Ibogaine is a naturally occurring indole alkaloid associated with the root bark of Tabernanthe iboga. The broad ibogaine record includes its historical use and the later scientific attention to its psychoactive and pharmacological effects.
Ibogaine hydrochloride, often called ibogaine HCl, is the pharmaceutical-grade crystalline salt form produced through extraction or semisynthesis and conversion to a hydrochloride salt. This form is used when stability and standardized dosing are central research or clinical concerns.
- Free base formulaC₂₀H₂₆N₂O
- Typical research formOral, encapsulated ibogaine HCl
- PharmacologyMultiple receptor and transporter targets
- United States statusSchedule I; not FDA-approved
Its pharmacology is polypharmacologic: ibogaine interacts with opioid receptors, dopamine and serotonin transporters, NMDA receptors, and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, among other targets. A detailed peer-reviewed pharmacology review describes why that broad activity profile complicates simple claims about one mechanism or one outcome.