Three-decade research development of ibogaine use for the treatment of substance-related disorders: a bibliometric analysis

Abstract Objective To evaluate the publications on ibogaine use for substance-related disorders treatment over the last three decades.

Method: Bibliometric analysis of publications on ibogaine for the treatment of substance-related disorders from 1991 to 2020 using VOSviewer software. We performed a Scopus database search using the terms: ibogaine, 12-methoxybogamine, endabuse, tabernanthe iboga, NIH-10567, and noribogaine. Publications related to ibogaine was compared between the three decades using the Tukey test at 95% confidence level, and the behavior period evaluated considered linear and polynomial regression models.

Results: Regression models indicated that publications dedicated to ibogaine for treating substance use disorders grew by 5.1 publications per year between 1991–2000 (R2 = 0.993). The period from 2001 to 2020 showed a different expansion compared to the previous period, with fluctuations within a constant flow of publications and an increase in the volume of publications was observed until the middle of this decade (R2 = 0.889). The same tendency was seen in the last decade, 2011–2020 (R2 = 0.949). The US is the most prominent country.

Conclusion: The present study indicates that, despite differences and fluctuations among the decades analyzed, publications continue year by year and propose future directions for new interventions in the public health.