The history of iboga: from the Bwiti to the West

In short

For the Bwiti in Gabon, Congo and Cameroon, iboga is a sacred plant. Europeans first described it in 1864. In 1962, the New Yorker Howard Lotsof made it known in the West.

Iboga in the Bwiti tradition

In Bwiti mythology, iboga is the tree of knowledge of good and evil, much like in the Old Testament. The Bwiti believe the plant helps them heal and communicate with their ancestors. Their ceremonies include intense music, rituals, dance and performance. Iboga is consumed in different amounts: high amounts at rites of passage, lower amounts often as a stimulant for more energy. People in Gabon, Congo and Cameroon have used iboga to overcome tiredness, hunger and thirst, and to increase sexual libido.

How the West discovered iboga

French and Belgian travellers were the first Europeans to witness iboga ceremonies. In 1864, the ethnobotanist Griffon du Bellay published the first description after bringing a sample to Europe. In 1885, Father Joseph-Henri Baillon classified the plant. In 1901, scientists isolated ibogaine. In the 1930s, it was sold in France as a stimulant.

Howard Lotsof

In 1962, Howard Lotsof, a New Yorker addicted to heroin, joined a group exploring psychoactive substances. A chemist friend gave him a sample of ibogaine. After a 20-hour experience, he noticed he had not taken heroin for almost two days, and he felt none of the usual withdrawal symptoms. His attitude to heroin changed too. He shared what he had learned and made the public aware of ibogaine, calling it an "addiction interrupter".