Episode 72 – Bwiti In Da House

Eleven years ago, Dimitri Mugianis was a heroin addict who tried Iboga, the sacred medicine of the Gabon tribe and the Bwiti religion in Africa. Not only did it help cure his addiction (alongside his own efforts) and set him on a path as a Western medicine man following the call of spirit. Nicknamed the "Harlem Shaman," Mugianis began administering Iboga to addicts throughout New York City, as recounted in the 2009 documentary film 'I'm Dangerous With Love'.

Arrested by federal authorities in 2011, Mugianis saw the hand of a greater force in his arrest, deepening his work as a N'ganga (Bwiti) healer and commitment to the path. Eventually sentenced to only 45 days of house arrest by a judge sympathetic to his religious path and spiritual work, he speaks here with experiential journalist Rak Razam about addiction, Iboga, the rise in medicine workers worldwide, the law, and the need for love, above all.

Originally aired on: May 25, 2013