7th May 2019

3 benefits of iboga no-one has told you about

Iboga has been proven to help addicts treat the symptoms of their disease, and substantially aid in their recovery. This impressive natural remedy helps to ease withdrawal symptoms and minimize cravings for a variety of addictive substances while restoring receptors in the brain to pre-addiction levels. But with all the promise iboga has shown in treating depression, anxiety, and a host of other ailments, it’s worth exploring Iboga’s other health benefits as well.

Attaining an Ego-Free State

In his insightful book, Ibogaine Explained, Peter Frank details many of the psychological benefits that iboga can confer. Iboga has the effect of temporarily “shattering the ego”, allowing individuals to let go of their petty problems and gain insight on the interconnectedness of the world around them. Frank concludes that these periods of “egolessness” can offer powerful insights into the personal issues that one is facing. As one woman has said of her Iboga treatment, “I wouldn’t recommend it to somebody who is trying to have fun. If you want your body to explode into 1,000 pieces and rebuild itself into something beautiful, then yeah—but don’t expect it to be pleasant.”

This state has been proven to be deeply beneficial to those suffering from depression and anxiety. Researchers have found that many sufferers depict their depression “foremost as a state of disconnection,” whether from other people, their earlier selves, their senses and feelings, their core beliefs and spiritual values, or nature. Several referred to living in “a mental prison,” others to being “stuck” in endless circles of rumination they likened to mental gridlock.”

The testimonials of participants in studies on treating depression with iboga generally report that they feel free from negative cycles of thought and more connected to life around them. Here are a few quotes from a study conducted by the psychologist Rosalind Watts who oversaw the project for the UK’s NHS:

“It was like a holiday away from the prison of my brain. I felt free, carefree, reenergized.”

 “I had an experience of tenderness toward myself.”

“At its most basic, I feel like I used to before the depression.” 

Letting Go

Iboga’s effects often cause the user to experience past memories in vivid detail, which users describe as akin to being transported into the past. This experience is generally followed by a reflective period, where the user can gain intellectual insight into the causes and effects of trauma. While painful, this process has helped many people suffering from PTSD, as it enabled them to come to terms with the wounds and scars at the root of their depression, addiction, and other problematic areas of their lives.

Ian Roullier, a participant in the NHS study mentioned earlier, was a victim of childhood abuse at the hands of his father, and suffered from depression throughout his adult life. During his experience with iboga, he gained the courage to confront his past. “Normally, when Dad comes up in my head, I just push the thought away. But this time I went the other way… this time I looked him in the eye. That was a really big thing for me, to literally face the demon.”

The experience allowed Roullier to see “that every emotion is as valid as any other… it was okay to have negative thoughts. That’s life. For me, trying to resist emotions just amplified them. Once I was in this state, it was beautiful—a feeling of deep contentment. I had this overwhelming feeling—it wasn’t even a thought—that everything and everyone needs to be approached with love, including myself.”

There are a host of benefits that come from confronting and reflecting on difficult memories while using Iboga. Many people have found that in addition to the mental health benefits, they’ve made progress in battling eating disorders and other problematic relationships with food, addiction to shopping and sex, and other forms of self-destructive behaviour.

Autoimmune Healing

There is anecdotal evidence of Iboga being quite helpful in the treatment of fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease. All three of these diseases attack the central nervous system, and Iboga’s interactions with cells and receptors in the brain have been theorized to trigger the body to heal itself. In the words of the Global Ibogaine Therapy Alliance: “the theoretical case is based on the fact that both ibogaine and its metabolite noribogaine have been shown to lead to an increase in levels of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in the brain. It has also been shown to have neuroprotective qualities promoting the survival of both dopaminergic and motor neurons.”

While there isn’t enough clinical research at this point to state with authority that Iboga should be used to treat these diseases, studies on animals have shown that directly administering GDNF significantly lessened the symptoms of those suffering from Parkinson’s. This has led researchers at Columbia University to begin a study on the efficacy of Iboga in treating animals afflicted with Parkinson’s, a study which we hope will confirm the drug’s utility in treating degenerative and autoimmune diseases.

Beyond Addiction

As you can see, Iboga has the potential to offer substantial health benefits to people suffering from a wide variety of ailments. As society becomes more open-minded about the potential of iboga to treat physical and mental illnesses, we are confident that scientific and clinical studies will confirm Ibogaine’s utility as a medical tool. If you’re interested in using Iboga for healing or personal growth, feel free to contact Iboga Tree Healing House for the information you need!