New Studies Confirm the Effectiveness of Ibogaine in Stopping Opioid Addiction
Dylan Charles, Editor
Waking Times
The opioid crisis in America has reached epidemic levels and overdose deaths continue to rise. While the destructive effects of heroin and pharmaceutical opioids ravage communities and destroy families, the federal government is considering harsh new mandatory sentences for opioid crimes, demonstrating a heart-breaking disconnect from reality when it comes to disrupting dependence on these insanely addictive and deadly drugs.
“In 2015, the most recent year tracked by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more that 52,000 people in the U.S. died from drug overdoses, or about 144 each day, with the majority of those deaths opioid-related. Nationwide, fatal opioid overdoses increased 652 percent from 2000 to 2015, according to CDC statistics, and every indication is that the problem has grown worse in 2016.” [Source]
Opioids in the U.S. are far more deadly than terrorism and even firearms, yet because they fall into the uncomfortable category of addiction and are primarily the result of the legal pharmaceutical industry, the problem is largely ignored by mainstream media, and the government authorized solutions don’t help.
Remarkably, there is a natural medicine for treating opioid addiction which immediately stops withdrawals and detoxes opioids from the body, and also produces a deep spiritual experience that helps an addict to stay sober by showing them the source and reason for their addictive behavior and inspiring them to remain clean.
Extracted from the iboga plant, which is native to the equatorial rainforests of West Africa, ibogaine is psychoactive indole alkaloid that has been known for decades to interrupt opioid addiction. Two recent observational studies have now added to the growing body of evidence in support of ibogaine as perhaps the most effective medicinal treatment known.
Brad Burge, Director of Communications and Marketing, MAPS, explains in a recent press release:
“Ibogaine is a psychoactive compound usually extracted from the West African Tabernanthe iboga plant. In animals, a single dose of ibogaine decreases signs of opioid withdrawal and produces sustained reductions in the self-administration of heroin, morphine, cocaine, nicotine and alcohol. Ibogaine is illegal in the U.S., and legal but unregulated in Canada and Mexico. New Zealand, South Africa, and Brazil authorize the use of ibogaine by licensed medical practitioners. While its mechanism of action is not yet fully understood, it differs from that of standard opioid agonist treatments such as methadone and buprenorphine which maintain dependence, and thus may show promise as an innovative pharmacotherapy for opioid addiction.
The authors of the studies conclude that given the potential demonstrated by ibogaine’s substantive treatment effect in opioid detoxification, its novel (though not yet fully understood) pharmacological mechanism of action, and its clinical effect in opioid-dependent subjects who have not satisfactorily responded to other treatments, ibogaine has promise for future research and development as a novel pharmacotherapy for opioid addiction.”
The Mexico study, published on May 25, showed that ibogaine administration was associated with substantive effects on opioid withdrawal symptoms and drug use in subjects for whom other treatments had been unsuccessful. 12 out of 30 participants reported 75% reductions in their drug use 30 days following treatment, and 33% reported no opioid use three months later.
The New Zealand study, published on April 12, showed that a single ibogaine treatment could reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms and achieve either cessation from opioids or sustained, reduced use for up to 12 months following treatment. The results indicate that ibogaine may have a significant pharmacological effect on opiate withdrawal. All participants in the study described their ibogaine experience in positive terms.” [Source]
Is Ibogaine Treatment Safe?
Ibogaine is listed as a schedule I drug by the DEA, which implies that the drug has no medicinal value, however, under properly medically supervised conditions, ibogaine is extremely effective, as further confirmed by these two studies. It is important to note that the drug war ban on ibogaine creates a climate in which treatment with the mysterious alkaloid takes place outside of the proper care of qualified physicians, and that when dealing with opioid addicts ibogaine can indeed be dangerous.
In the New Zealand study one of the participants died while undergoing treatment, and an investigation found that the death was likely related to the ingestion of ibogaine, however, it was also attributed to a failure to properly care for the patient.
“The authors acknowledge the potential shortcoming of ibogaine treatment highlighted by the mortality associated with the therapy, especially in non-medical settings, specifically concerns about potential cardiovascular complications related to ibogaine’s metabolism in the body.” ~Brad Burge, MAPS
Final Thoughts
It needs to be said that there is no magic pill for addiction, as noted by opioid survivor Jeff Cook.
“Iboga is not a magic pill. Iboga is an amazing tool that can free you from the deepest depths of addiction. The spirit of Iboga will teach you everything you need to learn to stay clean, but one must follow these lessons to stay on the right path. Iboga does not change your free will, what Iboga does, is show you the truth. The truth you need to make peace in order to live a happy, drug free life.” – Jeff Cook, Iboga Wellness Center, Costa Rica
Yet, given the deadly nature of the epidemic at hand and the huge and rising numbers of deaths each year, it is past time to give alternative treatments their due and make them available for those who are at risk of succumbing to opioids.
Read more articles by Dylan Charles.
About the Author
Dylan Charles is the editor of Waking Times and host of The Battered Souls Podcast, both dedicated to ideas of personal transformation, societal awakening, and planetary renewal. His personal journey is deeply inspired by shamanic plant medicines and the arts of Kung Fu, Qi Gong and Yoga. After seven years of living in Costa Rica, he now lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where he practices Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and enjoys spending time with family. He has written hundreds of articles, reaching and inspiring millions of people around the world.
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