April 2000
[Some notes inserted – Nick]
April 2000
Subject: i.d.
Date: 26 Apr 2000 09:36:17 -0700
To: [email protected]
Hi, my name is Simon. I am trying to find out how I can verify if the substance I have in my possesion is ibogaine. I need to find this out because I have come across a place in London which is claiming to do ibogaine therapy. The only problem is I am not sure if they are reliable. The owner will give it to anyone and advises that 3 grams must be taken for the full experience, only he does not seem quite “with it”. I looked up doses on the net and found that around a gram is more like it.
[Note: the substance Simon purchased was the Indra iboga extract. Dosages in the order of 0.5 – 1.0g are standard for purified ibogaine HCl only. It is harder to predice the effect on the body with the Indra product, but it is roughly 3-5 times weaker in strength than purified ibogaine HCl.]
So I ingested about 1.5 grams. the effects were devastatingly uncomfortable. No sickness but thumping, painful heart, unbearable waves of pressure in head, strange delerious state with long lasting trails and impessions from light which lasted for 4 days!
[Fairly common description of the effects of iboga, though a little more negative than usual.]
It is now 4 days later and my heart still hurts as I type this message. If this is ibogaine then the internet is very misleading about it. if this is not ibogaine then the place needs to be sorted out!
Do you have any ideas about how I can verify the chemical, or how I can find out about how serious the damage to my heart may be?
Thanks
Simon
[Analysing ibogaine or checking for cutting agents is a very expensive process. Best to purchase from someone you absolutely trust, or otherwise an accredited source. It transpired, to the best of my knowledge, that Simon’s health was luckily not adversely affected.]
………………………
May 1st 2000.
Dear Nick, thanks for the reply. Anyway, the effects I suffered were: an initial feeling of floating, magnification of echoes on sounds and images, colourfull imprints following all motion and imprints on audio too.
Next: feelings of pressure building up in the head, things seeming unusual ” really weird” but upon examination, nothing I could put my finger on. Next unbearable palpitations, terribly uncomfortable numbness and feeling faint, like if I went to sleep I would not wake up! body going numb and circulation thudding around body, lasted 12 hours and still slightly painful for another 4 days.
Not a good experience although I have to say I’m not used to seeing trails for 4 days exept on large dose of nutmeg (very toxic and has its similarities). The stuff was a brown powder and stuck together in clumps in parts. I am suprised that you say it sounds like ibogaine because the stuff strikes me as bieng extremely dangerouse. I consider myself strong and healthy. also I’m quite far down the therapy road and do not think that is the reason for my distressing experience, having a lot of experience with ethnos and hallucogens.
Simon
Hi Simon, I know the guy who sold you this substance. And to the best of my knowledge he is selling the indra extract of Tabernanthe iboga. This substance is a 5 x extract taken from T. iboga rootbark. It therefore will contain all the iboga alkaloids and not just ibogaine. Ibogaine content is around 8%. To get it analysed would likely be expensive, unless you know a friendly chemist. There’s a lab in Switzerland that will do it for about £300 or so, but even then you won’t necessarily know if it’s been cut with anything.
My guess is that it is indra iboga extract. This stuff is very old. It is believed to have been made for the Danish government in the early-mid eighties. So little is scientifically known about the iboga alkaloids, it’s very difficult to say what kind of changes may occur over extended periods.
From your description, I would say it is the extract. The effects sound to me very much like the drug, especially the light flashes and palpitations. As you’re no doubt now aware, ibogaine can’t really be regarded as a recreational drug, by any stretch of the imagination. It definitely does have potential within the field of treating dependence and as a spiritual/personal development tool. However, the effects are notoriously unpredictable, and this aspect appears thus far to be considerably intensified with the indra extract.
Most people will get the physical stuff you describe, it doesn’t have anything to do with their level of self-development. I doubt the Buddha would much enjoy ibogaine.
Nick https://ibogaine.co.uk