Iboga

[Tabernanthe iboga]

Toxicity

Symptoms

Symptoms: Anxiety, cardiac arrest, convulsions, depression, fear, hallucinations, impaired cognition, impaired motor skills, light sensitivity, loss of muscular coordination, muscle spasms, nausea, paralysis, rage, seizures, tremors, ventricular tachyarrhythmia, vomiting.

Duration of Symptoms: 4 hours - 20 hours (could be days - weeks)

Rate of Poison: 1 - 3 hours

Causes Death: Yes (33 reports)

Treatment: Hospitalization

This plant is known as a "heart breaker" causing cardiac arrest for those who ingest the plants. However, it was also researched that the chemical component ibogaine has the potential to alleviate, if not eliminate, opioid addiction with little-to-no withdrawal side effects. Unfortunately, ibogaine has been labeled a Schedule I drug on a federal level, so studying its effects against opioids has been rather difficult.

Photo: No Author - Wikimedia Commons

Main Toxin

Molecular structure of ibogaine (PubChem)

Ibogaine

A psychoactive indole alkaloid that targets various neurotransmitter systems and neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitter systems include acetylcholine, dopamine, glutamate receptors, nicotinic receptors, NMDA, opoid receptors (kappa and mu), serotonin, and sigma-2 receptor sites. Ibogaine is considered to be a cholinesterase inhibitor as well as an inhibitor of oxidation of serotonin. Also targets hERG by blocking the gene in the heart. This causes the heart to be not be able to repolarize after a contraction in a timely manner. This delay causes arrhythmia and could result in cardiac arrest. One study has concluded that ibogaine is approximately 2.4 times more potent than its metabolite, noribogaine. Ibogaine metabolizes in the gut and liver into the metabolite noribogaine. Like the ibogaine, noribogaine targets hERG by blocking the gene in the heart. It is a contributor to long lasting effects after the consumption of the Tabernanthe Iboga.

Level of Toxin: Root - 0.3%

Impacting Dosage: 4.5 - 55 mg/kg Typical dose range around 500 - 800 mg

Other Toxins and Chemical Components

18-MC

Voacangine

Ibogaline

Ibogamine

Tabernanthine

General Information

Parts of Plant: Leaves, root, seeds, stem

Contact Hazard: No

Animals Affected: Dogs, rats

Notes: Classified as Schedule I substance in U.S. Studies of how ibogaine combats addictions is not conclusive or recognized by the U.S.

Medicinal Value

General Information

Parts of Plant: Leaves, root

Properties: Analgesic, anesthetic, anthelmintic, anti-addictive, anticonvulsant, aphrodisiac, febrifuge, hallucinogenic, narcotic, odontalgic, ophthalmic, sedative, stimulant, tonic.

Components: Ibogaine hydrochloride, noribogaine.

Antidote: Drug and alcohol addiction

Preparation: Decoction, extract

Historical Uses

Current Uses

Treatments

Asthenia: Ibogaine used as a neuromuscular stimulant.
Depression: 8 mg tablets
Fatigue: 8 mg tablets
Infectious Disease: 8 mg tablets

Location

Africa: Used for medicinal and religious purposes.
France: Used for depression, fatigue, and infectious disease.
New York: In 1962, Howard Lotsof took ibogaine, which alleviated his cravings for heroine. He conducted a study on his drug-addicted friends, most reported no physical dependence, some reported no psychological dependence.

Claimed Treatments

Alcohol Addiction: Ibogaine used to treat alcohol addiction.
Conjunctivitis: Root decoction.
Cough: Root mixed with palm wine.
Drug Addiction: Ibogaine used to treat alcohol addiction. In a study involving rats, Ibogaine has been noted to control addiction towards alcohol, cocaine, nicotine, and opioids.
Fatigue: Decoction, extracts (low dosage)
Hunger: Decoction, extracts (low dosage)
Thirst: Decoction, extracts (low dosage)
Toothache: Warmed leaves.
Urinary Infections: Root decoction

Location

Dominican Republic of the Congo: Decoction of root used to treat conjunctivitis, root also used to treat cough and urinary infection.
West Central Africa: Used to control fatigue, hunger, and thirst by using low levels of iboga extract.

Edibility

Parts of Plant: None known

Nutrients: None known

Taste: Bitter

WARNING: !DO NOT CONSUME!

Historical Uses

Current Uses

Preparation Methods

None known

Preparation Methods

None known

General Facts

Plant Facts

Illustration of Iboga by D.A. Wilkerson

Family: Apocynaceae (Oleander Family)

Genus: Tabernanthe

Other Names: Bitter Grass, Black Bugbane Eboka, Leaf of God, Sacred Wood, Tree of Knowledge.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bloom Colours: Pink, White

Bloom Time: September - February

Type: Perennial

Height: 3 - 30 feet

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Habitat: Forest, swamp, wet savanna.

