Names people search for
Iboga, Tabernanthe iboga, and ibogaine are the names most often searched. This page addresses spiritual and religious meaning in Bwiti tradition and the church’s general earth-based sacrament teaching.
The church’s frame
“The Church of the Only Begotten Son utilizes ALL "Earth-Based" Sacred Sacraments and medicinal substances - Plant, Herb, Mineral, Metal & Fungus”
Iboga is presented as a living sacrament tradition of another people, beside the church’s own teaching that plants God made may be sacred. Nothing here is medical advice; ibogaine is a powerful substance and this site does not describe its use.1
Bwiti
Iboga is a rainforest shrub of west-central Africa. Its root bark is the sacrament of Bwiti, practiced in Gabon — where it is recognized as one of the country’s official religions — whose central rite is an initiation with iboga.23 Some Bwiti communities have incorporated Christian elements. See Ancient sacraments and Entheogenic church.
Questions and answers
What is iboga?
Iboga (Tabernanthe iboga) is a rainforest shrub of west-central Africa. Its root bark, which contains ibogaine, is the sacrament of Bwiti, a religion of Gabon.
What is Bwiti?
Bwiti is a religion practiced in Gabon — where it is recognized as one of the country’s official religions — whose central rite is an initiation with iboga. Some Bwiti communities have incorporated Christian elements.
Sources
- Official Lawful Notice — The Church of the Only Begotten Son
- Bwiti — religion of Gabon, with references
- Tabernanthe iboga — botany and history, with references
- Ancient sacraments — The Church of the Only Begotten Son
Scholarly claims about sacred plants in history are summarized with their sources, and contested claims are marked as contested. The church’s own beliefs are quoted exactly and linked to the page where they appear.