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Subtle but Useful
Tabernanthe iboga (root bark)
Citation:   Umberto. "Subtle but Useful: An Experience with Tabernanthe iboga (root bark) (exp93304)". Erowid.org. Dec 5, 2014. erowid.org/exp/93304

 
DOSE:
T+ 0:00
4 g oral Tabernanthe iboga (rootbark)
  T+ 1:00 2 g oral Tabernanthe iboga (rootbark)
  T+ 2:00 2 g oral Tabernanthe iboga (rootbark)
  T+ 3:00 2 g oral Tabernanthe iboga (rootbark)
  T+ 4:00 2 g oral Tabernanthe iboga (rootbark)
  T+ 4:00 2 g oral Tabernanthe iboga (rootbark)
BODY WEIGHT: 150 lb
I had wanted to try Iboga for a while. I read that it was a very introspective experience, and I desired something that might help me get a different perspective on things.

I had been taking 900 mg of saint john's wort for the past three days, and before that I was taking celexa 20 mg a day. So these might have been in my system. If they did affect the trip, then I would say they probably dulled it rather than potentiated, because compared to other trip reports I had a very weak trip.

Not knowing the strength of my material I decided to start relatively low then dose over time to gauge the strength. Normally I'm quite sensitive to substances. 2.5 grams of mushrooms gave me the most intense trip of my life, and I often get very stoned on tiny amounts of weed, so I wanted to be cautious with Iboga.

After taking four grams I decided to lie down with an eye blind and earplugs to facilitate an inner journey. I found that I had some hypnagogic like activity going on, but nothing that I couldn't attribute to simply lying down in the dark.

I watched a bit of the movie 'the glenn miller story'. Things seemed a bit more entertaining then usual, but could very easily be placebo.

I decided to up the dosage, taking two grams an hour, so that if it suddenly hit me I would stop. I had ten grams I was planning to save for a later time, , but I figured I would take it all if it didn't seem that strong. I ended up taking all of it.

This took place at nighttime, in my bedroom. I live with a roommate but she wasn't around. The room was comfortable, a very good setting for tripping.

A few notable things happened during the night which I can confidently are related to the drug.

After I had taken 10 grams I had an unbelievable amount of energy. I went for a run, and I ran about five times the distance that would normally make me tired. I had read that iboga had a stimulating effect, but I had no idea it would be this pronounced.

Along with having a ton of energy to run, I also felt an immense pleasure as I smelled the scents of nature - the sweetness of the trees was like smelling a woman's body as I made love to her.

I always find it interesting to see how preconceptions of a drug affect the experience. I knew that Iboga came from Africa, and I had a very 'African' feeling while on it. As I ran I felt like Simba in the lion king when he's chasing Rafiki through the bushes.

The plants seemed especially alive to me.

Another thing that related from what I read to my experience was the idea of seeing a person you're close to in a exaggerated way. At one point I saw my girlfriend as a witch and me as a child.

This projection of evil was a catharsis. It was literally taking the dissociation I might feel towards a person as far as it can go. Since that has happened I can relate to this person in a more balanced and real way, and I am less threatened, which has been a positive effect for me. I actually forgot about this until just now. Not only did this kind of extreme projection help me look at this person in a more real way, but it helped me look at all people in a more real way, a less threatening way.

This projection wasn't in the form of a vision or anything comparably 'psychedelic', it was just in the form of me making up lyrics and singing on guitar. This is something I do anyway, but the intensity of emotion was unique.

These two things were the most significant events of the night. After listening to some music I went to sleep. Had dreams that weren’t overly trippy, just normally trippy as dreams are.

For taking fourteen grams I didn't have a very intense experience. There was a small amount of dry mouth, but no ataxia or vomiting, and no unpleasant side effects.

The next day I did feel an afterglow. I felt a lot of dizziness, but nothing that gave me nausea, actually it was pretty pleasant. I explored my city a bit and enjoyed being kind of ‘out of it’.

I took the drug friday night, and it's monday morning now, and I feel for the most part the effects have worn off, but I do feel like a subtly changed person.

I do think the drug has a antidepressant-like effect, because many days I have very low points were I feel hopeless and miserable. The past two days I haven't felt that. I have felt a certain childlike enjoyment of simply being outside that reminds me of how I felt when I took celexa.

Another thing is that I'm trying to cut down on smoking, and normally this takes a lot of will power. Over the past few days I've still been smoking a bit, but I don't feel possessed as much to do it.

As for dissociative effects, I feel they were most pronounced when I experienced the projection I described, but that acted as a catharsis, and I haven't felt very dissociated from reality since then. I actually feel less dissociated than usual, because normally I feel quite a lot of resentment and bitterness towards people doing relatively neutral things, and the past few days I've been able to chill out and not be such a hater.

I can see myself doing this drug in the future, but next time I think I'll take ten grams at once, and do it after fasting (perhaps just after waking up). Even though the trip was not at all what I was expecting (I was expecting some kind of four hour session with a bunch of demons) it was a pleasant surprise.

I'm almost inclined to say that Iboga liked me, because it gave me a pleasant (albeit mild) experience that was helpful and free of horrible pain, which seems to be on the menu for many who take iboga.

Exp Year: 2010ExpID: 93304
Gender: Male 
Age at time of experience: 21
Published: Dec 5, 2014Views: 5,314
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Tabernanthe iboga (200) : Alone (16), First Times (2)

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