The clinical importance of iboga alkaloids lies in their efficacy in reversing drug addiction and modulating drug tolerance. However, due to safety concerns, their use is restricted to appropriate medical supervision. These alkaloids often cause severe psychedelic effects due to differential binding to various brain receptors and cardiotoxicity by blocking the human ether-a-go-go-related gene...
Quality in SportApril 2, 2026Milena Majchrzyk, Weronika Walendziak, Magdalena Ostaszewska et al.
Introduction and aim of the study. Substance use disorders, including opioid, cocaine, and alcohol dependence, represent a significant global health challenge with high relapse rates despite existing treatments. Ibogaine, a naturally occurring indole alkaloid derived from Tabernanthe iboga, has attracted increasing scientific interest due to its reported ability to reduce withdrawal symptoms...
Abstract Alcohol use disorder is a major global health problem, and current treatments often fail to produce lasting reductions in harmful drinking1,2. Psychedelic-assisted therapies may promote durable behavioural change by enhancing brain plasticity during emotionally meaningful experiences, but progress has been limited by a lack of experimental models that capture these context-dependent...
Abstract Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition that affects millions of veterans. A recent observational study in 30 veterans showed that a single dose of the atypical psychedelic ibogaine can be highly effective at treating PTSD up to twelve months later. Although a prior study demonstrated that ibogaine transiently alters electroencephalography (EEG) power in...
The combination of bioinformatics and functional approaches was used to identify three cytochrome P450 from the CYP71 clan that perform the 19-hydroxylation of two monoterpene indole alkaloids (coronaridine and voacangine) from Voacanga thouarsii. Voacanga thouarsii is a medicinal plant from the Apocynaceae family producing monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs), notably iboga-type ones, to cope...
Abstract Background and aims Ibogaine, one of the oldest psychedelic alkaloids introduced to Western society and medicine, has a largely overlooked history prior to Howard Lotsof's accidental identification of its anti-addictive properties in the 1960s. This manuscript explores some previously hidden aspects of ibogaine, with a focus on the entangled cultural, colonial, and scientific histories...
Psychedelics have emerged as potential therapeutics for substance use disorders, yet preclinical data validating their efficacy remain limited. Here, we investigated the effects of a clinically inspired dose-escalation protocol of psilocybin and ibogaine on extinction and cue-induced reinstatement in Wistar male rats following intravenous cocaine self-administration (IVSA). Rats were trained on...
Ibogaine is a psychedelic alkaloid without an approved indication. Observational clinical research shows linkages between single administration of ibogaine and relief of symptoms of neuropsychiatric conditions including substance use disorder, multiple sclerosis, and traumatic brain injury. Ibogaine has multi-receptor actions, but the neurobiological mechanisms underlying such putative effects...
MoleculesFebruary 4, 2026Monica Patrícia Esperança, N. N. S. Gomes, Maria Graça Campos1 citation
Substance Use Disorder (SUD) constitutes a major and persistent global public health burden, accounting for approximately 600,000 deaths annually, largely driven by opioid use. Despite substantial advances in addiction neuroscience, currently approved therapeutic strategies remain limited in efficacy, as they predominantly target isolated neurobiological processes and fail to concurrently...
BackgroundIbogaine was recently found to result in significant functional improvements in treating the sequelae of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among Special Operations Forces veterans (SOVs). In the current study, we used multimodal neuroimaging to elucidate the neural correlates of ibogaine in 30 male SOVs who received ibogaine treatment.MethodsArterial spin labeling and blood oxygen...
Magnesium-ibogaine, a formulation combining ibogaine with pre- and post-treatment magnesium, was recently found to yield rapid clinical improvements in U.S. Special Operations veterans with TBI and PTSD. Yet, its therapeutic phenomenology during such healing is unknown. We analyzed post-session narratives from 30 male veterans who, after a single open-label magnesium-ibogaine treatment,...
AddictionJanuary 20, 2026Tibor Markus Brunt2 citations
Revived interest in psychedelic-assisted therapies has also renewed focus on ibogaine, a psychoactive alkaloid, for its notable anti-addictive potential. Evidence from observational, open-label, and limited randomized placebo-controlled trials indicates that ibogaine and its metabolite noribogaine reduce craving and withdrawal symptoms in opioid and cocaine-dependent individuals, primarily...
The psychedelic substance, ibogaine, has garnered growing interest among policymakers, researchers, and the public in its potential use for opioid use disorder (OUD). Many states are allocating significant funds to investigate it further. However, some proponents of ibogaine are framing it in opposition to (versus complementary to) standard, mortality-reducing medications for OUD (MOUD)....
Abstract Background and Aims Parkinson's disease (PD) significantly impairs quality of life, and current treatments do not halt dopaminergic neurodegeneration. Evidence suggests that ibogaine, a naturally occurring indole alkaloid, may stimulate glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) expression and affect dopamine transporter (DAT) function. This case study reports the effects of...
INTRODUCTION: Ibogaine is a natural hallucinogen with emerging evidence for treating substance use disorders. However, its cardiovascular effects are not fully known, and most clinical data focus on opioid dependence, with limited data for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). This study assessed the feasibility, safety, and preliminary effects of ibogaine in patients with AUD. METHOD: In this...