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Herb library · Herb · Tabernanthe iboga

Iboga

A Central African shrub whose root bark holds ibogaine, a powerful hallucinogen. It is sacred in the Bwiti religion of Gabon, and abroad it is sold, often illegally, as an addiction remedy. It has caused dangerous heart rhythms and deaths.

Serious warning

Ibogaine, the alkaloid in iboga root bark, can cause dangerous heart-rhythm problems (QT prolongation, torsade de pointes) and cardiac arrest. A forensic review found 19 deaths outside West Central Africa from 1990 to 2008 within 1.5 to 76 hours of taking it, and a UK poisons service recorded cardiac arrest, seizures and coma among seven patients, four of whom had swallowed the root bark.

Traditional use

PROTA, the handbook of Plant Resources of Tropical Africa, records that the root is central to the initiation ceremonies of the Bwiti religion in Gabon, which has spread to Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and the Congo; this site does not describe those ceremonies. Outside them, PROTA records small amounts of a root decoction taken against tiredness and hunger on long hunts, and as a remedy for fever, coughs and urinary infections in the Congo, and warmed leaves rubbed on the gums for toothache. The government of Gabon regards iboga as national heritage.

What studies show

  • Insufficient

    Addiction (opioid withdrawal): a 2022 systematic review found that most research on ibogaine consists of case reports or studies in uncontrolled settings, so whether it helps is not established. The same review collected the fatalities and serious adverse events reported in people.

Be careful of

Cautions

  • NoteDo not take iboga or ibogaine outside a medical research setting. Heart disease, the drugs taken alongside it, and withdrawal from alcohol or benzodiazepines were the main risk factors in the deaths reviewed.
  • NotePowders sold online as iboga may be something else: a woman in France died after swallowing a powder labeled as iboga that turned out to be ground Rauvolfia root.
  • InteractionIbogaine is dangerous with opioids, other drugs of abuse and many prescription medicines, especially any that affect heart rhythm.
  • PregnancyNever use it in pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
  • NotePROTA notes it is illegal to buy, sell or possess in the United States without a license, and prohibited in several other countries.
  • Ask a clinicianIf someone has taken iboga or ibogaine and has chest pain, fainting, a seizure or a racing or irregular heartbeat, call emergency services. Poison Control in the U.S.: 1-800-222-1222.

Sources

  1. Fatalities temporally associated with the ingestion of ibogaine (J Forensic Sci, 2012) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  2. A case series of ibogaine toxicity reported to the United Kingdom National Poisons Information Service (NPIS) over a 10-year period (Clin Toxicol, 2025) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  3. The adverse events of ibogaine in humans: an updated systematic review of the literature (2015-2020) (Psychopharmacology, 2022) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  4. Death related to consumption of Rauvolfia sp. powder mislabeled as Tabernanthe iboga (Forensic Sci Int, 2016) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  5. Tabernanthe iboga — PROTA4U record (uses, properties) (opens in a new tab) · PROTA · read September 25, 2026

Reviewed September 25, 2026.