Ibogaine

Ibogaine is a naturally occurring indole alkaloid that is the active chemical compound (12-methoxyibogamine) found in the root bark of the Apocynaceae (or dogbane) plant family native to Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, and the Americas. Such plants that contain the chemical compound include the Tabernanthe iboga, Voacanga Africana, and Tabernaemontana undulata species. Ibogaine is a naturally occurring psychoactive substance that had long been harvested for traditional coming-of-age rituals and ceremonies in West Africa, but it has more recently been used and studied in many industrialized nations for the nontraditional treatment of opiate addiction and acute withdrawal.

Pharmacologically, ibogaine is a monoamine alkaloid (tryptamine) that is a serotonin receptor agonist (including 5-HT2A, 5-HT2C, and 5-HT3), a κ-opioid receptor agonist, and an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist. Metabolism occurs ...