Voacanga africana / Voacanga / Apocynaceae (Dogbane family)
Information
This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption
or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this
website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended
for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be
interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product.
The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food
and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose,
treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this
product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in
the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's
risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and
interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for
any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we
deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain
omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the
documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make
any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these
plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition.
Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular
purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose
may be lacking.
Contents
Voacanga africana contains a complex mixture of iboga alkaloids such as voacangine, vocamine, vobtusine, amataine, akuammidine, tabersonine, coronaridine and vobtusine. (1)
Historical
Voacanga africana is reportedly one of the guarded secrets of the African Magic Healers. The plant is held in high esteem for ritual and visionary purposes. The root bark is used as a stimulant during hunts, which can reportedly last for several days. Voacanga africana is also used as a poison, and has a reputation as an aphrodisiac. (2)
"Ibogaine is a natural alkaloid of Voacanga africana that is effective in the treatment of withdrawal symptoms and craving in drug addicts." (3)
Plant Description
Voacanga Africana is native to West Africa. The genus of voacanga is closely related to that of Tabernanthe. Voacanga Africana is an evergreen shrub or tree to 10 m. Branches lenticellate. Leaves opposite, elliptic or narrowly elliptic; texture herbaceous when fresh, membranous or papery when dry; base cuneate; apex acuminate, sometimes acute or obtuse. Calyx not clasping the corolla and not shed with it; lobes mostly partly recurved, 0.8-1.3 times as long as the tube. Corolla cream, greenish or yellow; lobes obovate, narrowly obovate or elliptic. Fruit composed of two separate mericarps, one only often developing; obliquely subspherical. Seeds with an orange aril.
References
(1) Voacanga africana, Wikipedia
(2) Voacanga africana, The Vaults of Erowid
(3) Ibogaine and a total alkaloidal extract of Voacanga africana modulate neuronal excitability and synaptic transmission in the rat parabrachial nucleus in vitro. Kombian SB, Saleh TM, Fiagbe NI, Chen X, Akabutu JJ, Buolamwini JK, Pittman QJ. NRG, University of Calgary, Faculty of Medicine, Canada.
Back