Ibogaine alleviates physical withdrawal symptoms of opiate detoxification by resetting and refreshing the opiate receptor sites. How this is done is still not fully understood; no other known substance has shown this method of action. Once this process is complete, no further use of Ibogaine is necessary. It functions in a similar way to treatments that block or take residence in the receptor sites that normally harbor chemical substances. However, unlike methadone or suboxone, which lead to chemical dependency, Ibogaine is non-addictive and doesn’t need to be taken on a continuing basis. Ibogaine treats other chemical dependencies by cleansing the body of the drugs, and resetting the brain’s neuron-chemistry. It appears and feels as if the memory of dependency is removed from the mind and body. It addresses cravings from the metabolite Nor-ibogaine. This may take a couple of days to fully set up for stimulants and alcohol. Ibogaine also works to rebalance the brain chemistry and level out dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, adrenaline etc. to a pre-addicted state.

This helps the individual to feel better much more quickly, especially compared to quitting a substance cold turkey. It can take weeks or even months to regain the balance in neurotransmitters after discontinued use. Those coming off anti-depressants may also go through this experience. We have found that pharmaceutical drugs take longer to recover from than street drugs. They get deep into the body and mind, and create not just a physical or emotional attachment, but a mental dependency as well. There is still a lot of physical recovery needed to really become balanced, and Ibogaine therapy is most effective when combined with the initiation of a healthy lifestyle, but as far as craving and chemical dependency the change occurs rather quickly.

This is also why Ibogaine works so well for stimulants and sexual addiction associated with the use of stimulants. Sexual expression is often a common motivator for wanting to use in the first place. After ingestion, Ibogaine is converted by the liver into nor-Ibogaine, which stores up in the fat cells of the body. This is the true healer; it curbs the cravings and takes away the thoughts for using. It can take up to 72 to 96 hours post treatment for these effects to really be experienced. It has a documented anti-depressive effect that establishes a state of well-being, free from negative thought patterns.

The Awakened Dream State

Ibogaine can provide individuals with critical insights into the origins of their addiction process or other unhealthy behavior patterns. This is experienced acutely during the first hours after administration when the conscious and unconscious aspects of the mind are merged. During this “awakened dream” state, past events, even those which the individual is not conscious of, may come to the surface of your thoughts. Many individuals have suddenly understood or clarified past traumatic events or situations that, in part, have led to their present life condition. In effect, years of therapy can be replicated in a matter of hours. This is not experienced visually by everyone. It varies depending on what you are using and current health conditions etc. This can be a very beneficial experience, but even if there are no dreams or even clear messages the Ibogaine still does the job of resetting and rebalancing the body and mind.

The Introspective Phase

This initial phase is followed by a period of introspection during which the information that was revealed during the journey is processed. The full range of emotions may be experienced during these first 24-36 hours, and most people require some down time to recuperate physically. This medicine can be very hard on the body. Some people feel so depleted that they are unable to leave their bed. Occasionally individuals may be completely overcome emotionally by what has been revealed to them, and some may become very depressed. Ibogaine moves energy in the body around, so many things may need your attention emotionally. It’s like a release valve opens, and it’s suggested to allow everything to come out, whatever it may look like. This is a large part of the healing process.

The thoughts and emotions that come up during this time are being released from the body and psyche. While this may be uncomfortable for some, it is important to remember that, in large part, the success of your treatment is dependent on allowing this process to fully run its course. There is a fine balance between talking too much and withdrawing into oneself. Many people find that discussing their experiences with us freely and without judgment or shame makes them relax into the revelations and insights gained during the session. We are available in whatever capacity necessary during this time, but if we feel that you are avoiding going inward, we will not hesitate to guide you back in that direction. We understand this is a new experience for everyone who comes. We wish to keep that balance for each person and not interfere with your individual needs for processing, while being sure you feel fully supported and safe.

 Cultivating the Art of Living

After this period, there is a window of opportunity, anywhere from 12 to 24 days, for one to witness what previously was acted out in a completely unconscious manner. You may now experience these actions consciously. This is a chance to cultivate the art of living from a place of self compassion and humility.

