Gabon fights to protect sacred iboga plant as pharmaceutical interest grows
Gabon is acting to protect iboga, a sacred rainforest plant used in several traditional spiritual practices, as international pharmaceutical companies explore the potential of its active compound, ibogaine, for treating addiction and other mental health conditions.
In Gabon, iboga is deeply intertwined with Bwiti spiritual traditions and indigenous knowledge passed down through generations. Practitioners emphasise that the plant cannot be separated from the cultural and spiritual practices that give it meaning. Growing global interest has therefore raised concerns about who will control the plant's future and benefit from its commercial use.
The growing demand also poses a significant conservation challenge. Commercial harvesting often involves removing the entire root system, killing the shrub and raising the risk of overharvesting. Former Gabonese environment minister Lee White has warned that wild iboga is poorly studied and that local populations have already faced severe overharvesting in some areas.
