L'Iboga
PATRIMOINE DU GABON
Discover Iboga, jewel of Gabon and ancestral source of healing. Protected by laws to preserve its unique heritage, this plant is much more than a remedy: it is a window into centuries-old traditions. Embark on a journey through history, where each leaf reveals buried wisdom, combining natural care and deep spirituality
The Ways of Iboga Through Its Consumption Modes
Écorce Brute Fraîche ou Séchée
Macération (Liquide)
Écorce Râpée en Poudre
Gélules d'Écorces Râpées
Décoction (Liquide)
Fruits et Feuilles
Iboga et BOTANIQUE
According to the new classification of flowering plants (Angiosperms) based on molecular phylogenetic work (The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, 2003) 1, the taxonomic position of the species Tabernanthe iboga H. Bn is as follows 2:
Tabernanthe iboga is a glabrous shrub 0.5 to 4 meters high, whose thin trunk (3 to 10 cm in diameter) has smooth, pale gray to dark gray bark. Its slender, almost vertically erect branches are covered with pale brown to dark brown bark, dotted with characteristic warty gray-brown lenticels.
The opposite leaves are subsessile to distinctly petiolate, light or dark green above, paler below. Elliptical to obovate in shape, their surface is glabrous or pubescent on both sides, especially at the level of the veins.
The inflorescence of the plant is fragrant, loose, with few flowers (up to twelve). The bracts are small and slightly hairy at the top, almost as long as the almost free sepals. The calyx, persistent, even remains under the fruit.
The corolla, forming a small, oval head at the base of the bud, often has five groups of red, mauve or purple dots or bands. It is hairy inside and almost cylindrical, widening at the opening. The stamens, with glabrous anthers, are attached to the corolla.
The gynoecium has a round ovary with two carpels fused at the base and protruding ovules. The disc, fused to the ovary, is entire or lobed.
The fruit of the iboga is a berry, round or oval, orange-yellow in color, measuring 3 to 7 cm in length, with a smooth or bumpy texture. Inside it contains several oval seeds, 7 to 10 mm long, enveloped in a white, spongy pulp.
Pollination and Seed Dispersal
Iboga flowers and produces fruit all year round, especially in the dry season. Little information is available on how it is pollinated and how its seeds are dispersed. However, elephants are known to help disperse its seeds by eating its fruits.
Growth and Development
The Iboga grows in stages and reaches approximately 60 cm in 3 years. The plant develops new branches after flowering and flowers mainly between September and February. The fruits ripen in 5-6 months.
Propagation and Planting
Iboga is propagated by seed or cuttings. Fresh seeds germinate slowly. The plants must be protected from the sun and can be replanted after 2-3 months. The cuttings take root easily and flower within four months.
Management and Harvest
Iboga is easy to grow and requires little maintenance. The roots can be harvested all year round, especially during the rainy season.
Morphological Study
Iboga root is mainly used for its active ingredients. It has a thin, brownish bark with a bitter flavor.
Habitat and Geolocation
Iboga is found in undergrowth, clearings and along waterways, mainly in Gabon, where it thrives in different environments up to 1500 m altitude.
Tabernanthe iboga is found in the undergrowth of forests, in clearings or the edges of gallery forests. It can also be found in sandy soils, on the Atlantic coast or on bare slopes, or sometimes in riparian or swampy forests, or in relatively humid savannahs, from sea level, up to 1500 m. altitude; in Gabon (5-1020 m altitude);
Tabernanthe iboga is present in almost the entire Gabonese area. It is found more frequently in the Ogooué delta and along the course of this river, in the undergrowth of Woleu-Ntem and in the mountainous regions of Mitsogo, Massango and Apindji) 11. The shrub seems to reach its full development in fallows, clearings or at the edge of forests. It can also vegetate in the shade of the equatorial forest where it is most often reduced to one or two stems.