Iboga and Ayahuasca are two world-renowned master teachers that should never be compared per se. The beauty, power, and support these two have granted us can only be repaid with all the gratitude and reverence we can harness.
We have extensively covered Ayahuasca articles over the years due to our close relationship with her, and today, we would like to introduce you to Iboga/Ibogaine through the same lens. Those who seek one are bound to seek the other at some point in their lives.
This article is a bridge between those who have met one of these fantastic teachers and are wondering about the other. Our human experience when meeting these masters is the only way these wonderful beings can ever be compared.
Here are a bunch of differences and a handful of similarities, as we will look at both from the same perspective, through the lens we are used to seeing Ayahuasca.
Iboga vs. Ayahuasca – Their nature and active components
Ayahuasca is a decoction based primarily on two ingredients. Banisteriopsis caapi (also called Ayahuasca) grows through the Amazonian forest as woody, braided vines that climb threes. Psychotria viridis is the second main ingredient and a shrub from the coffee family found in Central and South America, primarily in Peru and Bolivia.
Tabernanthe Iboga is a shrub from central West Africa. Iboga refers directly to the bark collected after the removal and drying of the root ceremonially.
We want to share with you the fascinating point of view of Troy Valencia, spiritual guide and cofounder of Root and Wisdom (where he is an Iboga guide), on how the nature of these plants mirrors the way they work.
“If you look at the plant’s essence, it will tell you exactly how they work. If you go into nature and stare at the Ayahuasca vine, you can see that it has this expansive aspect as it wraps itself on the tree and grows to reach the light. It’s almost as if it’s stretching to reach places where other plants can’t reach. When it comes to the tree bark of Iboga, the root grows in the darkest places. It reaches the deepest parts of the subconscious, and anywhere it settles, you are allowed to become a conscious point of perception in that zone.”
Viridis provides DMT (dimethyltryptamine), Ayahuasca’s active component. B. Caapi’s beta-carbolines prevent the degradation of DMT in the body and allow it to have an oral effect. Iboga (the bark of T. Iboga) contains various alkaloids, the most present being ibogaine, while others, such as ibogamine, play the role of amplifiers.
Iboga vs. Ayahuasca – Historically and nowadays
Although the time of its origin is unknown, what we do know is that Ayahuasca brew comes from the indigenous tribes of the Amazon and has been used for centuries for healing and divinatory purposes. Shipibo, Cofán, Tukano, and Ashaninka are but a few names, considering there are more than 90 tribes acknowledged to be working with Ayahuasca.
Iboga is part of many tropical African cultures, especially the pigmy people located in Gabon, but also the Fang and Mitsogo Bwiti. Here, it played important roles in healing and passage rites, where teenagers, both men and women, transitioned from childhood into adulthood through a series of rituals.
Ayahuasca goes hand in hand with tradition, being served ceremonially by shamans from or trained by the Amazonian tribes in the same manner it has always been. Fortunately, these days, many of us can join a ceremony relatively close to home (a matter of hours). Everyone who seeks to experience a spiritual awakening, healing, recovery, or solely a new perspective in life is welcome to join the retreats.
Iboga is known primarily for its miraculous capacity to combat addiction after Howard Lotsof, a man from NY with heroin addiction, took ibogaine together with other friends in 1960. Their experiment concluded with 6 of 7 stopped consuming heroine as they had no desire for it nor withdrawal symptoms. Many more studies followed, resulting in the opening of clinics dedicated to ibogaine as medicine.
As an accolade, we would like to clarify once more that ibogaine is the primary alkaloid found in T. Iboga. Still, fortunately, this isn’t the only extraction source found in nature.
Voaganada africana, a plant that has been cultivated on a larger scale in Africa, contains voacangine, another Iboga alkaloid found in high content in its root bark and stems.
The majority of ibogaine treatments in clinics are being done with an extract from Voaganda for three reasons: Iboga has a far lower percentage, its importance given by the African cultures in the Gabon area, and the unsustainable ways in which it has been harvested over the years.
To this day, Iboga maintains an important cultural role and is considered sacred by Bwiti’s spiritual discipline. Ceremonies are led not only in Africa but around the world by people called by medicine and trained by its people. We are fortunate to live in times where our general knowledge of medicine supports the work of these master plants and turns our inner search into safer experiences.
Preparation and intention setting for Iboga vs. Ayahuasca
Ayahuasca is known for requiring a special diet before joining a ceremony. This includes dietary and body-energy restrictions. Their sole purpose is to conserve and purify one’s innate life force to ensure optimal work with the plant.
Working with Iboga requires fewer restrictions and focuses mainly on a balanced, conscious lifestyle.
Ayahuasca is known for communicating in a way that allows a series of interpretations to occur over time. That happens because she is a master of possibility and allowance.
Iboga, on the other hand, is known for more direct, literal communication, and that’s because it teaches certainty.
“For Ayahuasca, one is encouraged to think about two or three topics that you would like to explore or teachings you would like to receive from the ceremony. Generally, one way or another, you will almost always find that you receive what you are looking for, though it rarely comes to you in a direct manner. For the Iboga ceremony, you are asked to write a list of specific questions of unlimited length that will be read to you for answering at the start of the ceremony. The answers come from your own voice of truth and are direct and literal.” – Audrey Markus, a leading voice in the world of psychonauts.
Effects of Iboga vs. Ayahuasca
Physical
Approx 30 minutes after ingesting both Iboga and Ayahuasca, effects such as dizziness, díarhea, nausea, and vomiting can occur.
A significant difference between the two is that Ayahuasca ceremonies tend to last between 6-8 hours, while Iboga lasts up to 24 hours and sometimes even longer. The difference in length is one of the main reasons Iboga is considered a more challenging experience than Ayahuasca.
