Ibogaine, Rite of Passage

Ben de Loenen
2004. Netherlands. vo Afrikaans, English, French. s Spanish.  

This documentary looks at the use of traditional medicines to treat the ills of our age. Ibogaine reveals the strong overlap between seemingly distant cultural identities. Ibogaine is a plant alkaloid found in the root bark of the West African shrub Tabernanthe Iboga. It has the unique property of removing withdrawal symptoms and reducing cravings from substances that cause chemical dependence, such as heroin, cocaine and alcohol. It has long been used as a traditional medicinal and spiritual tool in West Africa. For the last forty years, it has increasingly been taken up in Western society as a tool for addiction therapy, where its complex effects on the human brain prove its psychotherapeutic potential and also reveal new information about the mechanisms of memory, learning and dreams.

IBOGAINE is a plant alkaloid found in the root bark of the West African shrub Tabernanthe Iboga. It has the unique property of removing withdrawal symptoms and reducing cravings from substances that cause chemical dependence, such as heroin, cocaine, alcohol, etc. It has a long history of traditional use as a medicinal and spiritual tool in West Africa. For the last 40 years, it has increasingly been used in western society as a tool in addiction therapy and psychotherapy. IBOGAINE is not a maintenance drug and it can't be owned as it is a naturally occurring molecule. Enough reason for the pharmaceutical industry to turn their back on IBOGAINE... With our documentary we try to educate as many people as possible on Ibogaine's potential as a tool in the treatment of drug-dependence. The more people share this information, the more people will be able to choose for this alternative if they need it and the more professionals worldwide will be informed about Ibogaine. Interest and funding is needed for its further development and until the day it is officially accessible, more treatment-providers outside of the official medical world are needed, as well as more education towards drug-users. Ibogaine is legal in most parts of the world, except for Belgium, France, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Australia and the US.