Ibogaine Info

by Shecky Green, from alt.psychoactives

Ibogaine is the primary psychoactive alkaloid found in the African shrub Tabernanthe iboga. Ibogaine is one of at least 12 alkaloids found in the plant, and is in highest concentration in the root bark.

The T. iboga bush grows only in the equatorial rainforests of Gabon, westernmost Congo, and portions of Zaire on the west coast of Africa. It grows to about five feet in height, and is cultiavted by villagers as a decorative shrub near their homes. There are at least seven other species in its genus, but only one other plant is known to be psychoactive (Tabernanthe manii).

T. iboga is traditionally known by any of number of variations on the word "eboka". It has been used for centuries as a ceremonial sacrament in the rituals and initiation ceremonies of several West African religions. The two "cults" which have been most extensively covered in western literature are the Bwiti and the MBiri. Both "cults" are practiced among the Fang.

These tradtional religions which use eboka have been gaining in popularity in recent years. They have even hampered the spread of Christianity and Islam.

CHEMISTRY/TOXICITY

Ibogaine is a choline-esterase inhibitor, a stimulant which affects the central nervous system. The molecule exhibits the two-ring indole nucleaus structure common to most hallucinogens. It's stereochemirty was established in the late 1960s.

In small doses, much like coca leaves in South America, eboka is eaten to stay awake and alert long hunts and canoe trips, which can last two days or more. It is also reported to have aphrodisiacal properties. (The olive-sized yellowish-orange fruits of T. iboga, while not psychoactive, are sometimes used "for barrenness in women".)

In larger amounts, ibogaine acts as a hallucinogen. It causes nausea and vomiting, much like peyote. At this level, it puts the user in an intense, deep trance state in which physical movement is all but impossible. The trance is intensely visual, and ususally manifests as a long journey.

At excessive levels, ibogaine causes convulsions, paralysis and death by arrested respiration. Toxicity levels are weight-related.

Traditionally, the root bark is scraped and dried to a yellowish-brown powder. Sometimes it is mixed with water and drunk, but it is said to be strongest when fresh. Usually it is taken by itself, although some sects use it with marijuana (which is called "yama" or "nkot alok"). The smoke represents the soul leaving the body and traveling to mix with the ancestors'.

"First tier" dosage (for stimulant, nonpsychedelic effects) average around two to three teaspoons for women and three to five teaspoons for men.

WESTERN MEDICINE

The earliest record of Western scientists studying T. iboga is in 1864, when Griffon du Bellay took specimens to Europe. His writings clearly show that he was aware of the plants psychoactive effects.

Around the 1880s, the colonizing Germans "permitted and possibly encouraged" eboka use for stamina by the African slaves working on the Douala-Yaounde railroad and other colonial projects.

The first botanical description of T. iboga was made in 1889. In 1901, two teams of chemists isolated the major alkaloid, ibogaine. There followed a flurry of French and Belgian studies.

In 1905, a Dr. Huchard used doses of 10 to 30 mg. of ibogaine for the treatment of influenza, neurathenia, and depresssion, as well as some cardiac disorders. Huchard reported that he observed improved appetites, muscle tone, and generally improved raates of recovery.

Huchard and a M.C. Phisalex were apparently the only Westerners to use ibogaine medically, and neither of them used it for its psychoactive properties. It was for another 50+ years until this was explored.

PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC EXPLORATION

The first Westerner to explore the psychoactive properties of ibogaine was Chilean psychiatrist Claudio Naranjo. In his book, "The Healing Journey" (1973), Naranjo cites extensive case notes from 40 therapeutic sessions with 30 patients in which he used either ibogaine or total iboga extract. He also describes 10 sessions with a different group in which he used iboga extract with another amphetamine.

(Naranjo was a pioneer in psycholytic therapy--psychotherapy using psychedelics as an adjunctive tool. He did important early research on LSD, MDA, yage/ayahuasca, and other psychededlics, much of it the first in the literature. He even exchanged LSD for ayahuasca with Amazonian shamans.)

In his book, Naranjo writes that "Ibogaine is most suited to the exploration of the past, in contrast to MDMA, which is most adequate for the clarification of the present...[T]he reaction to ibogaine is noteworthy for its emphasis on symbols, and only by means of symbols--conceptual or visual--can we deal with a reality which is not present...Parental images evoked by means of ibogaine probably correspond to the child's conception of his parents, which still lies in the subconscious of the adult--but these do not necessarily match the patient's reality. The therapeutic process with ibogaine may be depicted as that of seeing such constructions for what they are and being freed through confrontation with them...."

In short, ibogaine permits unusual access to past memories and feelings, while simultaneously allowing an extraordinary degree of symbolic objectivity. Such objectivity permits the subject to place these events and feelings in their appropriate context, and thus make progress which would take months or years under traditional therapeutic techniques.

Naranjo's work dates to at least 1966, when he presented a paper on his preliminary work with 15 cases to a psychedelic conference in San Francisco.

ADDICTION CURE?

In 1962, Howard Lotsof, a 19-year-old junkie from the Bronx, somehow got hold of a dose of ibogaine and took it. The trip itself was apparently quite remarkable. Far more incredible was the fact that when he came down, he no longer had any desire to take heroin. He evetually took ibogaine on five occasions, one week apart, in a dose-increasing regimen. From this self-administered treatment, Lotsof stayed clean for three and a half years. Later his urge to take heroin returned, but he was unable to obtain ibogaine. He became readdicted for a year and a hlaf, eventually entered a methadone program. Realizing he was still trapped in a vicious circle, he was able to detox from methadone largely due to the experiences he'd had years previously with ibogaine.

