VIPIRG Ibogaine Research Update #1

Considering the opiate crisis affecting countless lives across Canada, largely in downtown Vancouver and Victoria, VIPIRG’s new summer research project will explore alternative, underground therapies for treating substance dependencies. Specifically, we will be investigating the medicinal use of a sacred Bwiti plant medicine called Iboga, and its main extracted alkaloid, Ibogaine.

Iboga, the psychedelic root-bark of the Tabernanthe Iboga perennial rainforest shrub native to West-Central Africa, has been used traditionally as a visionary tool in Bwiti ceremonies. However, it has recently been discovered that this psychedelic root-bark can almost entirely eliminate opiate withdrawal symptoms and has been praised by many western practitioners as an addiction interrupter.

We are currently in contact with some Ibogaine treatment centers that focus on breaking their clients’ substance abuse patterns and have started conducting interviews with facilitators and clients of these Iboga/Ibogaine treatment centers.

VIPIRG’s goal in conducting this research project is to explore unconventional, but possibly extremely effective courses of treatment for opiate abusers, and to raise public awareness of the uses of Ibogaine with the hopes of inspiring more research to be done on the subject.