An herbal naturopathic medicine selection. Recently, the Arizona House Appropriations Committee approved HB2871 to spend up to $5 million for clinical research on an emerging plant medicine called ibogaine .
The bill has the backing of former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who has pledged to raise an additional $5 million to support the research being proposed. This bill positions Arizona as a leader in finding ground-breaking solutions to the mental health epidemic by drawing on thousands of years of ancient wisdom.
Ibogaine is best described as a psychoactive substance that derives from the shrub of the iboga tree. Like other plant medicines, it has been used by healers and spiritual guides in West Africa for medicinal and ritual purposes.
Iboga is not just a psychedelic, but an entheogen. Entheogen is a term that encompasses empathogens — known to increase empathy — and enactogens — which allow users to turn inward and heal past traumas. Used for healing purposes by shamans for centuries, these plants invite users to connect with their own pasts to heal the present and are often described by researchers like Jamie Wheal as a bridge across time and cultures. Pardis Mahdavi I am a trained medical anthropologist who has spent the last 25 years studying issues related to culture, health and society. More specifically, much of my work has focused on the intersection of sex, psychedelics and the superconscious. This has given me a front row seat to tensions between scientists and traditional healers from around the world.
HB2871 comes on the heels of SB1555 , which establishes a statewide committee to oversee psychedelic assisted therapy across Arizona. A similar bill, HB2762 was passed last year that supports physicians and other medical practitioners using ketamine assisted therapy for mental health, leading to the establishment of ketamine clinics throughout the state. All of these are key nodal points in a larger movement that is happening nationwide to examine alternative approaches to mental health and opioid addiction.
Most notably, however, HB2871 focuses on research beginning with one of the most vulnerable populations when it comes to PTSD and treatment resistant depression: veterans.
And the […]
Arizona positioned to lead the way in sages and scientific approach to mental health
