Healing The Opioid Crisis With A Plant
Ibogaine and its incredible ability to heal
What is Ibogaine?
Iboga or Ibogaine, is a West African shrub historically used by the Bwiti religion. It is a psychedelic substance making waves in the West for its ability to heal addiction in as little as 24 hours. It is a naturally occurring indole alkaloid with a complex pharmacological profile. Following various case studies, it was determined that Ibogaine reduces drug craving and opiate withdrawal signs and symptoms within 1 to 2 hours of ingestion of the plant, and sustained, complete resolution of the opioid withdrawal symptoms after ibogaine ingestion. (Lotsof,1995; De Rienzo & Beal 1997; Kaplan 1993). Continue reading to understand how this plant affects the mind and body, and how it is saving so many people from the perils of addiction.
How it Works
Let me begin by saying that ibogaine should only be taken in the supervision of a professional. This plant possesses miraculous healing potential, but doesn’t come without risks. Iboga is a central nervous system stimulant so it is important to have an EKG performed prior to ingestion, as well as, a cell blood count, and liver panels.
Ibogaine is ingested orally and the effects begin within 30-40 minutes, inducing the client into a psychedelic state that has been described as “reflecting one’s life”. Where the visionary experience of the plant shows you what can be healed in your life or changed.
Ibogaine works on over 50 receptors in the human brain. It impacts neuroreceptors bringing them to a pre-addicted state. Therefore, reversing addictive loops and pathways in the brain. In 27 cocaine- or heroin-addicted patients, “self- reported depression symptoms and craving were significantly decreased” at 1 month after ibogaine treatment. (St Kitts study, D. Mash et al., Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2000 (914): 394-401).
Need for Ibogaine
Drug use, specifically the use of opiates, has plagued our society. According to the CDC, opiates were the cause of 74.8% of drug- related deaths in 2020.
There are very few treatment options that cure the addictive behavior but serve as a band-aid for the problem. Nora. D Volkow, NIDA’s director, recently wrote in The Lancet that medications other than methadone buprenorphine and extended- release naltrexone are needed to turn the tide in the opioid epidemic. These are opioid substitution therapies that don’t cure the problem.
Ibogaine is an addiction “interrupter”. This plant is not a magic bullet but an opportunity to reset our brain to a pre-addicted state. What differentiates this plant from the 12-step rehab program that exists currently, is the ability to bypass the withdrawal process within 24 hours, and rewiring the addicted receptors in the brain to their pre-addicted state.
With the amount of deaths rising per year, specifically in our youth, it is important to begin seeking other healing options for addiction. Ibogaine is a plant that has been proven to show significant healing potential and the plant itself has not been shown to be addictive, unlike methadone and naltrexone.
References:
1.Kaplan, C.D., Ketzer, E., DeJong, J., and Devires, M. (1993). Social Neurosci. Bull. 6: 6- 7. 3.
DeRienzo P. and Beal, D. (1997). The Ibogaine Story. Brooklyn, New York, Autonomedia.
2. Volkow, Nora. D “Management of Opioid Use Disorder in the USA: Present Status and Future Direction” -The Lancet, 13
3. March, 2019, https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(18)33078-2.pdf
