Lisa Jarvis: Ibogaine hype is outpacing the science

The hype surrounding the psychedelic drug ibogaine reached a fever pitch in April, when President Donald Trump talked up its potential at a White House event promoting increased access to psychedelics. Ibogaine, which comes from the root of a West African shrub, has long been used for ceremonial and spiritual purposes. Now, for the first time, the Food and Drug Administration will allow a clinical trial of the drug.

Americans have been going to extreme lengths to get ibogaine in recent years. Most travel abroad, typically to Mexico, and shell out thousands of dollars to receive it in wellness clinics that promise to cure any number of ills - post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction, depression, traumatic brain injuries and more.

Their anecdotal experiences, some of which were recounted by veterans during the White House event, surely have a magnetic pull for anyone who feels that conventional medicine has failed them.

Yet they are also just that - anecdotes.

People who are suffering deserve better treatment options. But it's critical to proceed with caution when considering expanding access to ibogaine. The hype has gotten ahead of the science. More evidence is needed - not just to prove the drug works, but that it can be used safely. A clinical trial exploring its potential is a good start; better still would be more investment in understanding its fundamental biology.

A few encouraging studies suggest ibogaine has therapeutic potential. In the one that has gotten the most attention - and was discussed at the Oval Office press conference - Stanford University scientists found that ibogaine nearly eliminated symptoms of PTSD, depression and anxiety in combat veterans with traumatic brain injuries. Other research suggests the drug can powerfully reduce cravings in people with substance use disorders, including opioid addiction.

But these studies are very small - the Stanford one, for example, enrolled just 30 veterans. They also are typically observational, meaning everyone knew they were getting the drug. The only study that appears to have tested ibogaine against a placebo included just 20 people seeking help for cocaine addiction.

Before this drug can be used to treat complex mental health conditions, larger, more rigorous trials must prove it works. That means better defining who it can help, the magnitude of the benefit, and how long that effect lasts.

Yet even if its potential is proven, there's a bigger issue: In addition to its activity in the brain, ibogaine binds to proteins in the heart, leading some people to experience a dangerously irregular heartbeat. Reviews of the clinical research on ibogaine consistently warn against the severe medical complications it can cause, including heart attacks and even death.

People who are desperate for help might think that's a risk worth taking. And researchers have developed strategies, such as administering magnesium alongside the drug, intended to minimize the worst outcomes. If eventually approved, ibogaine would have to be provided in "a very controlled and supervised medical, clinical setting," FDA Commissioner Marty Makary told CBS News.

Yet multiple experts I spoke with said they doubt ibogaine could ever be widely used, given its potential for harm. That should motivate the federal government to invest not just in clinical studies, but in basic research to better understand how ibogaine works.

Researchers have made great strides in understanding how certain psychedelics interact with the brain. LSD and psilocybin are known to target serotonin receptors, and scientists even have begun to understand how those drugs alter activity within and connectivity between different parts of the brain. Ibogaine, though, is more of a mystery. The drug is known to act on a range of receptors, but scientists have yet to parse which are responsible for its potentially beneficial effects.

Insight into ibogaine's basic pharmacology, neurobiology and chemistry could allow scientists to design better versions of the drug - ones that maintain its therapeutic effect while tuning out its cardiac risks, said David Olson, a chemist and neuroscientist at the University of California, Davis. (Last year, Olson's lab published a synthetic route to making the plant-derived product, a good starting point for studying and improving upon ibogaine.)

Ideally, scientists will be able to one day design versions of ibogaine that are safe enough to take at home. In its natural form, ibogaine leads to an intense psychedelic experience that can last as long as 24 hours, meaning any approval would need to come with an infrastructure that ensures its safe use under the care of experts. That could be wildly expensive and difficult to convince insurers is worthwhile.

People who are in deep psychological pain urgently need better treatments. But they also deserve treatments that are safe and genuinely work. Getting there requires a careful process that unfortunately doesn't come with shortcuts - even if politicians wish it did.

_____

This column reflects the personal views of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Lisa Jarvis is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering biotech, health care and the pharmaceutical industry. Previously, she was executive editor of Chemical & Engineering News.

_____

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published May 3, 2026 at 4:02 AM.