Ibogaine Resets The Reliance
On Your Addiction, Setting You Free

What is Iboga?

Iboga is the shortened version of Tabernanthe iboga, a small tree/shrub found throughout the Congo basin but mainly found in Gabon. Iboga refers to the root bark that is collected from the base and roots of the iboga tree.

The root bark is dried, shaved and then consumed in this raw form by people during Bwiti ceremonies. The root bark contains at least twelve alkaloids, including ibogaine, ibogamine, ibogaline, tabernanthine, voacangine and coronaridine. Ibogaine is the most abundant of these alkaloids. There is some evidence that at least some of the other alkaloids, particularly ibogamine, potentiate ibogaine via a so-called “entourage” effect.

What Is Ibogaine?

Ibogaine is a natural psychoactive alkaloid derived from the bark of the Tabernanthe iboga plant, found across the Congo Basin but most prevalent in Gabon. While there are several alkaloids in the bark, ibogaine is the most important given the molecule’s effects on the body.

Ibogaine was first isolated from the plant by Dybowski and Landrin in 1901. Ibogaine was promoted as a mental and physical stimulant under the brand name Lambarène in France from the 1930s to the 1960s.

From the 1930s to 1960s, ibogaine was sold in France in the form of Lambarène, an extract of the Tabernanthe manii plant, and promoted as a mental and physical stimulant. The drug enjoyed some popularity among post World War II athletes.

While ibogaine was being investigated by Harris Isbell at the Addiction Research Center in Kentucky in the 1950s, it was Howard Lotsof who discovered ibogaine’s anti-addictive properties in 1962 in New York.

Ibogaine was being considered by the National Institute on Drug Abuse in the 1990s, but research was stopped. While ibogaine is a Schedule 1 drug in the US, it is a prescription medicine in some countries (Canada, New Zealand, South Africa) it is unscheduled elsewhere.
Phase II clinical trials for ibogaine to address alcoholism begin in Brazil later this year.

BENEFITS OF IBOGAINE

As you might have heard, ibogaine resets the brain to the pre-addicted state. If you’re addicted to heroin or opiates, your withdrawal symptoms will likely disappear within 30 minutes to an hour of taking ibogaine. Ibogaine is also very effective against stimulant addiction (cocaine, crack, crystal meth) as the same dopamine reward circuitry is reset. There is no other known substance that can do this. Ibogaine also cleanses all traces of drugs from your body.

UNIQUE NATURAL MEDICINE THAT CHANGE YOUR LIFE IN 3 TO 6 MONTHS

While ibogaine is a unique natural medicine, it is not a magic bullet. It simply gives you a window of 3-6 months to change your life. Why 3-6 months? That is the length of time noribogaine – the metabolite that ibogaine converts to in the body – stays in your system. So, you have this craving-free period to change your life.

PREPARING FOR IBOGAINE EXPERIENCE

People relapse back into their addiction after ibogaine if they have not put the work in preparing themselves for their ibogaine experience, informing their loved ones and getting their support, getting pre-treatment counselling, and then making solid plans for a different life after treatment.

SAFETY

Iboga and ibogaine can be perfectly safe, but only in a medical setting with proper screening and exclusion criteria in place, as well as expert dosing. Ibogaine can slow the heart beat down and prolongs the QT interval. Without a medical team and heart monitoring equipment, you are putting yourself at risk. Sadly, there have been a number of ibogaine-related fatalities in the past few decades. That said, even with the mixed bag of clinics globally, ibogaine is still statistically safer than methadone.

Adverse events can happen either because the ibogaine interacts with drugs still onboard, or because of a pre-existing medical condition. Our screening process is rigorous: we test for drugs when our guests arrive, and we simply will not accept a client who has a condition on our exclusion list.

We can recommend medical testing clinics to use, depending on where you live.

Once we have the results, our medical team make a final decision on whether to approve iboga treatment (or not).

IBOGAINE SIDE EFFECTS

The flipside of iboga’s effectiveness in interrupting addiction is that it also takes its toll on the body while at work. Patients often experience powerful side effects, much more so than other plant medicines.

More distressing can be ataxia – the inability to move the body or feeling very sluggish. This is very common, and it means that you will not be able to do things like go to the bathroom unassisted. Our nursing team is on hand to help you with all your needs.

Most unpleasant of all can be feeling a period of nausea. Some patients throw up quite a lot, and others hardly at all.

Finally, iboga very often leads to insomnia for the duration of the treatment. You may not get a full sleep until 2-3 days. However, sleep will eventually come, and you will likely feel fresh and very alive.

Failure to comply with / adhere to the above may influence your treatment.

INCLUSION & EXCLUSION CRITERIA

The Global Ibogaine Therapy Alliance is an internationally recognised authority on the safe use of ibogaine. Our protocol is based on their guidelines, including inclusion and exclusion criteria. These are summarised below.

INCLUSION

The most important criterion for selection onto an ibogaine programme is consent. A determination to make it work and not just expect a magic bullet is critically important. Ibogaine has much less chance of success for those who are not fully dedicated to the therapeutic process. It is better to delay for a few weeks or months and go back to pre-treatment therapy than jump into a treatment.

Coercion is the worst approach to any ibogaine programme. Whether forced by the family or someone else, any intervention-triggered participation in ibogaine treatment tends to prove unsuccessful.

The main considerations for inclusion are:

A full understanding of the basic scope of the treatment and what it entails
A strong desire to use Ibogaine and a realistic attitude to what this can achieve
A willingness to submit to a process led by a medical team and holistic therapists that will require appointment attendance, comprehensive application procedures and preparatory processes that demand commitment and honesty
A determination to adhere to services and care plans prescribed in parallel with ibogaine therapy and a commitment to continue with ongoing self-care.
An acceptance of the ibogaine Patient’s Bill Of Rights.

Once you have committed to coming to us and have sent your deposit, we will send you our Informed Consent form to read before you arrive. As part of your orientation on arrival, we will talk you through this document so that you fully understand it before signature.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA

If affected by any of the following criteria, it is not a wise decision to consider ibogaine, and our medical team will refuse treating you.
Certain psychiatric conditions

Schizophrenia
Bipolar disorder for which patient has been hospitalised or medicated
Depersonalisation and/or Derealisation Disorder
Cerebellar dysfunction
Epilepsy
Psychosis
Organic brain disease
Dementia

Ibogaine Resets The RelianceOn Your Addiction, Setting You Free