The Spirit of Iboga

For thousands of years humans have evolved with plants and have used them for healing mind, body, and soul. Some of these plants, such as Iboga, have emerged as strong teachers and have been recognized as sacred medicines that have been used in healing the deeply spiritual aspects of our being. People of the equatorial regions of Africa have worked with the tabernanthe Iboga plant as an herb of initiation and as a rite of passage for millennia, and no discussion of the role of Ibogaine in the West can be complete without taking the spiritual aspects of the medicine into consideration.

We personally have witnessed Iboga exhibit incredible intelligence in its actions. It seems to know what each person can handle at any given moment. Some people are treated gently, while others are pushed beyond the edge of comfort and are asked to face difficult issues at the core of their being.

We are asked to see ourselves in our wholeness, leaving behind notions of good and bad. We are empowered to see ourselves as we actually are and to see the true consequences of our actions. We no longer have to react to situations based on habitual responses programmed by past experience. We are given the freedom to exist in the present moment in connection with our true beings and the whole of creation.

Ibogaine in the modern world

Ibogaine was first introduced to the Western public in France in the 1930’s, in the form of Lambarene, an extract of the Tabernathe manii plant. It was described as a mental and physical stimulant and contained about 8 mg of ibogaine (Popik and Skolnick, 1999). The drug was “…indicated in cases of depression, asthenia, in convalescence, infectious disease, [and] greater than normal physical or mental efforts by healthy individuals,” and aroused a great deal of interest among post-war athletes. Eventually, Lambarene disappeared from the market, and the sale of ibogaine was prohibited in 1966 (Goutarel, Gollnhofer, and Sillans, 1993).

     In the 1960’s, a Chilean psychiatrist named Claudio Naranjo began experiments to study the potential of ibogaine as a catalyst for the psychotherapeutic process. He found through case studies that, with a dosage range of between 3 and 5 mg/kg, ibogaine elicits an oneirogenic condition which facilitates long term memory retrieval and closure of unresolved emotional conflicts (Naranjo, 1974). The word “oneirogen” (from the Greek, meaning “dream”) is used rather than “hallucinogen” in referring to ibogaine’s psychological effects, because ibogaine is not truly psychomimetic; it does not produce loss of consciousness or any formal deterioration of thought (Goutarel, Gollnhofer, and Sillans, 1993). Naranjo noted, as did ethnographers who have studied the cultures of western Africa, that the imagery produced by ibogaine is largely Jungian in content. That is, it involves archetypes common to all humans, imagery that provides the basis for the human psyche. In a therapy session, this archetypal imagery is used as a medium for mitigating emotional insight in relation to memories most significant to the individual’s condition (Naranjo, 1974). Indeed, from a psychological perspective, it would seem as though this relationship is likely to be a primary factor in ibogaine’s therapeutic effects.

Ibogaine was first reported to be effective in treating chemical addictions by H. S. Lotsof, when he introduced Endabuse (NIH 10567) (Popick and Glick 1996). He began studying the effects of ibogaine in treating individuals with addictive disorders with a series of focus group experiments in the early 1960’s (Lotstof, Della Sera, and Kaplan, 1995). In 1985, Lotsof patented Endabuse for use in the interruption of opiate dependence disorders (U.S. patent 4,499,096), in 1986 for use in cocaine dependence disorders (U.S. patent 4,587,243), and in 1992 for poly-drug use dependence disorders (U.S. patent 5,152,994) (Lotsof, Della Sera, and Kaplan, 1995). Lotsof also developed a specific procedure for the use of Endabuse (aptly named the Lotsof ProcedureTM), which involves comprehensive short and long term physical, psychiatric, psychological, and social care of the patient (Lotsof, 1994).

The following timeline outlines the historical events relating to the

development of ibogaine as a treatment for drug dependence. Elsewhere in this

volume, Alper et al. provide a more detailed contemporary history of ibogaine in

the United States and Europe.

1864: The first description of T. iboga is published. A specimen is brought to

France from Gabon. A published description of the ceremonial use of T. iboga in

Gabon appears in 1885 (14).

