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

Summary

Iboga, or sacred wood, is a plant traditionally used in Gabon for spiritual and medicinal purposes during initiation ceremonies. It serves as a bridge between the physical and invisible worlds. While its cultural significance is emphasized, ibogaine, derived from iboga, has been recognized since the early 1990s as part of drug dependency treatment protocols, particularly for opioid addiction. This highlights the plant's value in both traditional practices and modern medicine.

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

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