Testosterone Theory of Iboga
My guess is that there is any number of biochemical changes that occur after taking iboga but that these are at best secondary to the change in our consciousness as a result of our encounter with the spirit of the plant. It is human nature to try and find a rational explanation for the after effects of plant medicines but honestly, I think that approach belittles the true power of the plant. To me its like seeing a beautiful sunset then asking if the level of smog in the air was responsible for it rather than thanking the sun! The smog may affect the color to some extent but it was the work of the sun and the earth, not the smog. Even if your theory is true, there is no way to prove that the increased concentration is significant enough or lasts long enough to be the major catalyst/reason for the improved mental state as we have an individual sensitivity to our hormones - what's high for one person is low for another. Some guys get very aggressive when their testosterone levels increase ….. ! I experience cycles of this sense of well being after micro dosing long after I've stopped taking it. How would your theory explain that? What is the effect of the slow release of noribogaine on various receptors in the brain? When you are healed of what is causing you emotional and/or physical pain, wouldn't the normal state of mind be one of peace and well being? I have been reading The Hummingbird's Journey to God. There is a passage where a shaman is talking about San Pedro but it applies to all plant medicines - it reflects my view on scientific explanations. Quote: I sometimes get asked things like this, mostly by scientists and academics. They want to know what the 'make up' of San Pedro is, what its 'active ingredients' are and 'how it works'. I tell them I don't know and I don't care, because for me it is not the 'mescaline content' or its 'properties' that are most important. San Pedro is a healing spirit that produces miracles. Part of the disease itself, it seems to me, is the need to 'know' and to explain the world in terms of its 'mechanisms', when its nuts and bolts really don't matter at all. It is the beauty of the world that should attract, engage,and inspire us.
Is not the state of our consciousness intimately tied with our biochemistry? I don't believe that consciousness itself arises from matter, but I do believe it is colored and filtered through our neurochemistry and hormones. I am not saying our state is caused by our bodies, nor the other way around. I am saying that it is an incredibly intimate and mysterious dance. I do not aim to reduce these deeply spiritual matters to simple matter. But I think it's useful to make connections to it. I'm not looking for reasons, I'm looking for correlations. I would argue that there IS a way to prove it: just measure levels before and after the flood. The idea that people get aggressive when they take testosterone is largely a myth. Low serotonin is associated with aggression. High testosterone is actually associated with feelings of well-being. (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091208132241.htm , http://men.webmd.com/news/20031111/dont-blame-testosterone-for-aggression) Although I agree wholeheartedly with the Hummingbird's sentiment. I find that I am healthiest when I'm not focusing on my health. But it is a dance. Am I healthy because I'm not focusing on the nuts and bolts, or am I not focusing on the nuts and bolts because I am finally healthy? Either way, it is a dance. I think maybe the purpose of raising the testosterone question is to appeal to those diagnosed with low testosterone, or to appeal to the scientific community to show Iboga's medical power. Perhaps it won't be scheduled and repressed if we can prove that it has such medical benefit as raising testosterone?