President Trump recently signed an executive order fast-tracking ibogaine and other psychedelics.

Ibogaine is a psychedelic used for centuries by the Bwiti tribe in West Africa for rituals and healing.

Ibogaine is proving to be a remarkable treatment, though more research and protocols are needed.

Ibogaine is a psychoactive alkaloid found in the root bark of Tabernanthe iboga, a shrub native to Central and West Africa. For generations it has been used in Bwiti spiritual and initiation ceremonies in Gabon and neighboring regions. Ibogaine produces a profound long-lasting psychedelic state, potentially 24-48 hours. Many describe the dream-like experience as a personal “life review."

In the late 20th century, people began to notice something remarkable: some individuals who took ibogaine reported that their opioid or cocaine cravings dramatically decreased, and that withdrawal symptoms were blunted or even temporarily absent. This kicked off decades of underground use and small research programs looking at ibogaine as a potential “anti-addiction” medicine.

In the United States, ibogaine is currently a Schedule I substance—classified as having “no accepted medical use” and a high potential for abuse. It is not FDA-approved for any indication. Most treatment with ibogaine today happens in clinics in Mexico, Canada, Brazil, and a few other countries with more permissive laws.

Trump's new executive order, passed April 18, 2026, is removing legal impediments from studying psychedelics like ibogaine. The executive order is also prioritizing rescheduling and expanding use under the "Right to Try" law for treatment-resistant conditions. Supporters of ibogaine are hoping that in the near future, people won't have to travel outside the country to obtain this potentially life-saving treatment.

How might ibogaine help with addiction?

Early laboratory and clinical work suggest that ibogaine interacts with multiple receptor systems (NMDA, kappa-opioid, serotonin, sigma, and others). Like other psychedelic medicines, it increases signaling of growth factors and pathways involved in neuroplasticity, which may help “rewire” circuits involved in addiction, depression, PTSD, and traumatic brain injury. In addition, participants in studies have mentioned insights relating to finding meaning in life, the evolution of the universe, life after death, and feeling relieved from guilt, all of which may also play a role in overcoming addiction.

Clinically, as with other psychedelics, the effects of ibogaine are often seen immediately. Observational studies of ibogaine treatment for opioid dependence (primarily in clinics outside the U.S.) have reported a marked reduction of withdrawal symptoms and substantial decreases in opioid use and cravings lasting weeks to months in a subset of patients.

One cohort of people with opioid use disorder treated with ibogaine in New Zealand, for example, found that many participants sharply reduced or stopped opioid use following treatment, with some maintaining benefits at 12 months. But there was no randomized control group, and follow-up was incomplete—so we can’t say with confidence how much of the effect was ibogaine vs. selection bias, expectations, or other factors. Of course, randomized controlled trials with psychedelic medicine are extremely difficult to execute.

More recently, ibogaine has drawn attention as a potential treatment for veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI), PTSD, and depression. Indeed, a Stanford study in 2024 looked at a group of Special Operations Forces given ibogaine in Mexico and reported dramatic improvements in PTSD, depression, anxiety, and functional outcomes.

Texas leads the way in supporting ibogaine research

Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill in June 2025 supporting ibogaine research. This program will allocate up to $50 million in state funding to fund clinical trials investigating ibogaine’s potential to treat opioid use disorder, co-occurring substance use disorders, PTSD, depression, and traumatic brain injury. This bill makes Texas one of the most prominent governmental funders of ibogaine research in the world. Bryan Hubbard, the CEO of Americans for Ibogaine, has been a leading force behind legislation supporting ibogaine as a life-changing treatment option. The Trump administration is joining Texas in allocating up to $50 million to states that are working on psychedelic research.

Safety concerns are not minor

Ibogaine is not a gentle medicine. Across case reports and reviews, there have been dozens of deaths associated with ibogaine administration, often in unregulated settings. Safety concerns include cardiac arrhythmias and sudden death. Ibogaine and its metabolite noribogaine can block cardiac hERG potassium channels, prolonging the QT interval on ECG and predisposing to torsades de pointes, a potentially fatal arrhythmia. In addition, there have also been some reports of liver and neurologic toxicity in people with pre-existing medical problems or polysubstance dependence.

However, many of the deaths and severe events have occurred in informal or loosely regulated clinics without adequate cardiac screening, electrolyte monitoring, or on-site advanced cardiac life support. Many believe that if ibogaine is given in a safe clinical setting with reliable screening tools, its safety profile would improve tremendously.

Because of this risk profile, some cardiologists and addiction experts argue ibogaine is unlikely to obtain routine FDA approval in its current form and have urged extreme caution, especially outside of tightly controlled trials.

What if scientists could engineer a safer ibogaine? Researchers are currently working on safer ibogaine-inspired medicines (like oxa-iboga alkaloids and 18-MC) that may retain anti-addiction effects with less impact on the heart.

There is real evidence that ibogaine can rapidly reduce opioid withdrawal and cravings and may produce lasting improvements for some people with opioid use disorder, especially when combined with ongoing support. There is equally real evidence of serious, sometimes fatal cardiac and medical complications, particularly in unregulated settings or in people with underlying heart, liver, or electrolyte issues.

Texas’ investment is designed to help answer questions—through large, carefully designed clinical trials—that can clarify who might benefit, how to reduce risk, and whether ibogaine or its safer analogs should ever be part of mainstream care.

For now, gold-standard treatments for opioid use disorder remain medications that are safer and backed by more research, including buprenorphine and methadone, naltrexone, harm reduction strategies, and psychosocial support. The opioid crisis demands bold thinking. Ibogaine might eventually become one tool in a much larger toolkit—but we are not there yet. Trump's executive order supporting ibogaine research, along with Texas’ new research program, could help the field develop ibogaine’s intense promise and diminish its very real dangers.

Havel, V., Kruegel, A.C., Bechand, B. et al. Oxa-Iboga alkaloids lack cardiac risk and disrupt opioid use in animal models. Nat Commun 15, 8118 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51856-y

Governor Abbott Signs ibogaine treatment research law at Texas capitol. Office of the Governor | Greg Abbott. (n.d.). https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-signs-ibogaine-treatment-research-law-at-texas-capitol?

Noller, G. E., Frampton, C. M., & Yazar-Klosinski, B. (2018). Ibogaine treatment outcomes for opioid dependence from a twelve-month follow-up observational study. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 44(1), 37–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/00952990.2017.1310218

Williams, S. (2025, July 24). Psychoactive drug ibogaine effectively treats traumatic brain injury in special ops military vets. Stanford Medicine News Center. https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2024/01/ibogaine-ptsd.html?

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