The next ayahuasca? Gabon fights to protect sacred plant from US drug companies
Iboga root, central to several Gabonese ritual traditions, is believed to have huge potential for use in treating addiction and some mental illnesses The temple is dark, its sandy floor edged with candles. People sit shoulder to shoulder beneath palm fronds hung from the rafters. Through the night, they swallow what they have come here for: a bitter root bark called iboga. Tabernanthe iboga is a…
In the dark, temple-like structure in the outskirts of Libreville, Gabon, people gather to consume a bitter root bark called iboga. Iboga root, a slow-growing shrub found in the central African rainforest, has long been used in several Gabonese ritual traditions. Its potential for treating addiction and mental illnesses has caught the attention of pharmaceutical companies, leading to a US executive order focusing on ibogaine, a drug made from the plant.
Pharmaceutical companies believe ibogaine has huge potential for addiction treatment, but the cultural usage of iboga in Gabon's Bwiti spiritual tradition is vastly different from the interest shown by abroad.
Apollon Obolo, a practitioner of Misoko Bwiti, explains how iboga is used in ceremonies to lift burdens carried by relatives and friends after a death. He emphasizes that iboga is just an element of the Bwiti practice, which focuses on healing and divination. In the Misoko branch, knowledge of iboga is passed down through generations, and its use is deeply rooted in the forest's ecosystem.
A 2012 report by Yann Guignon, an intercultural and sustainable development consultant, highlights the importance of considering wild iboga within its natural environment. This perspective contrasts with the approach of pharmaceutical companies, who are eager to capitalize on ibogaine's potential in addiction treatment. Ibogaine has shown promising results in early studies, with users experiencing significant reductions in PTSD, depression, and anxiety scores following a single treatment.
Texas has allocated $50 million for a multicentre trial, and US President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to create a treatment pathway for eligible patients. While ibogaine is primarily sourced from Gabonese iboga, it can also be synthetically produced from voacangine, found in the related African tree Voacanga africana. However, the demand for iboga root bark for ceremonial use and the manufacture of extracts containing several of its alkaloids has raised ecological concerns.
The ecological threat to iboga is exacerbated by commercial extraction practices, which sometimes involve taking entire root systems, leading to the death of the shrub. Despite international interest, wild iboga remains poorly studied and rare, with Lee White, a former Gabon national parks official, expressing concern over severe local over-harvesting and a lack of funding for research.
The vulnerability of iboga has prompted some practitioners to stop sharing their remedies with researchers, as they feel the benefits go to higher-profile areas instead.
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