Research Hub

The science behind ibogaine — as it actually stands.

Clinical trials, peer-reviewed outcome data, comparative research, and the history of ibogaine science — from Howard Lotsof's first observations in 1962 to the ongoing Phase 2 trials. We cover the findings, including the ones that complicate the story.

We cover the evidence as it exists — promising results and unresolved questions both.
No study is cited without context: sample size, methodology, and limitations are part of the story.
We don't selectively report the findings that support a preferred conclusion.
History and ethnobotany are covered here alongside clinical science — context is evidence too.
83%
Veterans reporting significant PTSD improvement — Stanford / MAPS, 2023
1962
Year ibogaine's anti-addictive properties were first documented
30+
Peer-reviewed studies covered in this hub
Research domains covered in this pillar
Clinical Trials & Outcomes

What the studies actually show

Analysis

SR17018: A Research Compound, a Strawberry Chewable, and the 7-OH Withdrawal Problem

SR-17018 is being sold direct-to-consumer as a 10-day kratom "receptor reset." What the compound actually is, what's not known, why the science is interesting, and why the ibogaine field is watching.

Pharmacology

Ibogaine Without the Trip: The Analog Pipeline and the Question It Can't Answer

Noribogaine, 18-MC, tabernanthalog. Three compounds designed to keep ibogaine's mechanism while shedding its clinical complications. Where the science stands, what's preclinical, and the open question none of them have answered.

Neuroimaging

Stanford Scanned Veterans' Brains Before and After Ibogaine. You Probably Missed the Results.

A July 2025 paper in Nature Mental Health used EEG to show measurable changes in brain-wave patterns after ibogaine treatment. The findings correlate directly with PTSD and TBI improvements. Almost no mainstream coverage.

Emerging Research

Ibogaine and Traumatic Brain Injury: What the Evidence Shows

TBI is one of the most underfunded areas of ibogaine research — and one of the most compelling. A look at the neurological mechanisms, the early trial data, and what researchers believe is happening in the brain.

Clinical Analysis

Treatment-Resistant PTSD and the VA: Why Standard Care Is Failing

The VA's existing toolkit — SSRIs, prolonged exposure, EMDR — leaves a significant portion of veterans without meaningful relief. What ibogaine research offers as a potential second line, and where the evidence is and isn't solid.

Comparative Research

Ibogaine vs. other treatments

Comparison

Ibogaine vs. Ketamine: A Research-Based Comparison

Both are dissociative agents with documented antidepressant and anti-addictive properties. The comparison people keep asking for — evidence base, mechanism, duration of effect, risk profile, and what each one is actually suited for.

Comparison

Ibogaine vs. Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: How the Evidence Compares

Psilocybin, MDMA, and ibogaine are all in Phase 2 or 3 trials. How does ibogaine's evidence base compare — on methodology, outcomes, populations studied, and where each shows the most promise?

Comparison

Ibogaine vs. VA Standard of Care: What the Research Says

An evidence-based look at what the VA currently offers — and what ibogaine trials show in the same populations. Not a case for ibogaine over the VA, but an honest side-by-side of what the data says about each.

Safety, Mechanism & History

How it works — and where it comes from

History & Science

The Science and History of Ibogaine's Anti-Addictive Properties

From Howard Lotsof's 1962 self-experiment to GDNF upregulation and the opioid receptor reset. How ibogaine went from a Schedule I curiosity to one of the most-studied compounds in addiction medicine — and why it took sixty years.

Safety Research

Ibogaine Deaths: What the Safety Record Actually Shows

Ibogaine has a documented fatality record. Most deaths involve cardiac events in unscreened patients. A clear-eyed look at the data — how many, under what conditions, what the risk factors are, and what adequate medical screening prevents.

Combination Research

Ibogaine + 5-MeO-DMT: What the Research Shows

Several clinics now offer ibogaine followed by 5-MeO-DMT in a single program. The practice is ahead of the research — but early data and clinical observations are starting to build a picture of what the combination does and why.

History & Culture

Iboga and the Bwiti: A Tradition the West Inherited Without Asking

The Bwiti of Gabon figured out iboga's safety, dosing, and capacity to heal. They did it empirically, centuries before Western medicine met the molecule. The ethnobotanical context the science still largely ignores.

Connected coverage
All research coverage →
From Policy Tracker

How clinical trials moved federal policy

The Stanford trial didn't just produce a data set. It preceded a presidential executive order directing $50M toward ibogaine research. How peer-reviewed outcomes translated into the first federal directive of its kind.

Read the analysis →
From The Experience

What the research means for your treatment decision

83% improvement in a trial of 30 veterans is not the same as a promise. How to read ibogaine outcome data honestly when you're the one making a decision about your own care.

Read the guide →
History & Culture

Iboga in Bwiti tradition: the origin of the medicine

Before ibogaine was a compound in a clinical trial, iboga was a sacred plant in Gabon's Bwiti spiritual tradition. The ethnobotanical context that Western research still largely ignores.

Read the history →

New studies. New trials. New findings.

The ibogaine evidence base is growing fast. We track every meaningful publication and cover what it actually means.