09/06/2022
ntroduction
Ibogaine is a psychoactive alkaloid with hallucinogenic properties present in the root bark of Tabernanthe iboga, a tropical plant traditionally used in rites of passage and ethnomedicine in African countries such as Congo and Gabon1. Its anti-addictive properties were discovered serendipitously in the sixties by Howard Lotsof, who at that time was a he**in user and noticed that after using ibogaine his craving for he**in was significantly reduced. Since then, thousands of people have been treated with ibogaine to address drug dependence and/or for personal growth2.
Pre-clinical research has demonstrated the anti-addictive properties of ibogaine in different animal species with reductions in
self-administered morphine, co***ne, (meth)-amphetamines, alcohol and nicotine3. Ibogaine was also found to reduce or eliminate drug craving and withdrawal in humans in several case series and in clinical settings, but randomized trials are lacking4-7.
Indeed, the number of ibogaine clinics and ibogaine treatment providers has been increasing during the last few years. In 2008 it was estimated that 3,414 people used ibogaine, approximately a fourfold increase relative to the estimation of 857 from five years before8. From those 3,414 subjects, 68% used ibogaine for the treatment of drug addiction. In New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, ibogaine can be prescribed for the treatment of drug addiction (the legal status of ibogainaround the world .