1901: Ibogaine is isolated and crystallized from T. iboga root bark (15-17).

1901-1905: The first pharmacodynamic studies of ibogaine are performed.

During this period ibogaine is recommended as a treatment for “asthenia” at a

dosage range of 10 to 30 mg per day (14).

1939-1970: Ibogaine is sold in France as Lambarène, a “neuromuscular

stimulant,” in 8 mg tablets, recommended for indications that include fatigue,

depression, and recovery from infectious disease (14).

1955: Harris Isbell administers doses of ibogaine of up to 300 mg to eight

already detoxified morphine addicts at the U.S. Addiction Research Center in

Lexington, Kentucky (18).

1957: The description of the definitive chemical structure of ibogaine is

published. The total synthesis of ibogaine is reported in 1965 (19-21).

1962-1963: In the United States, Howard Lotsof administers ibogaine to 19

individuals at dosages of 6 to 19 mg/kg, including 7 with opioid dependence who

note an apparent effect on acute withdrawal symptomatology (22,23).

1967-1970: The World Health Assembly classifies ibogaine with hallucinogens

and stimulants as a “substance likely to cause dependency or endanger human

health.” The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) assigns ibogaine

Schedule I classification. The International Olympic Committee bans ibogaine as

a potential doping agent. Sales of Lambarène cease in France (14).

1969: Dr. Claudio Naranjo, a psychiatrist, receives a French patent for the

psychotherapeutic use of ibogaine at a dosage of 4 to 5 mg/kg (24).

1985: Howard Lotsof receives a U.S. patent for the use of ibogaine in opioid

4 kenneth r. alper

withdrawal (22). Additional patents follow for indications of dependence on

cocaine and other stimulants (23), alcohol (25), nicotine (26), and polysubstance

abuse (27).

1988-1994: U.S. and Dutch researchers publish initial findings suggestive of

the efficacy of ibogaine in animal models of addiction, including diminished

opioid self-administration and withdrawal (28-30), as well as diminished cocaine

self-administration (31).

1989-1993: Treatments are conducted outside of conventional medical settings

in the Netherlands involving the International Coalition of Addict Self-Help

(ICASH), Dutch Addict Self Help (DASH), and NDA International (22,32-35).

1991: Based on case reports and preclinical evidence suggesting possible

efficacy, NIDA Medication Development Division (MDD) begins its ibogaine

project. The major objectives of the ibogaine project are preclinical toxicological

evaluation and development of a human protocol.

August 1993: FDA Advisory Panel meeting, chaired by Medical Review

Officer Curtis Wright, is held to formally consider Investigational New Drug

Application filed by Dr. Deborah Mash, Professor of Neurology at the University

of Miami School of Medicine. Approval is given for human trials. The approved

ibogaine dosage levels are 1, 2, and 5 mg/kg. The Phase I dose escalation study

begins December 1993, but activity is eventually suspended (36).

October 1993-December 1994: The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

holds a total of four Phase I/II protocol development meetings, which include

outside consultants. The resulting draft protocol calls for the single administration

of fixed dosages of ibogaine of 150 and 300 mg versus placebo for the

indication of cocaine dependence (37).

March 1995: The NIDA Ibogaine Review Meeting is held in Rockville,

Maryland, chaired by the MDD Deputy Director, Dr. Frank Vocci. The possibility

of NIDA funding a human trial of the efficacy of ibogaine is considered. Opinions

of representatives of the pharmaceutical industry are mostly critical, and are a

significant influence in the decision not to fund the trial. NIDA ends its ibogaine

project, but it does continue to support some preclinical research on iboga

alkaloids.

Mid 1990s-2001: Ibogaine becomes increasingly available in alternative

settings, in view of the lack of approval in the Europe and the United States.

Treatments in settings based on a conventional medical model are conducted in

1. ibogaine: a review 5

Panama in 1994 and 1995 and in St. Kitts from 1996 to the present. Informal

scenes begin in the United States, Slovenia, Britain, the Netherlands, and the

Czech Republic. The Ibogaine Mailing List (38) begins in 1997 and heralds an

increasing utilization of the Internet within the ibogaine medical subculture.