Gabon seeks to protect iboga plant from pharmaceutical commercialization

Gabon is working to protect the iboga root, used in traditional rituals and studied for addiction treatment potential, from being commercialized by U.S. drug companies without benefit to local communities.

First covered Oct 18, 2026 · 6:00 AM PT · 1 article · no longer in the live window

Gabon seeks to protect iboga plant from pharmaceutical commercialization — Image via theguardian.com

Coverage

24d Guardian Environment The next ayahuasca? Gabon fights to protect sacred plant from US drug companies — Iboga root, central to several Gabonese ritual traditions, is believed to have huge potential for use in treating addiction and some mental illnesses The…

Primary sources

cbd.int Home | Convention on Biological Diversity

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov 38182784 (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

whitehouse.gov Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness

More coverage from around the web

news.mongabay.com Gabon, home to the medicinal plant behind ibogaine, wants a fairer share of its global boom

nationalgeographic.com The psychoactive drug ibogaine could save lives—and everyone wants to cash in

academynet.org The Next Ayahuasca? Inside Gabon’s Fight to Protect Iboga from Big Pharma (2026)

mauveme.com Gabon's Sacred Iboga Plant: Protecting Indigenous Knowledge from Biopiracy (2026)

nascarby.com Gabon's Sacred Iboga Plant: The Next Ayahuasca? Protecting Tradition from Big Pharma (2026)

Appeared in: 2026-10-19 (#10)

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