Ibogaine Isn’t a “Cure” for Addiction—But It Can Be a Useful Detox Tool

HEALING INFORMATION? –

June 16, 2022 – On June 13, the city council of Amherst, Massachusetts, declined to advance a measure decriminalizing entheogens, or naturally occurring psychedelics. These include psilocybin, mescaline, ayahuasca and ibogaine.

Ibogaine is derived from iboga, a shrub native to West Africa. Indigenous peoples have a long history of using ibogaine in ceremonial settings, but over the past few decades ibogaine has increasingly been a subject of interest for people from the United States and Europe looking to “cure” substance use disorders.

In the US, ibogaine is a Schedule I narcotic. But an industry of ibogaine clinics abroad—mostly in Mexico and Costa Rica—will accept US travelers who want the treatment and can pay anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 USD. Research has, to a degree, substantiated some of the anecdotal evidence that ibogaine can relieve withdrawal and cravings, if only temporarily.

Withdrawal, though, seems to be a prerequisite. Ibogaine treatment functions as a sort of detox, with participants abstaining from opioid or other substance use for a short period leading up to dosing. During treatments observed at a Mexico clinic, a “test” dose was first administered, followed by a larger “flood” dose several hours later. At that stage, ibogaine induces powerful, dream-like hallucinations that last for six to eight hours. Several days of close observation at the clinic is considered standard practice.