Ibogaine Solution DRC SARLFrançais

Key facts

Ten key facts about iboga, each with its source. Educational only; not medical advice. Mention of organisations does not imply affiliation or endorsement.

  1. Tabernanthe iboga is a forest shrub of the dogbane family (Apocynaceae), native to Central Africa. Native range: Gabon, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo and the DRC.

    Source: ICEERS (2019), Iboga Community Engagement Initiative, Phase 1 report

  2. Its root bark holds ibogaine and about a dozen other alkaloids.

    Source: ICEERS (2019), Iboga Community Engagement Initiative, Phase 1 report

  3. Ibogaine was first isolated from the plant in 1901.

    Source: ICEERS (2019), Iboga Community Engagement Initiative, Phase 1 report

  4. In Gabon, iboga root bark is a sacrament of the Bwiti traditions.

    Sources: ICEERS (2019), Iboga Community Engagement Initiative, Phase 1 report; Mongabay (1 Oct 2026)

  5. Iboga takes years to mature (traditionally harvested from shrubs 7–10+ years old), and poaching puts wild plants under pressure.

    Sources: ICEERS (2019), Iboga Community Engagement Initiative, Phase 1 report; Mongabay (1 Oct 2026)

  6. In 2000, Gabon's Council of Ministers reportedly classified iboga as national cultural heritage (press reports).

    Sources: Gabonreview (2019), press report; ICEERS (2019), Iboga Community Engagement Initiative, Phase 1 report

  7. In 2023, Gabon authorized its first legal iboga exports, under the Nagoya Protocol on benefit-sharing.

    Sources: National Geographic; Filament Health (17 May 2023); Mongabay (1 Oct 2026)

  8. On 18 September 2026, Gabon's Council of Ministers adopted a draft decree banning iboga exports.

    Sources: Gabon, Council of Ministers final communiqué (18 Sep 2026); Mongabay (1 Oct 2026)

  9. Ibogaine is being studied, experimentally, for opioid use disorder. It is not FDA-approved. In the United States, ibogaine and the iboga plant (T. iboga) are Schedule I controlled substances.

    Sources: ARPA-H, ASCENT-IBO; 21 CFR 1308.11 (Schedule I)

  10. Ibogaine can cause fatal heart rhythm problems, and deaths have been reported: QT prolongation above 500 ms in 7 of 14 patients (2022 study); 19 deaths reported between 1990 and 2008 (2012 review). It is not FDA-approved for any treatment.

    Sources: Knuijver et al., Addiction (2022); Alper, Stajić & Gill, J Forensic Sci (2012)