The ibogaine medical subculture.
Kenneth Alper, Howard S. Lotsof, Charles D. Kaplan
Journal of Ethnopharmacology January 4, 2008 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2007.08.034 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Ethnographic study with systematic quantitative data collection Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 3,414 |
| Population | Individuals who had taken ibogaine in the global medical subculture |
| Intervention | Ibogaine |
| Topics | Ibogaine |
| Keywords | Addiction treatment Opioid withdrawal Drug usage statistics |
| Citations | 184 |
| Key findings | Opioid withdrawal is the most common reason individuals take ibogaine, with 53% of an estimated 3,414 users doing so for that purpose as of February 2006. |
Abstract
Ibogaine is a naturally occurring psychoactive indole alkaloid that is used to treat substance-related disorders in a global medical subculture, and is of interest as an ethnopharmacological prototype for experimental investigation and possible rational pharmaceutical development. The subculture is also significant for risks due to the lack of clinical and pharmaceutical standards. This study describes the ibogaine medical subculture and presents quantitative data regarding treatment and the purpose for which individuals have taken ibogaine. All identified ibogaine "scenes" (defined as a provider in an associated setting) apart from the Bwiti religion in Africa were studied with intensive interviewing, review of the grey literature including the Internet, and the systematic collection of quantitative data. Analysis of ethnographic data yielded a typology of ibogaine scenes, "medical model", "lay provider/treatment guide", "activist/self-help", and "religious/spiritual". An estimated 3414 individuals had taken ibogaine as of February 2006, a fourfold increase relative to 5 years earlier, with 68% of the total having taken it for the treatment of a substance-related disorder, and 53% specifically for opioid withdrawal. Opioid withdrawal is the most common reason for which individuals took ibogaine. The focus on opioid withdrawal in the ibogaine subculture distinguishes ibogaine from other agents commonly termed "psychedelics", and is consistent with experimental research and case series evidence indicating a significant pharmacologically mediated effect of ibogaine in opioid withdrawal.