Ibogaine can solve the opiod crisis in the United States of America.

Ibogaine is a naturally-occurring psychoactive compound frequently extracted from the root bark of Tabernanthe iboga, the plant source of ibogaine, which has its origins in the Bwiti cult of Gabon, a Central African religious group (1). In Gabon, the government has declared iboga as “a national treasure,” but in the U.S., ibogaine is listed as a Schedule I drug, meaning it is considered to have high abuse potential and no medical value. In other countries such as New Zealand, Mexico, the Bahamas, Canada, Australia, Spain, Brazil, Costa Rica, and South Africa, ibogaine treatment is currently used in clinical and medical contexts for treating substance use disorders (SUD). In these contexts, the ibogaine is often derived via semi-synthesis from a more widely available alternative African plant called Voacanga africana.

How ibogaine works in treating addiction is not yet fully understood. It is known to possess multiple mechanisms of action that can simultaneously alleviate the acute symptoms of opioid withdrawal, reduce opioid use and cravings for extended periods or permanently, engender novel insights about the psychological origins of one’s addiction, and improve mood. Human anecdotal reports and case studies have also indicated that ibogaine can help reduce cravings to a variety of other highly addictive drugs such as cocaine, amphetamines, and alcohol (2). Additionally, iboga has a host of medical benefits including antifungal and anti-parasitic properties, and is being investigated as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease due to its ability to regenerate dopamine cells in the brain.

Studying Ibogaine 

The largest observational study to date evaluating the efficacy of ibogaine treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) was recently published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Psychedelic Studies. The retrospective study, published in September 2017, enrolled 88 former patients with chronic opioid use (75% had used 4 years or more) who had previously received ibogaine treatment at the Crossroads Treatment Center (Crossroads) in Mexico between 2012 and 2015. The collaborative study, conducted by members from the John Hopkins Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit, Crossroads Treatment Center, and the Yale School of Medicine, shows promising evidence for ibogaine as a treatment for people struggling with opioid addiction.

In the retrospective ibogaine study, the majority of individuals (80%) experienced a drastic reduction or elimination of withdrawal symptoms, and 41 percent reported sustained abstinence from opioids at the time of survey, being opioid free for at least 6 months or more. The authors found that about one third (30%) of participants reported never using any opioids again after ibogaine treatment. In this one third that reported never using opioids again, at the time of follow up, 54% had maintained abstinence for at least 1 year and 31% had been abstinent for 2 or more years. Although 48% of the full sample reported a lapse or relapse after treatment, they reported decreased consumption from pretreatment levels.

The results of the study are very encouraging when compared to traditional opioid maintenance therapies (OMT) and considering the magnitude of the current national opioid crisis. 66% of the sample of ibogaine patients had previously attempted treatment with Suboxone, and 42% had tried methadone, the most common forms of OMT. In contrasting ibogaine to mainstream approaches to addressing addiction, 85% said that looking back they would have made the same decision to take ibogaine again and 71% indicated that ibogaine was “much better” compared to other treatments they had tried. The results of the study are particularly notable considering that on October 26, 2017 the U.S. President declared the growing opioid epidemic, “a national public health emergency.” The U.S. accounts for a quarter of drug-related deaths worldwide, and drug overdose, largely due to opioids, is now the primary cause of accidental death in the U.S. In the midst of the current opioid epidemic, Americans are struggling to find effective treatment options for OUD, and ibogaine advocates are not giving up in working to make this treatment available.