Tabernanthe iboga

Eboka

West african shrub, used as a stimulant and entheogen by the Bwiti cult.

This entheogen is sacred to the syncretic Christian Bwiti cult of the Fang people of Gabon. It is also used at lower doses as a stimulant and aphrodisiac. Adherents to the cult believe use of eboka allows them to contact their ancestors. Initiation into the cult involves consuming large quantities of the drug (which in a few cases has lead to death), for the purposes of "breaking open the head"

From "Medical Botany" by Walter H. Lewis:

Among a dozen or so of the complex indole alkaloids derived from tryptamine and found in Tabernanthe iboga (Apocynacea) ibogaine is the most important hallucinogen, not only in iboga, but perhaps of all those species indigenous to to the African continent.

Found in Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, a large area of Zaire,and also cultivated in west Africa beyond this natural range, iboga is an important element of life, not only for its hallucinogenic powers but also as an aphroidisiac prized more by the natives for this purpose than the famous African yohimbine. The use may be justified, for the stimulating properties of this drug may well increase confidence and stave off fatigure. Iboga is also taken during religious festivals and rites, esp. by shamans to enhance their psychic powers, increase inspiration and assist in contemplation.

Isolated Chemicals:

Documents:

• Ibogaine FAQ
  by ibog@aol.com, originally posted to alt.psychoactives, 1995. Includes a useful bibliography.
• Ibogaine Info
  by Shecky Green, from alt.psychoactives
• Ibogaine article from the Philadelphia Enquirer
  July 4, 1992
• Iboga Alkaloids
  From The Hallucinogens, by A. Hoffer and M. Osmond, Academic Press, 1967.
• Ibogaine: A Psychedelic Treatment for Drug Addiction.
  by Linda Gibson. From "High Times", March 1992
• Extracting Ibogaine from Tabernanthe iboga and Trachelospermum jasminoides
  A guide to extracting Ibogaine from J Amer. Chem. soc #80: 123, 1958
• Adam, Eve and Iboga
  by Giorgio Samorini (originally published in Integration, vol. 4)
• Iboga-tourism in Central Africa by Nick Sandberg
• Development of Ibogaine as an Anti-Addictive Drug.
  A progress report from the University of Miami School of Medicine
• An initiation with tabernanthe iboga from Iboga-Conscience, in Gabon.
  Synopsis of the Iboga experience from Iboga-Conscience, in Gabon.

more...

Contacts and URLs:

• African Ethnobotanicals (homepage, more info)
  Information on Iboga and other sacred plants of Africa
• Erowid (homepage, more info)
  "Documenting the Complex Relationship between Humans and Psychoactives"
  • Ibogaine Vault (related items...)
• Ibogaine Dossier (homepage, more info)
  "Contains a wealth of information on ibogaine and its in vivo and in vitro actions, original articles of acclaimed ibogaine researchers, and information on experimental ibogaine treatment."
  • Bwiti: An Ethnography of the Religious Imagination in Africa
    Introduction to Chapter 18 by Howard Lotsof (related items...)
  • Ibogaine Bibliography (related items...)
  • Ibogaine Neurotoxicity
    Brief review and references. (related items...)
  • Opinions and Commentary on Ibogaine
    Links to many articles. (related items...)
  • Pharmacodynamics and Therapeutic Applications of Iboga and Ibogaine; The Bwiti: Gabonese initiation society; Ibogaine in Psychotherapy and for Controlling Narcotic Dependency
    Long and informative article by Robert Goutarel (related items...)
  • Pharmacology of Ibogaine and Ibogaine-Related Substances.
    Review by Piotr Popik and Phil Skolnick from "The Alkaloids", Vol.52, 1998. (related items...)
  • The Religion of Iboga or the Bwiti of the Fangs
    by P. Barabe, Med. trop. 12(3):251-257, (May/June) 1982. Translated by William J. Gladstone. (related items...)
• Knehnav's Homepage (homepage, more info)
  • Iboga links (related items...)
• Xenopharmacophilia (homepage, more info)
  • The Necessary Entheogen Explorer Files (related items...)

more...

Images:

• Tabernanthe iboga Specimen
  Color photograph of leaves.
• Tabernanthe iboga Specimen
  Iboga seeds. Seeds have a thin, whitish coating which is washed off to expose the brain-like seed before planting. Some of these seeds retain this coating, some have had it removed. A lighter is shown for size comparison.

more...

Trip Reports:

• With Love from Rio: And hugz, of course
  Substances: Tabernanthe iboga

more...