Origin: West Central Africa

States: Very southern-most states

Provinces: None known

Related Species

Tabernanthe elliptica
(Elliptica Tabernanthe)

Photo: Bart Wursten - Flickr

License: Public Domain

Sources

Toxicity Section

Baill. (n.d.). Tabernanthe iboga - Baill. Plants For A Future. From https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Tabernanthe+iboga
Bourobou Bourobou, H.P., 2006. Tabernanthe iboga Baill. [Internet] Record from PROTA4U. Schmelzer, G.H. & Gurib-Fakim, A. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands. <http://www.prota4u.org/search.asp>
DHAHIR, H. I. (1971). A Comparative Study On The Toxicity Of Ibogaine And Serotonin (Order No. 7125341). Available from Dissertations & Theses @ CIC Institutions; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global; ProQuest One Academic. (302612873). Retrieved from http://ulib.iupui.edu/cgi-bin/proxy.pl?url=http://search.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/comparative-study-on-toxicity-ibogaine-serotonin/docview/302612873/se-2
Dickinson, J. (n.d.) Iboga Root: Dynamics of Iboga's African Origins and Modern Medicinal Use. American Botanical Council. From https://www.herbalgram.org/resources/herbalgram/issues/109/table-of-contents/hg109-feat-iboga/
Goutarel, R., Gollnhofer, O., & Sillans, R. (1993). Pharmacodynamics and therapeutic applications of iboga and ibogaine. Psychedelic Monographs and Essays, 6(71-111). From https://ibogainedossier.com/bwiti1.html
Koenig, X., & Hilber, K. (2015). The anti-addiction drug ibogaine and the heart: a delicate relation. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 20(2), 2208–2228. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules20022208
Kubilienė, A., Marksienė, R., Kazlauskas, S., Sadauskienė, I., Ražukas, A., & Ivanov, L. (2008). Acute toxicity of ibogaine and noribogaine. Medicina, 44(12), 984. From https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19142057/
Largo, M. (2014). The Big, Bad Book of Botany: The World's Most Fascinating Flora. HarperCollins Publishers. (pp.207-208)
Litjens, R. P., & Brunt, T. M. (2016). How toxic is ibogaine?. Clinical toxicology (Philadelphia, Pa.), 54(4), 297–302. https://doi.org/10.3109/15563650.2016.1138226
Luz, M., & Mash, D. C. (2021). Evaluating the toxicity and therapeutic potential of ibogaine in the treatment of chronic opioid abuse. Expert Opinion on Drug Metabolism & Toxicology, 17(9), 1019-1022.
Stewart, A. (2009). Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. (pp. 63-65)

Medicinal Value Section

Baill. (n.d.). Tabernanthe iboga - Baill. Plants For A Future. From https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Tabernanthe+iboga
Bourobou Bourobou, H.P., 2006. Tabernanthe iboga Baill. [Internet] Record from PROTA4U. Schmelzer, G.H. & Gurib-Fakim, A. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands. <http://www.prota4u.org/search.asp>
DHAHIR, H. I. (1971). A Comparative Study On The Toxicity Of Ibogaine And Serotonin (Order No. 7125341). Available from Dissertations & Theses @ CIC Institutions; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global; ProQuest One Academic. (302612873). Retrieved from http://ulib.iupui.edu/cgi-bin/proxy.pl?url=http://search.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/comparative-study-on-toxicity-ibogaine-serotonin/docview/302612873/se-2
Dickinson, J. (n.d.) Iboga Root: Dynamics of Iboga's African Origins and Modern Medicinal Use. American Botanical Council. From https://www.herbalgram.org/resources/herbalgram/issues/109/table-of-contents/hg109-feat-iboga/
Elisabetsky, E. (2002). Ethnomedicine and Drug Discovery. Advances in Phytomedicine. From https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/tabernanthe-iboga
Goutarel, R., Gollnhofer, O., & Sillans, R. (1993). Pharmacodynamics and therapeutic applications of iboga and ibogaine. Psychedelic Monographs and Essays, 6(71-111). From https://ibogainedossier.com/bwiti1.html
Koenig, X., & Hilber, K. (2015). The anti-addiction drug ibogaine and the heart: a delicate relation. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 20(2), 2208–2228. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules20022208
Largo, M. (2014). The Big, Bad Book of Botany: The World's Most Fascinating Flora. HarperCollins Publishers. (pp.207-208)
Litjens, R. P., & Brunt, T. M. (2016). How toxic is ibogaine?. Clinical toxicology (Philadelphia, Pa.), 54(4), 297–302. https://doi.org/10.3109/15563650.2016.1138226
Luz, M., & Mash, D. C. (2021). Evaluating the toxicity and therapeutic potential of ibogaine in the treatment of chronic opioid abuse. Expert Opinion on Drug Metabolism & Toxicology, 17(9), 1019-1022.
Stewart, A. (2009). Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. (pp. 63-65)

Edibility Section

Wikipedia (2024). Tabernanthe iboga. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabernanthe_iboga

General Facts Section [Insufficient Data]

Bourobou Bourobou, H.P., 2006. Tabernanthe iboga Baill. [Internet] Record from PROTA4U. Schmelzer, G.H. & Gurib-Fakim, A. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands. <http://www.prota4u.org/search.asp>
Dickinson, J. (n.d.) Iboga Root: Dynamics of Iboga's African Origins and Modern Medicinal Use. American Botanical Council. From https://www.herbalgram.org/resources/herbalgram/issues/109/table-of-contents/hg109-feat-iboga/
Largo, M. (2014). The Big, Bad Book of Botany: The World's Most Fascinating Flora. HarperCollins Publishers. (pp.207-208)
Stewart, A. (2009). Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. (pp. 63-65)

Date of page creation: August 28, 2022

Updated page: June 16, 2024

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse