Ibogaine is a psychoactive agent that comes from the Iboga shrub (Tabernanthe iboga), which is endemic to Gabon in Central Africa. Iboga has been used by the natives there for thousands of years as a tool for initiations and rites of passage in the Bwiti religion. In the modern Western world, it was thanks to a man named Howard Lotsof that the anti-addictive properties of ibogaine were discovered. Howard, a heroin addict himself took ibogaine just looking for a new high, and he was gladly surprised when he realized it had been over a couple days that he had last taken heroin and somehow was not experiencing withdrawals. He decided to experiment further and gave ibogaine to several fellow addicts and found the same results. Details about this serendipitous discovery are included in the documentary “Rite of passage” available here.
Ibogaine has a very unique pharmacology. Unlike other relatively better-known psychedelics like psilocybin (found in Psilocybe mushrooms) and mescaline (found in the Peyote and San Pedro cacti), which act primarily on the serotonin receptor 2A receptor (5HT2A), ibogaine does not have an effect on the 5HT2A receptor. Ibogaine interacts with various opioid receptors, acts as an antagonist at the NMDA glutamate receptor, and functions as a serotonin reuptake inhibitor (like anti-depressant drugs). Additionally, ibogaine has been shown to interact with the acetylcholine and dopamine systems and alter the expression of several proteins including brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which has been implicated in the mechanism of action and therapeutic effects of psilocybin.
Ibogaine’s mechanism of action is complex. In simple terms, ibogaine binds to opioid receptors in the brain, and “resets” the sensitivity of these receptors, effectively “interrupting” the dependency cycle that leads to the incessant use of opioids, by ameliorating withdrawal symptoms and eliminating opioid cravings and tolerance.
From 2013 to 2016 I had the opportunity to work at a treatment center that was offering ibogaine-assisted detoxification to individuals from the US and Canada that were going to Mexico to receive this treatment. I was hired to design and implement a seven-day program for this detox process. While working there, I got to witness how ibogaine indeed has the potential to change lives by helping individuals overcome their physical dependance, but as I used to tell program participants, ibogaine is not a “magic bullet”. After the treatment, one needs aftercare as well as further therapeutic support to take maximum advantage of the opportunities the treatment offers. But it does seem to be a unique tool in helping individuals “cure” their addiction, as it significantly reduces withdrawal symptoms and eliminates cravings.
Ibogaine treatment room Ibogaine, being a psychedelic substance, produces an altered state of consciousness that can bring up unprocessed emotional traumas and individuals get to face their own psyches in this process, aided by the visionary plant. In carefully curated therapeutic contexts, and under medical supervision, this can have a powerful effect on long-term recovery from opioid dependence.