The second reason is the fact that Iboga is more taxing on the body than Ayahuasca, causing loss of orientation, tactile sensations, alterations in weight perception, heaviness of the body, and more.
Both master plants are known for purging effects in the first phase of the ceremony, but for Ayahuasca, it isn’t mandatory. With Iboga, the participants always need assistance going to the toilet.
Mental
While Ayahuasca and Iboga can lead to experiences of fear, confusion, anxiety, and distortion of time and visions, they also provide an increase in associative thinking, allowing for changes in perception and cognition of things. They are both profoundly therapeutic.
It’s common for Iboga to induce an introspection experience, where one can review one’s life as if watching it played on TV. While this can occur with Ayahuasca as well, it might happen at a higher speed and with a higher degree of distractions as the journey is outwards instead of inwards.
Iboga is a slower journey to the depths you didn’t know existed and teaches persistence in the same way the plant’s roots slowly pierce through the depths of the earth in search of what it needs.
In the active phase of the Iboga journey (8-14 hours), aside from the physical purging, there is also a mental purging phase lasting anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours. During this time, Iboga works on removing all kinds of conditions and nonsensical baggage affecting the person.
While their approach might differ, they both facilitate the release of traumas and suppressed emotions. Ayahuasca creates an ethereal (out-of-body experience), and Iboga creates a grounded-anchored one.
Spiritual
Both are known to facilitate meetings and/or communication with ancestors, but it’s more likely to occur with Iboga because of the personal aspect of the journey that one undergoes.
All master plant teachers embody both male and female energies. Ayahuasca, however, predominantly manifests as female energy, while Iboga has both energies in balance.
We mentioned previously how ayahuasca teaches possibility and allowance. She does that by emphasising our connection with every living thing. The beauty and greatness of it all set in motion a part of us that moves beyond what the personal past represents into questions like “What else is possible?”
Iboga’s power is direct communication. It facilitates clear answers and a new sense of self, more authentic than ever, rooted in the deepest part of your being.
Therapeutic
Both Ayahuasca and Iboga can address the following:
- Substance and behavioural addictions—by supporting neuroplasticity and forming new neuronal connections that invite new behaviours and beliefs.
- Disconnection from self and purpose in life—by understanding one’s history with the help of the ancestors.
- Anxiety, depression, and disorders—by releasing trauma trapped in the body.
These are but a few significant therapeutic effects of these powerful masterplants. A more comprehensive and extensive material is available at ICEERS.
Risks associated with Iboga vs. Ayahuasca
There are both physical and psychological risks when it comes to Ayahuasca and Iboga.
Due to the pharmacology of Ayahuasca, there are risks to be considered. On a physical level, Ayahuasca should not be combined with foods containing high amounts of tyramine, antidepressants, ginseng, hypericum, medication, or drugs such as MDMA, methamphetamine, or dextromethorphan.
Iboga is known to decrease the heart rate, which makes it unsuitable for people with obesity, arrhythmia, or myocardial infarction or who have undergone heart surgery. Aside from heart-related ones, other medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, or blood-related diseases are not recommended when it comes to Iboga.
On a psychological level, most of the fear and anguish that can arise in ceremonies are addressed by the end of it. However, Ayahuasca and Iboga are not recommended to people who are diagnosed with mental disorders such as bipolar disorder, psychosis, or schizophrenia or have a family history related to it.
To minimise these risks, aspects such as the participants’ transparency regarding their conditions and the organisers’ provision of a safe healing space are key. Consult ICEERS Good Practice Guide for more information.
Legality of Iboga vs. Ayahuasca
DMT, Ayahuasca’s active component, is classified as a Schedule 1 controlled substance; however, the brew isn’t. This leads to a somewhat fragmentation of its legality. In Peru, it is a national heritage. It can be used under religious practices in Brazil, Canada, and the USA, while in France and Russia, it is completely prohibited. In countries such as Spain, Portugal, or Mexico, Ayahuasca is a legal void, hence not explicitly prohibited.
Iboga and ibogaine are not on the international list of controlled substances. However, they are illegal in countries like Switzerland, Sweden, Israel, Hungary, Australia, Belgium, France, and Poland.
On the other hand, there are clinics that work with ibogaine in Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Thailand, and New Zealand.
Iboga vs. Ayahuasca – Which is right for you?
If you wonder what the way to go would be, know that your mind might not be the best source of information. Too much of our way of being fills the mind, and too little of our true selves filters through. We recommend you listen to both Ayahuasca and Iboga music and take your pick while at it. Your choice will make itself known to you, and there is nothing your mind can do about it from there on. Your feelings can’t be swayed.
Here are two suggested playlists for Ayahuasca music and Iboga music.
When it comes to deciding which master plant to work with, we would like to invite you to consider more than just Iboga or Ayahuasca. Reading articles such as Mushrooms vs. Ayahuasca, Truffles vs. Magic Mushrooms, Peyote versus Ayahuasca, or What to Expect from a Kambo Ceremony can open up your mind and heart to possibilities.
We hope you found our article helpful and that it’s now clear “What Ibogaine is?” and “What Iboga is?” and how similar or different they work compared to Ayahuasca. Our most significant sources of inspiration have been people we wholeheartedly admire, such as Troy Valencia and Aubrey Marcus, and associations that work relentlessly in favour of these two glorious teachers, such as ICEERS.
If you’re bridging your experience from having worked with Iboga or ibogaine towards working with Ayahuasca, we warmly recommend you continue reading our articles. Making informed decisions is key in working with plant medicines. And, if you have doubts or questions or simply prefer to talk, book a call with us here. It is our purpose to accompany you in your transformation journey.
