About this episode

This episode explores the sacred role of iboga in Gabonese life and the implications of its growing Western interest.

Long before ibogaine entered Western clinics and laboratories, the plant it comes from held a sacred place in Gabonese life. In Part III of Ibogaine Inquiries , we travel to Gabon to explore Bwiti, the spiritual tradition in which iboga is understood as a teacher, guide, and living presence. Gabonese practitioners and Bwiti initiates describe the preparation, community, music, mentorship, and lifelong practice that surround the medicine. They explain why Iboga cannot be separated from the larger body of knowledge developed around it. As Western interest continues to grow, this episode asks what may be lost when a sacred plant and its active compound are removed from the people, traditions, and relationships that have safeguarded them for generations. A note to listeners: This series is intended to inform, not encourage the use of ibogaine. Ibogaine is a powerful psychoactive substance with serious medical risks and should never be used without thorough medical evaluation and appropriate supervision. As you'll hear throughout this series, increasing global demand has also had profound consequences for the Indigenous communities in Gabon who have safeguarded Iboga and its…

People in this episode

Host: Ky Dickens

Topics covered

• Ibogaine
• Bwiti
• Gabonese culture
• spiritual traditions
• sacred plants
• indigenous communities

Keywords

• Ibogaine
• Bwiti
• Gabon
• sacred plants
• indigenous traditions
• psychoactive substances
• community practices

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Bwiti

Products: Ibogaine

Places: Gabon

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