Ibogaine is a naturally occurring psychoactive substance that is harvested and purified from the Tabernanthe iboga plant. This plant is an Apocynaceae shrub that grows in the jungles of West Africa. Ibogaine was first used by the people of the Gabon for both ritual purposes and for medicinal healing. Recent studies have revealed that Ibogiane contains extremely effective anti-addictive properties which are now used to treat severe addiction.

One of the most renowned therapeutic characteristics of Ibogaine is that it eliminates opioid withdrawal completely. Extensive studies and research in the field of addiction have suggested that Ibogaine plays an extraordinarily effective role in all kinds of drug addiction treatment, including, heroin addiction treatment, cocaine addiction treatment, alcohol addiction treatment, methadone addiction treatment, meth addiction treatment and oxycontin addiction treatment. Many researchers share the belief that Ibogaine also has characteristics that might help treat compulsive behavioral patterns that are not related to chemical dependence or substance abuse.

The basic effects of the Ibogaine treatment in chemical dependence is seperated into three distinctive categories; long term, intermediate and acute. The intermediate and the acute stages are sometimes also referred to as the after effects. The most significant contributions of Ibogaine administration include:

• Ibogaine eliminates the urge to continue the use of opiates, cocaine, alcohol and other mind altering drugs.
• Ibogaine has been proven to alleviate the withdrawal symptoms of stimulants and opioid narcotics.

As Ibogaine has been proven to be effective in treating drug addiction, it still remains to be seen whether or not Ibogaine is effective for alcohol addiction treatment. The very little data that is available suggests Ibogaine may be effective in treating patients who are dependent on alcohol, but is much more effective for patients who are suffering from poly-addiction diagnosis.

When Ibogaine is used to treat alcohol addiction, the protocol is very similar to the ibogaine administration protocol used for drug addiction. The outcome of the Ibogaine Treatment will depend on whether the patient wants to stop using and if the patient has outlined an effective after care plan for recovery.