For the past decade, Ibogaine’s use as a natural, therapeutic way to reset addictive patterns in the brain and mitigate substance abuse has primarily been tapped by naturopathic communities. However, after millions of successful, long-term cases of sobriety post-Ibogaine have surfaced, the scientific community is finally beginning to focus its attention on the plant’s healing capabilities.
The History and Science of Ibogaine
Ibogaine is an organic compound belonging to the class of indole alkaloids that has natural psychoactive properties. It is primarily found in the roots of a perennial rainforest shrub known as Tabernanthe Iboga, which is native to the jungles of Central-West Africa. The roots of the Iboga plant contain a significant amount of Ibogaine, which is extracted for its potent medicinal effects.
Although there are different forms of Ibogaine extract available, the hydrochloride form, Ibogaine HCL, has the highest concentration of the alkaloid. Clinical studies have shown that Ibogaine is responsible for reducing post-acute withdrawal symptoms (PAWS) and resetting the body and mind to a pre-addicted state, making it an effective treatment for substance detoxification.
Ibogaine and its analogs stand alone among decades worth of various other substance detox efforts which Western medicine has used to try and offset addiction permanently — making Ibogaine the first ‘new’ substance abuse therapy in generations.
Notably in the medical industry, DemeRx, Inc. — a U.S.-based, clinical-stage pharmaceutical company that has been developing Ibogaine to treat opioid dependence — has been making strides in bringing Ibogaine to the mainstream.
In 2021, DemeRx began a clinical trial involving recreational drug users who were dosed with Ibogaine HCL.
“By launching the trial, we look forward to bringing important data from carefully designed, controlled studies to the existing literature on Ibogaine, a compound with substantial history,” said Dr. Deborah Mash, DemeRx CEO, and president, and one of the early pioneers in the Ibogaine world. “We are hopeful that this early trial can begin to establish a safe and efficacious profile for Ibogaine, so that we can potentially offer a new option for patients seeking to break free from OUD (Opiate Use Disorder) who have far too few options.”
And in 2022, Delix Therapeutics — a neuroscience company that utilizes psychoplastogen compounds as small molecules capable of quickly initiating neural change in desired areas of the brain — began modeling their treatments after psychedelics. Delix-generated molecules are said by company leaders to be, “inspired by psychedelic compounds [to] preserve their efficacy-promoting mechanisms while avoiding their hallucinogenic properties and other safety liabilities.”
Ibogaine’s Effectiveness in Treating Addiction
Ibogaine is among the substances currently being used by Delix to utilize therapeutic benefits in patients whilst removing visionary properties, making their efforts the first to potentially eliminate the psycho-spiritual experience while still yielding all of the therapeutic benefits. Delix founders hope to treat “depression, substance use disorder, PTSD, cognitive impairment in schizophrenia, neurodegeneration, and other conditions.”
An MD- and PhD-founded company called Gilgamesh is also inspired to bring the medicinal benefits of Ibogaine and psychedelics to the mainstream in a safe and medically-approved way.
According to PrimeMovers Lab, which has invested in Gilgamesh’s efforts, “Ibogaine has been demonstrated to have a powerful disruptive effect in addiction, but the natural compound itself has several less desirable features, including cardiac toxicity in some individuals.
The Future of Ibogaine: Implications for Mainstream Medicine
The Gilgamesh team is working on a safer, possibly more efficacious Ibogaine analog that has the potential to disrupt the treatment of substance abuse disorders with a better therapeutic index. The potential of these compounds to impact addiction is profound — and badly needed.”
In the past decade or more, Ibogaine has proven to be the one psychedelic medicine that both government agencies and even scientists have been reluctant to work with — due to the aforementioned interactions with the heart and QT interval. But if Ibogaine is used in a controlled setting with the right cardiac life support equipment in place — like constant EKG monitoring — those concerns may prove to be unfounded.
The most important piece in seeking treatment — for oneself or a loved one who is battling addiction — is to ensure the Ibogaine facility you choose has extensive experience, qualified medical staff, emergency-response equipment on-site, and integrity in care.
Matt Sudowski, an Ibogaine provider at Ibogaine Healing Center (IHC), located in Costa Rica welcomes more access to the healing properties of ibogaine but is skeptical that these new analogs will be more efficacious for opioid use disorder and substance abuse disorder. “Iboga, the plant that ibogaine is extracted from, has been used for millennia by the Bwiti. This history suggests that iboga and ibogaine are well tolerated by humans. With proper screening and monitoring a safe treatment can be implemented. We combine our screening and monitoring with the staircase method of dosing which decreases complications even further.”
Matt also commented that increasing the amount of time of treatment from the typical 5-7 days to 14-21 in showing a significant increase in abstinence for the user. Iboga Healing Center guests receive two or more Ibogaine and Iboga sessions to lock in the gains.
Current science suggests that ibogaine and its analogs, such as noribogaine, may have a complex mechanism of action that involves the modulation of multiple neurotransmitter systems in the brain, including the dopamine, serotonin, and glutamate systems. It is thought that ibogaine may help to reset the brain’s reward pathways and reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms associated with addiction.
Overall, while there is some promising research on the potential therapeutic effects of ibogaine and its analogs, more research is needed to fully understand the risks and benefits of these substances and to determine whether they could be useful tools in treating addiction and other psychiatric conditions.
