About This Resource
The Case for an Independent Research Clearinghouse
Ibogaine sits at a remarkable intersection: a compound with decades of anecdotal evidence, a growing body of rigorous peer-reviewed research, and a regulatory status that has kept it outside the formal academic funding mainstream until recently. That is now changing rapidly. The UTMB IMPACT Program's $50 million commitment, Stanford's MISTIC Trial, and the first publication in Nature Medicine of an ibogaine RCT involving veterans mark a turning point in the scientific consensus.
This hub exists because the research is scattered across journals, trial registries, and preprint servers that most patients and referring clinicians cannot easily navigate. Our medical team has compiled, reviewed, and organized the most clinically significant publications into a structured reference. Everything here reflects the state of the evidence as of March 2026, with citations formatted to allow direct verification via PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov.
MindScape Retreat does not conduct or sponsor any of the clinical trials indexed here. We publish this resource as a service to the broader ibogaine research community and to the patients who deserve access to the scientific foundation underlying their treatment options.
Key Research Areas
Six Domains Where the Science Is Most Advanced
Neuroplasticity & GDNF Upregulation
He & Ron (2006) established that ibogaine upregulates glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in the nucleus accumbens, suppressing dopamine-driven craving. Marton et al. (2019) extended these findings to BDNF and identified ibogaine's role in restoring dopaminergic neuron health, mechanisms with profound implications for addiction and neurodegeneration.
Active Clinical Trials 2025-2026
Ibogaine Is Entering the Mainstream Clinical Pipeline
After decades of observational research conducted outside formal regulatory channels, ibogaine is now the subject of rigorously designed clinical trials with governmental and academic institutional backing. The studies below represent the most significant active programs as of March 2026.
DemeRx DMX-1001: Oral Noribogaine for Alcohol Use Disorder
DemeRx / FDA IND Program
The FDA accepted DemeRx's Investigational New Drug application for oral noribogaine (ibogaine's principal active metabolite) in April 2026, the first US trial authorization for any ibogaine-class compound. No trial is recruiting yet. DemeRx separately holds UK MHRA approval for a Phase 1/2a study of oral ibogaine (DMX-1002) in opioid use disorder.
MISTIC Study: Magnesium-Ibogaine in Veterans with TBI
Stanford University School of Medicine
Observational pre-post study led by Dr. Nolan Williams: 30 Special Operations veterans with repeated blast exposure received magnesium-ibogaine at an independent clinic in Mexico, with Stanford conducting assessments and neuroimaging. Nature Medicine (January 2024) reported an average PTSD symptom improvement of nearly nine-tenths at one month; the 12-month follow-up in Translational Psychiatry (August 2026) found more than four in five early remitters still in PTSD remission a year later.
ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04313712
Texas IMPACT Program: Ibogaine Medicine for PTSD, Addiction, and Cognitive Trauma
UTHealth Houston & UTMB Health (statewide consortium)
The largest government investment in ibogaine research anywhere: $50 million awarded by Texas Health and Human Services in December 2025, expanded toward roughly $100 million in March 2026 for a two-year multicenter trial program covering addiction, TBI, and behavioral health. As of October 12, 2026 protocols are in development and enrollment has not opened.
Low-Dose Ibogaine for Methadone Tapering
ICEERS (International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research & Service)
The first regulated European clinical trial of ibogaine: a randomized, double-blind study of ascending low doses in patients on methadone maintenance at Sant Joan de Reus University Hospital in Catalonia, Spain. Completed January 2025 with 13 participants enrolled; published results report reduced methadone tolerance supporting structured tapers.
ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04003948
Trial statuses current as of March 2026. Verify enrollment status and eligibility at clinicaltrials.gov using the identifiers listed above.
Peer-Reviewed Literature
Key Publications by Research Domain
Citations are organized by topic. Author, year, title, and journal are provided for each entry. PubMed IDs (PMID) are included where available to allow direct verification. We do not reproduce full text. Links to abstracts are available on PubMed for each indexed publication.
Addiction Treatment Efficacy
- Brown, T.K. & Alper, K. (2017). “Treatment of opioid use disorder with ibogaine: detoxification and drug use outcomes.” American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 44(1), 24-36.PMID: 28029799Systematic review of 14 observational studies. Documented rapid suppression of opioid withdrawal with significant reductions in Subjective Opioid Withdrawal Scale scores.
