narcotics, there are treatment centers which illicitly use iboga to cure heroin addicts and other drug users of their addiction. In other jurisdictions, therapeutic use of iboga is legal. Clearly, there is growing interest in the apparently miraculous ability of iboga to cure some drug addictions. Iboga is gaining scientific respectability and may, in short order, become a hot pharmaceutical property,(McGown, Jay, 'Out of Africa')."

"I could find no discussion of benefit sharing related to iboga,(McGown, Jay, 'Out of Africa')." "Patent applications on iboga have been made very recently by Myriad Genetics and by Washington University, one of the most prominent biomedical research campuses in the US,(McGown, Jay, 'Out of Africa')."

Here is a selection of iboga patents and patent applications filed in the last decade:US Patent or Application Number Title Owner/ Inventor Comment Application20050288375,published 29 Dec 2005 Method and composition for treating neurodegenerative disorders Myriad Genetics,Salt Lake City,UT, US Claims ibogaine (and other compounds) used with an NSAID “for treating and preventing neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease, dementia, mild cognitive impairment.”Application 20050222270,published 6 Oct2005, and patent5,958,919, issued28 Sep 1999, and others Prolonged administration of NMDA antagonist drugand safener drug to createimproved stable neuralhomeostasis Washington University, St.Louis, MO, USUse of ibogaine to enhance safety ina technique to “ease problems suchas addictions to illegal or pain-killing drugs, nicotine, or alcohol,compulsive or criminal behavioral problems, severe depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders,phobias, etc.”Patent 6,416,793,issued 9 Jul 2002 Formulations and use of controlled-release indolealkaloidsBioResponse,LLC, Boulder,CO. USIbogaine (and yohimbe) formulations with enhanced absorption by the body Patent 6,348,456,issued 19 Feb2002, and Application 20030153552,published 14 Aug 2003 Method of treating chemical dependency in mammals and a composition there for Mash; DeborahC. (University ofMiami professor)and co-inventors Claims noribogaine, a variant of ibogaine suitable for pharmaceuticals, and its use to treat addiction to “heroin, cocaine, alcohol, nicotine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, opium, methadone, hycodan, morphine and caffeine, (McGown,Jay, 'Out of Africa')."

"Patent 6,211,360,issued 3 April 2001 Ibogamine cogeners Albany Medical College (Albany,NY, US) and the University of Vermont (US).Ibogamine-derived compounds for treating drug addiction Patent 5,616,575,issued 1 Apr 1997 Bioactive tricyclicibogaine analogs University of Minnesota, US and University of Miami, US Ibogamine-derived compounds for treating drug addiction, (McGown, Jay, 'Out of Africa')."

[edit] See also

[edit] External links and references

[edit] References

  1. ^ (French) Arrêté du 12 mars 2007 modifiant l'arrêté du 22 février 1990 fixant la liste des substances classées comme stupéfiants

www.ibogainefilm.com

[edit] See also