Thankyou to Doubleblind for bringing this to our attention.
They write
Most Iboga Is Poached Illegally, Gabonese Forests and People are Paying the Price
If you or someone you know has undergone an iboga or ibogaine treatment, the medicine was likely the crop of an illegal harvest in Gabon by poachers from neighboring Cameroon and sent to Mexico or Costa Rica through illegal channels. Ibogaine—a psychoactive substance which naturally occurs in the Tabernanthe iboga plant, native to Central Africa—has been investigated by researchers in the US as a promising treatment for substance use disorders, most notably opioid dependence, since the 1960s. The whole experience—often described as a dream-like state with intense visuals and flashbacks—lasts about eight to twelve hours, and is said to help significantly curtail withdrawal symptoms from opioids. A complete treatment may last from a day to several weeks, depending on the clinic and the protocols they follow.
In the last decade, an exponentially growing number of Americans have been traveling to ibogaine clinics in Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, the Caribbean, and, less commonly, the EU, seeking relief from their dependencies, as well as personal development. There are also iboga ceremonies in Gabon and abroad where the plant is served in its traditional form, an often-powdery substance taken from the second layer between the wood fiber of the root and the outer bark of the root of the iboga shrub. There’s been limited clinical research looking at ibogaine (at least two drug development companies are currently taking ibogaine derivatives through the FDA approval process), but the stories of healing are miraculous—and inspiring an ever-increasing contingent of Westerners to seek it out.
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Most Iboga Is Poached Illegally, Gabonese Forests and People are Paying the Price