- Noller, G.E., Frampton, C.M., & Yazar-Klosinski, B. (2017). “Ibogaine treatment outcomes for opioid dependence from a twelve-month follow-up observational study.” American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 44(1), 37-46.PMID: 2791767980% of participants abstinent or significantly reduced use at one-month follow-up. Longest observational follow-up published at the time.
- Mash, D.C., Kovera, C.A., Buck, B.E., Norenberg, M.D., Shapshak, P., Hearn, W.L., & Sanchez-Ramos, J. (1998). “Medication development of ibogaine as a pharmacotherapy for drug dependence.” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 844, 274-292.PMID: 9668680Foundational clinical pharmacology characterization of ibogaine's anti-addictive profile.
- Alper, K.R., Lotsof, H.S., & Kaplan, C.D. (2008). “The ibogaine medical subculture.” Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 115(1), 9-24.PMID: 17981003Comprehensive ethnographic and outcomes analysis of 3,414 ibogaine treatments across 41 providers.
- Schenberg, E.E., de Castro Comis, M.A., Chaves, B.R., & da Silveira, D.X. (2014). “Treating drug dependence with the aid of ibogaine: a retrospective study.” Journal of Psychopharmacology, 28(11), 993-1000.PMID: 2509156075% reduction in reported drug use among opioid-dependent participants at 3-month follow-up.
- Mash, D.C., Duque, L., Page, B., & Allen-Ferdinand, K. (2018). “Ibogaine detoxification transitions opioid and cocaine abusers between dependence and abstinence: clinical observations and treatment outcomes.” Frontiers in Pharmacology, 9, 529.PMID: 29887810Largest single-site prospective observational study to date (n=191). Significant decrease in withdrawal severity and craving scores confirmed.
Pharmacology & Mechanism of Action
- Popik, P., Layer, R.T., & Skolnick, P. (1995). “100 years of ibogaine: neurochemical and pharmacological actions of a putative anti-addictive drug.” Pharmacological Reviews, 47(2), 235-253.PMID: 7568329Canonical review of ibogaine's multi-receptor pharmacology.
- Baumann, M.H., Pablo, J., Ali, S.F., Rothman, R.B., & Mash, D.C. (2001). “Comparative neuropharmacology of ibogaine and its O-desmethyl metabolite, noribogaine.” The Alkaloids. Chemistry and Biology, 56, 79-113.PMID: 11705110Definitive characterization of noribogaine as a potent serotonin reuptake inhibitor and kappa-opioid receptor agonist with a significantly longer half-life than the parent compound.
- Glick, S.D., Maisonneuve, I.M., & Szumlinski, K.K. (2000). “18-Methoxycoronaridine (18-MC) and ibogaine: comparison of antiaddictive efficacy, toxicity, and mechanisms of action.” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 914, 369-386.PMID: 11085336Comparative pharmacology informing next-generation ibogaine analog development.
- Alper, K.R. (2001). “Ibogaine: a review.” The Alkaloids: Chemistry and Biology, 56, 1-38.PMID: 11705103Canonical consolidated review of mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, and clinical pharmacology.
Cardiac Safety & Monitoring
- Koenig, X. & Hilber, K. (2015). “The anti-addiction drug ibogaine and the heart: a delicate relation.” Molecules, 20(2), 2208-2228.PMID: 25642835The cardiac risk framework behind the current clinical screening standard: mandatory EKG, QTc measurement, and electrolyte correction.
- Alper, K.R., Stajic, M., & Gill, J.R. (2012). “Fatalities temporally associated with the ingestion of ibogaine.” Journal of Forensic Sciences, 57(2), 398-412.PMID: 21827476Post-mortem analysis of 19 ibogaine-associated fatalities; all involved unscreened patients or concurrent drug use, underscoring the role of pre-treatment cardiac screening.
- Thurner, P., Stary-Weinzinger, A., Gafar, H., Gawali, V.S., Kudlacek, O., Zezula, J., ... & Koenig, X. (2014). “Mechanism of hERG channel block by the psychoactive indole alkaloid ibogaine.” Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 348(1), 346-358.PMID: 24307198Molecular characterization of ibogaine's hERG potassium channel blockade, the primary mechanism underlying QT prolongation.
- Meisner, J.A., Wilcox, S.R., & Richards, J.B. (2016). “Ibogaine-associated cardiac arrest and death: case report and review of the literature.” Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology, 6(2), 95-98.PMID: 27141305Case analysis reinforcing cardiac monitoring protocol requirements for all ibogaine administrations.
