HIDDEN in the tangled roots of the iboga shrub, deep within Gabon’s tropical forests, lies a plant long considered sacred by indigenous communities — and now increasingly sought after by foreign researchers, wellness seekers, and global pharmaceutical firms.
Used for generations by followers of the Bwiti spiritual tradition, iboga is a psychoactive plant whose root bark is consumed during ceremonies for its hallucinogenic and purported healing properties. As global interest in alternative medicine surges, Gabon is now racing to ensure it doesn’t lose control of a botanical resource with both spiritual and economic significance.
According to a recent report by Agence France-Presse (AFP), iboga’s use is enshrined in ancestral custom, but the country is increasingly focused on how to transform that tradition into regulated industry.
From sacred rituals to science labs
Teddy Van Bonda Ndong, a 31-year-old Bwiti initiate, told AFP that he consumes iboga in small doses daily, referring to it as ‘sacred wood’ that supports his mental and physical well-being.
The plant’s appeal extends beyond Gabon’s borders. Stephen Windsor-Clive, a 68-year-old retiree from Britain, travelled to Gabon to undergo a 10-day Bwiti ceremony and consume iboga powder. He told AFP he hoped the plant might help treat his daughter’s mental health condition.
‘It has a lot of power to help human beings,’ he said. ‘A mysterious force lies within this plant.’
Soothing properties draw global seekers
After harvesting iboga to the sound of traditional harps and participating in the initiation ritual, Windsor-Clive became fully convinced of the plant’s healing potential.
‘I definitely want to bring my daughter here and have her have the experience,’ he told AFP. ‘This is my last attempt to find something which might be of assistance to her.’
He was not alone. Tafara Kennedy Chinyere, a visitor from Zimbabwe, also underwent the ceremony. Seeking healing from anxiety and what he described as ‘inner demons’, he found a powerful sense of peace through the iboga experience.
‘I feel good in my body, in myself,’ Chinyere said, resting under a tree after the ritual. ‘I feel like the iboga helped me to let go of things that you no longer need in your life.’
Rising demand, limited access
Despite its revered status and growing global demand, Gabon has imposed tight restrictions on iboga exports. The government is now seeking to change that, hoping to tap into the commercial potential while maintaining strict environmental and ethical oversight.
Florence Minko, an official at the country’s forestry ministry, told AFP that although the plant mostly grows wild, ‘more and more effort is being made to domesticate it.’
In large doses, ibogaine — the plant’s active compound — can be toxic, producing side effects ranging from hallucinations to heart complications. Nonetheless, advocates believe it holds significant promise for treating drug addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, and certain neurological conditions.
A local lab with global ambitions
Yoan Mboussou, a microbiologist and Bwiti practitioner, has developed 500-milligram ibogaine capsules at a lab near Libreville. While he currently sells them domestically as food supplements for fatigue and addiction, he is seeking a government export licence.
‘Iboga is a potential lever to develop the economy and the whole country,’ Mboussou told AFP.
But navigating international drug laws won’t be easy. Countries such as the United States and France classify iboga as a narcotic, even as treatment centres in the Netherlands, Mexico, and Portugal legally administer it.
Global patents, local frustrations
Dozens of pharmaceutical patents now exist for ibogaine-based treatments, many of them based on traditional Gabonese knowledge. But according to Yann Guignon of the conservation group Blessings of the Forest, Gabon has been slow to capitalise on this boom.
‘Despite the plant’s colossal therapeutic benefits, Gabon is clearly missing out on iboga’s economic potential,’ Guignon told AFP. He criticised the lack of large-scale plantations, national laboratories, and a cohesive industrial policy.
Compounding the issue is the rise of synthetic ibogaine, and the extraction of the compound from alternative plants such as Voacanga africana, which grows in countries like Ghana and Mexico. These competitors can produce ibogaine more cheaply and in larger quantities.
Intellectual property and conservation push
Another challenge is the protection of Gabonese traditional knowledge. As Guignon noted, it is currently not shielded under international intellectual property frameworks, leaving it vulnerable to exploitation.
At present, only one company in Gabon is licensed to export iboga products. However, forestry official Minko said the government hopes to increase that number, aided by benefits under the Nagoya Protocol — an international treaty that governs access to genetic resources and equitable sharing of benefits.
‘This is a huge resource for Gabon,’ Minko told AFP. ‘We have drawn up a national strategy for the conservation and sustainable use of the product.’
She said efforts were underway to secure a ‘Made in Gabon’ certificate of origin for iboga and that consultations with NGOs, scientists, and traditional practitioners would soon be held.
As Gabon balances tradition with innovation, the race is on to transform iboga from sacred root to national asset — before global markets and competitors seize the upper hand.
