L’iboga. Un patrimoine naturel,culturel et national au service du monde

Iboga, known as 'sacred wood,' is a plant used in Gabonese spiritual and medicinal rituals like bwiti and mumbwiri, where its powdered form enables transcendence between physical and invisible worlds. While Marc Kaba's 'Voie sacrée' describes its psychological, social, and spiritual virtues, medical science—through the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)—began prescribing ibogaine, an alkaloid from the plant, for drug dependency treatment in humans in the early 1990s. This highlights iboga as a national heritage that benefits modern medicine, with ibogaine attracting international attention for treating addiction, particularly to opioids and other substances.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract: This article aims to present "iboga," also known as "sacred wood," as an endogenous knowledge used traditionally in the spiritual and medicinal rituals of the people of Gabon during initiation ceremonies such as bwiti, mumbwiri, and many other rites. This plant, considered a natural, cultural, and national heritage, allows for transcendence between physical and invisible worlds through its consumption in powdered form during an initiation ceremony. While Marc Kaba in "Voie sacrée" describes the psychological, social, and spiritual virtues of this plant through narration, medical science, through the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), began prescribing its substance (ibogaine) as part of a drug dependency treatment protocol for humans in the early 1990s. Thus, it highlights how this national heritage is an asset to modern medicine. Beyond its traditional uses, ibogaine (an alkaloid substance) has attracted international attention due to its potential for treating addiction, particularly opioid addiction and other substances. Keywords: Iboga, heritage, national, medicine, world