Some addicts are doin' it for themselves. An international network of self-helpers has gone underground to use ibogaine, a novel therapy that not only frees them from chemical dependence but offers symptom-free withdrawal. An extract found in the root bark of the African shrub Tabernanthe iboga, ibogaine has traditionally been used in spiritual quests and has psychedelic effects.

"Ibogaine reset my clock," explains Amy*, a lifelong heroin user. "I hallucinated my brains out for a day. When I got to the other side, I was exhausted, but I was grateful not to have experienced all the pain of withdrawal. For a couple of months, I did not have any craving for heroin."Her experience confirms other anecdotal reports about ibogaine, a natural compound that seems to break the iron grip of heroin addiction almost overnight. Its effects can last up to several months.

A major obstacle toward government approval has been ibogaine's classification as a Schedule 1 substance, which makes it illegal to use or possess in the United States. For years, advocates have pushed for clinical trials to prove ibogaine's benefits but instead have encountered public hysteria and opposition to using "psychedelic gateway" drugs in any way.

After initiating early studies, the National Institute on Drug Abuse abandoned its research into ibogaine's effectiveness as a heroin blocker, saying it produced neurotoxicity and cardiovascular problems, among other serious reactions. Two deaths have been reported: one due to a pre-ibogaine cardiac condition; the other due to using heroin with ibogaine. The combination can be fatal, warns Howard Lotsoff, president of NDA International, an ibogaine advocacy group.

Scientists have now come up with a more palatable solution: 18-MC (methoxycoronaridine), a compound closely related to ibogaine. Studies in rats have shown that 18-MC produces fewer adverse effects, such as hallucinations, neurotoxicity, and bradycardia (a slowing of the heart), than ibogaine. Researches hope pharmaceutical companies will provide a boost by funding futher studies. Die-hard ibogaine fans feel confident that planned human, clinical trials of the root bark will begin soon in ex-Soviet bloc nations, where heroin addiction is rising fast. Positive results may pave the way for U.S. approval. Having tapped out $3,000 on the black market for her first ibogaine ride, Amy says, "If I could have been treated four to six months after, it would have been great." Instead, ibogaine's effects have worn off, and she's still battling her addiction today.

* a pseudonym