Meet Your Iboga Provider

This sacred medicine is intended to be served in a traditional Bwiti ceremony. An Iboga provider who has done all of their healing and is traditionally trained has a deep connection with the medicine and serves as a bridge for the medicine to work through. Always ask your provider specific questions before committing to a retreat. The following questions will allow you to get a sense about whether the provider is qualified to serve Iboga medicine:

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Where in Africa did you train? Sarah's answer: "Moughenda's Village in Gabon, Africa" 

The only way to receive legitimate Iboga Provider training is to travel to West Africa. This training is not offered anywhere else in the world.

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What is the name of the African Bwiti Shaman you trained under? Sarah's answer: "10th Generation High Shaman Moughenda Mikala"

In order to learn how to work with Iboga medicine safely, you must train under a Bwiti Shaman in Africa.

 

How long was the training? Sarah's answer: "4 months in Gabon, plus 6 months of internship in the west. However, training & learning never end. I return to Gabon once or twice a year to learn more & go deeper with Iboga medicine & the Bwiti Tradition." 

Provider training should take a minimum of 2 months. An additional 2 months of training (4 months total) is required if a provider wants to offer addiction detox retreats.

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Were you initiated into the Bwiti Tribe? Sarah's answer: "Yes"

You can not be a true Iboga provider unless you are initiated into the Bwiti Tribe. 

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Did you pass & receive the blessing from a Bwiti Shaman to serve the medicine? Sarah's answer:  "Yes. I passed both provider & drug/alcohol detox training and received the blessing from Moughenda to serve Iboga medicine the west."

This answer should always be yes.

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Where is your Iboga medicine sourced from? Sarah's answer: "All of the Iboga root bark used at Iboga Revive is obtained by traveling to Africa and receiving it in person from Moughenda. I even know the exact tree that each medicine comes from." 

Iboga medicine should be harvested ritualistically in a traditional Bwiti ceremony. The only way to ensure the medicine has been properly harvested and blessed is to travel to Africa and personally get it from a trusted Bwiti shaman. Iboga should never be ordered online.  

 

Is Iboga the only plant medicine you serve or work with? Sarah's answer: "Yes. I only work with Iboga. It's the only medicine I need. I respect this medicine and this tradition too much to interfere with its ability to reach people in need of healing."

Traditional Bwiti Iboga Providers work solely with Iboga medicine. Period. Mixing plant medicines can be incredibly confusing and even dangerous. If an Iboga provider is serving any other plant or earth medicine, they are not practicing Iboga in a traditional Bwiti way. Not only is it reckless, but the spirit of Iboga will not compete with any other plant medicines and you will not receive the full traditional healing experience that Iboga can offer. If you discover that an Iboga provider works with or serves plant medicines, this is a huge red flag and indicative of someone who is not fully healed or properly trained. It is also incredibly disrespectful to Iboga and the Bwiti tradition. 

With that said, it is appropriate for an Iboga provider to recommend other plant medicine providers who work with other plant & earth medicines. It's just not safe or appropriate for an Iboga provider to bring other plant medicines into an Iboga ceremony space.    

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What does your screening process and risk assessment look like? Sarah's answer: "Before accepting anyone into a retreat, I ask them specific health questions. This ensures they are not on any medications that are known contraindications to Iboga. I also ask them about any diagnosis, health issues, & health concerns they have. If they pass the initial screening process, they are then required to submit a recent EKG & blood panel (Complete Blood Count including Magnesium & Calcium levels) showing results within safe range before taking Iboga. There are no exceptions to this. If abnormalities come up or there is a potential issue that I do not have experience with, I always refer to Moughenda as well as a medical health professional to be certain the person is a safe candidate." 

Trained providers working within the integrity of Iboga medicine will always ask the appropriate health questions and require proof of good health through medical records. A true provider is a healer and will never take unnecessary risks with someone's life. You should always feel safe with a provider. And as long as a provider is healed, properly trained, and working within the parameters of what they know, you will be safe. If something does not seem right, trust that and move on. That is not the provider for you.

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