In 1980, after his life had stabilized, Lotsof began to work toward making ibogaine available to the public as an addiction interrupter. (Such a treatment modality is completely new; the usual methods are either cold-turkey withdrawl or replacement addiction --e.g.-methadone, which is an opiate just like heroin.) In 1986 he opened NDA International, INc. a company based in Staten Island, NY to promote research into the substance, and ultimately to market ibogaine under the tradename Endabuse. (He is still forbidden by law from doing so.)

Lotsof has also been awarded five US Patents for various ibogaine treatments. This is despite the fact that ibogaine is illegal: somehow it would up a Schedule I substance, right alongside LSD, heroin, marijuana, psilocybin, etc. Paradoxically, ibogaine is all but impossible to obtain in the US: one source reports that less than 4 grams have been seized in over 20 years.

What is especially remarkable about ibogaine as an addiction interupter is that it not only blocks the addiction drive for approximately six months, but it also nearly totally nullifies withdrawl symptoms. Withdrawl is a debilitating experience for addicts, and can even be fatal in extreme cases. Ibogaine is so effective in this regard that junkies undergoing ibogaine treatment will even request and eat sizeable meals 24-36 hours after their last fix, something unimagineable in normal circumstances.

But this unexplained chemical process is but one aspect of the ibogaine treatment. Crucial to recovery is the trip experience itself. As Naranjo noted in his research, the experience allows the addict to come to terms with life experiences which lead them to manifest addictive behavior. As any recovery specialist will tell you, it is this which must be addressed to truly effect recovery on a long-term basis.

Lotsof's findings were replicated in 1990, when the International Coalition for Addict Self-Help (ICASH) reported their findings relative to nine individuals treated with ibogaine for drug dependency. Since then, that body of work has been elaborated on to include 21 case histories of treatments conducted over the last five years.

ICASH has pioneered the paraclinical application of ibogaine by addicts for addicts, using treatment methodology acquired from Dutch counterparts who formed guerilla treatment programs under the banner of DASH (Ducth Addict Self-Help).

These and other studies have confirmed that ibogaine is an effective addiction interupter for a wide range of addictive disorder including heroin, methadone, cocaine and amphetamine, alcohol, nicotine, and even poly-drug dependency.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

This past year, NDA International (Lotsof's organization) sponsored the First International Ibogaine Treatment Symposium, which was held just outside the town of Leiden in the Netherlands. Researchers from Holland, Germany, Israel and the US were present. During the three-week seminar, participants were able to observe the treatment of patients by the world-renowned Dutch psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Jan Bastiaans, widely know for his work treating Holocaust survivors and victims of trauma with LSD-assisted psychotherapy. In all six addicts received successful treatment.

A second such symposium is planned for late 1993 or early 1994. (For additional information about the symposium, including case histories, see the journal of the Multidisciplinary Assoc. for Psychedelic Studies, Summer 1993 edition.)

After some considerable foot-dragging by the National Institute for Drug Addiction (NIDA), the FDA has finally just approved ibogaine for human testing to determin its efficacy in addiction interuption. Phase I studies (determining toxicity, etc.) will begin shortly. The study will be conducted at the University of Miami under the direction of Dr. Deborah Mash, along with Dr. J. Sanchos Ramos. Both were present at the International Treatment Symposium.

Thus, ibogaine joins LSD, MDMA, psilocybin, and DMT as substances which have been approved by the FDA (with the permission of the DEA and the Drug Czar's office) for human testing for therapeutic applications.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

"Psychedelic Monographs and Essays" vol. 6 (1993), ed. by Thomas Lyttle; pp. 71-111: R. Goutarel, et al.: "Pharmacodynamics and Therapeutic Applications og Iboga and Ibogaine". Probably the best overview of ibogaine I have come across yet. Goutarel isolated several of the alkaloids in T. iboga, and is considered one of the world's experts on it. This superb article gives historic background, details traditional use incl. a full account of initiation rites, plus gives an extensive examination of modern ibogaine treatment, incl. a breakdown of the various stages of the ibogaine trip.

"Ibogaine: Howard Lotsof Taking Aim at Addiction" interview by Peter Gorman, High Times, Nov. 1993; pp. 50-55. Excellent.

"Psychedelics Encyclopedia" by Peter Stafford; Berekely, CA: Ronin Publishing; pp. 358-367. Not as thorough as PM&E's article, but an excellent place to start.

Bob Sisko [dir. ICASH]: "Ibogaine and Substance Abusers: Follow-up on Four Case Histories", MAPS (journal of the Multidisciplinary Assoc. for Psychedelic Studies), vol. IV no. 2 (Summer 1993); pp. 15-24.

"Flesh of the Gods: The Ritual Use of Hallucinogens" ed. by Peter T. Furst; NY: Praeger, 1972; pp. 237-260: James W. Fernandez: "Tabernathe Iboga: Narcotic [sic] Ecstasis and the Work of the Ancestors." Good ethnographic/ethnobotanical study by an expert on the Fang. Recommend the rest of the book, too, for that matter...

Max Cantor: "Miracle Cure? Advocates Say Ibogaine Ends the Craving for Dope", Village Voice; June 5, 1990

"The Healing Journey: New Approaches to Consciousness" by Claudio Naranjo; NY: Pantheon Books, 1973; pp. 171-224. Alas, out-of-print; but this excerpt along with other choice articles on ibogaine can be obtained from Rosetta. See below.

LOTSOF'S PATENTS:

1985: US Patent No. 4,499,096
1986: US Patent No. 4,587,243
1989: US Patent No. 4,857,523
1991: US Patent No. 5,026,697
(missing one)