A plant-based psychoactive compound, ibogaine, is making headlines. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to accelerate research, regulatory review and access to psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine compounds. Texas is moving forward with its own research program, and Mississippi is funding clinical trials for the drug.
In 1970, ibogaine was classified as a Schedule I controlled substance by the federal government due to its high potential for abuse and no currently accepted medical use, making the drug and assisted therapy “illegal outside of specially approved research settings,” according to the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics.
Evidence on the drug remains limited, with how it works in the brain not being well understood, though interest has remained steady.
Here are four things to know:
1. The drug “interacts with numerous neurotransmitters in the central nervous system, including components of the acetylcholine, serotonin, dopamine, glutamate and opioid systems.” Its “effects are prolonged, beginning half an hour to three hours after ingestion and peaking after 18 to 36 hours.”
Ibogaine is described as producing a dreamlike state with visual and sensory distortions, followed by a period of reflection and heightened awareness. Effects can include temporary sleep disruption, and high doses may cause intense hallucinations.
2. In 1939, purified ibogaine hydrochloride was introduced to European consumers. The drug was sold in France as an antidepressant “that could improve mood and physical strength” before being withdrawn around 1970. Interest in its potential to treat addiction began in 1962 when a heroin user suggested ibogaine could interrupt substance dependence.
3. Ibogaine has been linked to fatal cardiac events and can cause side effects such as nausea, tremors, psychosis, seizures and coma. These risks are heightened in individuals with heart conditions or when combined with other substances, according to the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics.
4. Clinical research is still developing, with only one double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial being completed so far.
A 2023 review of 24 studies, including 705 people found reductions in withdrawal symptoms and cravings, but also identified concerns about heart toxicity and risk of death. The report cited at least 27 deaths linked to ibogaine use.
A 2024 Stanford (Calif.) University study suggested the drug may reduce symptoms of traumatic brain injury and mental disorders, though critics cited limitations, including the lack of a control group.
In a smaller study of 30 veterans, no serious cardiac events were reported when ibogaine was administered with intravenous magnesium, though researchers said the data is insufficient to confirm safety.
Several studies have shown ibogaine can assist in treating heroin, cocaine and opioid withdrawal and addiction.
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