What is Ibogaine?
“Ibogaine is the most studied of the iboga alkaloids (Bartlett et al., 1958), a group of naturally occurring and synthetic indole alkaloids, some of which reportedly reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms and drug self-administration in humans.”
Source: (The ibogaine medical subculture Kenneth R. Alper , Howard S. Lotsof, doi:10.1016/j.jep.2007.08.034)Ibogaine comes from the bark of a shrub in Africa and it’s been used in the Bwiti tribe for centuries as a rite of passage. In the 60’s Howard Lotsof accidentally discovered Ibogaine anti-addictive properties to stop cravings and withdrawals first for heroin and the opiate addicts, afterwards for Cocaine and amphetamine and the last to be found effective for is for alcohol. Ibogaine has proven in animal studies to be effective. Dr. Deborah Mash did a clinical trial in St Kitts that also showed good results and a great number of persons been treated so far.
Now Ibogaine helps hundreds of chemically dependent patients around the world every year in treatments that goes from self-administration, to underground providers in hotels or underground clinics to medically supervised procedures.
Ibogaine is prohibited in USA, France, Demark, Sweden, Switzerland, because of its hallucinations, in New Zealand is an untested prescription medicine, some countries are restricted but mostly is unregulated. In Mexico as a natural substance that can be beneficial it can be given experimentally by licensed physician with the correct inform consent of the patient.
“While ibogaine’s prohibition in several countries has slowed scientific research into its anti-addictive properties, the use of ibogaine for drug treatment has grown in the form of a large worldwide medical subculture.”
Source: K.R. Alper, H.S. Lotsof, C.D. Kaplan (2008). "The Ibogaine Medical Subculture". J. Ethnopharmacology 115(1): 9–24. DOI:10.1016/j.jep.2007.08.034.PMID 18029124. Retrieved 2008-02-22.Why isn’t Ibogaine an approved medication in other countries?
Ibogaine needs clinical trials to make it an approve medication. This trials are expensive and no pharmaceutical company is willing to do them because ibogaine can’t be patented since it’s a natural occurring substance. This problem and the fact that is schedule in the USA make the possibility of trials and a future approval very difficult.
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