alan

[Belitlil]

Just read that, according to Giorgio Samorini, the alchornea floribunda is the true teacher plant of the Fang tribe in Gabon & not Iboga...
Any thoughts?

:confused:

[daniel]

where did you read that? Samorini is a bit odd. The entire Bwiti culture revolves around iboga.

[postmodernennui]

I'm not weighing in on the veracity of anybody's claims (and I certainly tend to trust Daniel's first hand experiences over something I've read) but the first poster may have read this:

Samorini G., 2002-2003, the cult of the Byeri ancestors and the psicoattiva plant alan ( Alchornea floribunda ) between the Fang of Western Equatorial Africa/psychoactive The ancestor cult Byeri and the plant alan ( Alchornea floribunda ) among the Fang of Western Equatorial Africa, Eleusis , n.s., vol. 6/7, pp. 29-55.

But then I did some more reading and I found this:

The Bwiti Religion and the psychoactive plant Tabernanthe iboga (Equatorial Africa)
Giorgio Samorini

http://www.ibogaine.org/samorini.html

This article is quite long but I couldn't find anything saying that one was not a true teacher plant. Samorini seems to imply they have a healthy respect for both.

[Belitlil]

there is a CD being sold at the current BPC catalogue titled: "Giorgio Samorini- The Psychoactive Plant Alan Among the Fang"

[Belitlil]

there is a CD being sold at the current BPC catalogue titled: "Giorgio Samorini- The Psychoactive Plant Alan Among the Fang"

Last sentence in the short description is: "He reveals that Alan is the true plant of the ancestors, not iboga, and describes how it is traditionally used and its entheogenic effects".

The following description is from another site...

"Alchornea floribunda (Iporuru, Nando) is used in Gabonese religions where the root has a reputation as an intoxicant and aphrodisiac. Niando is said to provide a state of intense excitement followed by a deep, sometimes fatal depression.

The locals report that they learned to use the Iporuru root after observing gorillas. It has now been shown that gorillas in Equatorial Guinea and chimpanzees in the Republic of Guinea use the Alchornea floribunda root as an intoxicant.

Indigenous Amazonian peoples and Venezuelan's use the Iporuru roots for everything from treating arthritis to an aphrodisiac to an added ingredient for making Ayahuasca."