Medicinal Media LLC announces the publication of Heart Medicine: A True Love Story – One Couple’s Quest for the Sacred Iboga Medicine & the Cure for Addiction, an intimate memoir written by Elizabeth Bast, set to release in August 2015. In Heart Medicine: A True Love Story, author Bast shares the story about iboga as a miraculous treatment for heroin addiction for her husband, acclaimed visionary street artist Chor Boogie. In 2014, Boogie experienced a drug relapse after being clean for over 13 years. The new book follows the couple’s journey in search of the sacred plant medicine iboga, indigenous to Central West Africa, known for its spiritual healing and powerful addiction-breaking effects. The 240+-page book will be available digitally in August 2015, and in print in September 2015 through sites such as Amazon as well as brick and mortar retailers including alternative health stores. For more information, please visit http://www.ebast.net. The first chapter of the book is freely offered on the author’s website, along with links to her published articles.

Currently, an Indiegogo campaign is running to raise funds to independently publish and promote the first run of this book. The campaign runs through Thursday, May 14, 2015. Perks include Boogie’s recent iboga-inspired art in high-quality prints as well as stunning original paintings on canvas. Copies of the new book are also offered as incentives.

Award-winning spray paint artist Chor Boogie, whose work has exhibited in major museums around the globe, courageously agreed to try a radical treatment option to deal with his addictions. “My husband’s full participation resulted in a healing miracle unlike any I’ve ever seen in my life,” reports author Bast. “Within 24 hours of the first treatment, Chor was a new man. He was completely purified of his cravings and physical dependence. Spirit returned to his eyes and light returned to his face. An 8-day retreat followed, offering teachings and guidance for a new path in life.” Boogie was inspired to begin meditation and yoga, for the first time, after his iboga journey. He credits these new practices, in addition to his own intentions, for supporting his sustained success.

Heart Medicine: A True Love Story – Synopsis –
Heart Medicine: A True Love Story is the tale of two lovers and a shocking drug relapse. Early in 2014, acclaimed street artist Chor Boogie experienced a drug relapse after being clean for over 13 years. Disheartened by the toxic pharmaceutical treatment options for opiate addiction and the low rates of long-term recovery offered by traditional Western treatment programs, the artist’s wife, Elizabeth Bast, learned about iboga. The couple’s quest led them to a 10th generation African Bwiti Shaman named Moughenda Mikala, who runs a healing retreat center and government licensed detox program in Costa Rica.

The memoir, written by Bast, follows the couple’s journey as they navigate the treacherous labyrinth of addiction and ultimately pursue treatment with the obscure indigenous sacred plant medicine. The medicine not only detoxified her husband’s addiction, but it also enriched their relationship.

Going forward, additional funds received from the aforementioned Indiegogo campaign will support the stretch goals of the couple’s iboga provider training. Bast and Boogie have been accepted to apprentice with Moughenda in Costa Rica. The couple also went to Gabon, Africa in December 2014 to begin the first module of training with Moughenda and his tribe. They plan to dedicate this next year to study iboga and the Bwiti tradition in-depth.

“After experiencing our own healing miracle, we both felt the call to learn more and help others,” says the couple. “We plan to serve as iboga providers, in countries where this sacred medicine is legal.”

Iboga –
Tabernanthe iboga, or simply iboga, is a perennial rainforest shrub native to Central West Africa used since ancient times for spiritual healing and has been proven through many clinical studies to have powerful addiction-breaking effects. It stimulates the central nervous system when taken in small doses and induces visions in larger doses. The bark of the root is chewed for pharmacological as well as ritualistic purposes. Ibogaine, the active alkaloid, is also used to treat a wide variety of addictions and depression.

Iboga extracts, as well as the purified alkaloid ibogaine, are used in treating opiate addiction. Ibogaine alleviates withdrawal symptoms during detoxification by resetting the opiate receptor sites. Once therapy is complete, no further use of ibogaine is necessary. Unlike methadone, which leads to chemical dependency, ibogaine is non-addictive and is not taken on a continuing basis after treatment. Programs generally last for several days and, upon completion, the subject is no longer physically dependent on the opiate. Evidence suggests that ibogaine may also help to interrupt addiction to alcohol and nicotine.

Iboga research has been increasing in recent years. For instance, Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)-sponsored researchers are collecting observational data for the first prospective ibogaine outcome studies in order to contribute to the growing scientific literature about ibogaine as a treatment for drug addiction. Founded in 1986, MAPS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and educational organization that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful uses of psychedelics and marijuana.

Drug Related Deaths & Relapse Details –
Drug overdose death rates have been steadily rising since 1992, with a 118% increase from 1999 to 2011, according to the Center for Disease Control & Prevention. In 2012, 183,000 drug-related deaths occurred globally, mostly overdoses, with opioid overdose being the largest category, according to The United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime 2014 World Drug Report. Methadone treatment and other kinds of “drug replacement therapies” can last between one to 20 years, or more. These legal drugs are known to be as toxic and addictive as heroin, though they are more stable than street drugs and can sometimes alleviate the dangers associated with the black market. An estimated 90% of opiate addicts relapse in the first year, after undergoing traditional treatment programs in the Western medical system.

“The world is in dire need of more qualified iboga providers,” says Bast.

Elizabeth Bast –
Elizabeth Bast is a writer, poet, yoga teacher, yogic lifestyle coach, visual and performance artist, fusion temple dancer, and musician. She studied at New College of San Francisco with an emphasis on Art and Social Change. She is currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Chor Boogie –
San Francisco-based Chor Boogie, aka Joaquin Lamar Hailey, is an internationally acclaimed spray paint artist. His visionary murals and art exhibitions have graced many countries across the globe. Societe Perrier honored him as number three among their Top Ten U.S. Street Artists of 2014. His approach to color functions as a form of therapy and visual medicine and, accordingly, he has been dubbed “The Color Shaman” by comrades and fans. Public art commissions include The New Children’s Museum (San Diego), the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, and the 2008 Summer Olympics (Beijing). The San Francisco Arts Commission also funded one of his more prominent works, “The Color Therapy of Perception.” In 2014, Equity Office Properties commissioned Boogie for a monumental work that paid tribute to pop music icons in Times Square, which entailed painting his modern hieroglyphics for 30 days straight for an average of 12 hours per day. He has held shows in Mexico City, Brazil, and Dubai. He is frequently commissioned to create large-scale portraits; Jay-Z and Hugh Hefner are among his many high profile subjects. His works are also in several corporate collections, including Google and Zazzle.

Links –
• Elizabeth Bast – www.ebast.net
• Chor Boogie – www.chorboogie.com
• Chor Boogie on Instagram – www.instagram.com/chorboogie
• Indiegogo Campaign – www.igg.me/at/heartmedicine