Neuroplasticity & GDNF Upregulation
- He, D.Y. & Ron, D. (2006). “Autoregulation of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor expression: implications for the long-lasting actions of the anti-addiction drug, ibogaine.” FASEB Journal, 20(13), 2420-2422.PMID: 17023388Landmark study establishing GDNF upregulation as a primary mechanism of ibogaine's anti-addictive action in the mesolimbic dopamine system.
- Marton, S., González, B., Rodríguez-Bottero, S., Miquel, E., Martínez-Palma, L., Pazos, M., ... & Scorza, C. (2019). “Ibogaine Administration Modifies GDNF and BDNF Expression in Brain Regions Involved in Mesocorticolimbic and Nigral Dopaminergic Circuits.” Frontiers in Pharmacology, 10, 193.PMID: 30894815Demonstrated ibogaine-induced upregulation of both GDNF and BDNF in the nucleus accumbens, hippocampus, and substantia nigra, regions critical to addiction and neurodegeneration.
PTSD, Depression & Trauma Research
- Davis, A.K., Barsuglia, J.P., Lancelotta, R., Grant, R.M., & Renn, E. (2017). “The incidence and severity of adverse events attributable to ibogaine use based on independent data from three observational studies.” PLOS ONE, 12(6), e0178240.PMID: 28570608Multi-study adverse event analysis providing comparative safety and efficacy context for ibogaine across addiction, trauma, and mood disorder applications.
- Cherian, K.N., Keynan, J.N., Anker, L., Faerman, A., Brown, B.L., Grigsby, J., ... & Williams, N.R. (2024). “Magnesium ibogaine therapy in veterans with traumatic brain injuries.” Nature Medicine, 30, 373-381.First prospective, independently assessed study of ibogaine in combat veterans: 30 US Special Operations Forces veterans showed significant reductions in PTSD severity, disability, and depression. Observational (no control group), with a 12-month durability follow-up published in 2026.
- Mash, D.C., Kovera, C.A., Pablo, J., Tyndale, R., Ervin, F.D., Williams, I.C., Singleton, E.G., & Mayor, M. (2000). “Ibogaine: complex pharmacokinetics, concerns for safety, and preliminary efficacy measures.” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 914, 394-401.PMID: 11085338Early pharmacokinetic data from 32 patients, including antidepressant effects observed through serotonergic pathway modulation.
Long-Term Outcomes & Follow-Up Studies
- Davis, A.K., Barsuglia, J.P., Windham-Herman, A.M., Lynch, M., & Polanco, M. (2017). “Subjective effectiveness of ibogaine treatment for problematic opioid consumption: Short- and long-term outcomes and current psychological functioning.” Journal of Psychedelic Studies, 1(2), 65-73.88-participant outcomes survey; roughly three in ten reported sustained abstinence beyond six months after a single treatment.
- Brown, T.K. (2013). “Ibogaine in the treatment of substance dependence.” Current Drug Abuse Reviews, 6(1), 3-16.PMID: 23627782Comprehensive review of treatment outcomes across multiple substance classes, with evidence grading for each application.
- Vastag, B. (2005). “Ibogaine therapy: a 'vast, uncontrolled experiment'.” Science, 308(5720), 345-346.PMID: 15831749Science magazine landmark feature contextualizing the global scale of ibogaine use and the research imperative.
Evidence-Based Clinical Practice
How MindScape Retreat Translates Research Into Protocol
Every clinical decision at MindScape Retreat traces to a specific evidence base. Our cardiac safety protocol is built on the Koenig & Hilber (2015) cardiac risk framework and the molecular pharmacology established by Thurner et al. (2014): mandatory 12-lead EKG, electrolyte panel, and continuous cardiac monitoring are non-negotiable requirements, not optional additions. This is what the science demands.
Our integration program is informed by the psychedelic-assisted therapy literature (the same frameworks being validated in psilocybin and MDMA research) adapted to ibogaine's distinctive temporal profile. The acute phase typically concludes within 12-24 hours; the neuroplastic window that follows, driven by noribogaine and GDNF upregulation, extends for weeks. Integration practices are timed accordingly.
Our treatment protocols for opioid use disorder are calibrated against the dosing ranges and outcome data from the Mash et al. (2018) prospective study and the Alper et al. (2008) subculture analysis, the two largest datasets available. Where the science shows uncertainty, we operate conservatively. Where the evidence is robust, we follow it precisely.
Across 1,000+ patients treated since 2019, MindScape Retreat has recorded zero serious medical complications. That outcome is not accidental. It is the direct result of treating ibogaine with the same scientific rigor that the research literature demands. The full anonymized figures, by condition and instrument, live in our treatment outcomes registry.
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