Unchained Brain

About the Plant

Ibogaine is a naturally occurring compound found in the root bark of Tabernanthe iboga, a shrub native to the rainforests of Gabon, Cameroon and the Congo basin. For generations the Bwiti tradition of Gabon has used the root bark in initiation ceremonies that last a day or more. Elders describe it as a plant that lets a person look honestly at their own life.

Its use for addiction was discovered by accident. In 1962 Howard Lotsof, a young man in New York dependent on heroin, took ibogaine expecting a recreational experience. Thirty-six hours later his withdrawal symptoms and craving were gone. He spent the rest of his life pushing for research into the compound, and the treatment protocols used in clinics today grew from that work.

Ibogaine appears to act on several systems in the brain at once, including the opioid, serotonin and NMDA receptors, and to raise levels of growth factors that help nerve cells repair and form new connections. Researchers believe this combination is why a single treatment can interrupt addiction and ease trauma symptoms in a way that ordinary medications do not.

Sourced responsibly

Wild iboga is under pressure. Demand from abroad has led to poaching in Gabon’s forests, and Gabon now restricts the export of the plant. The clinics we work with use ibogaine made from Voacanga africana, a related tree farmed in West Africa, which yields the same compound without taking from the wild or from the communities that hold this tradition.

What to Expect

From screening and medical clearance, through treatment at a partner clinic in Costa Rica or Mexico, to five days of behavioral therapy and support after you return home, we walk with you every step of the way.

What the Research Shows

In 2024, researchers at Stanford University published the first formal study of ibogaine in veterans. Thirty U.S. special-operations veterans with traumatic brain injury were treated with ibogaine and magnesium at a clinic in Mexico. One month later:

• PTSD symptoms fell by an average of 88%
• Depression symptoms fell by 87%
• Anxiety symptoms fell by 81%
• Disability scores improved from “mild to moderate” to “no disability,” and the gains held at the one-month follow-up
• No serious side effects and no heart complications were reported, with magnesium given to protect the heart

The study was small and had no placebo group, so it is a strong signal rather than final proof. It was enough for the State of Texas to commit $50 million in 2025 to clinical trials of ibogaine, with veterans as the first population to be studied. For opioid addiction, decades of clinic reports show that most people get through withdrawal with far less suffering after a single treatment, and that lasting recovery depends on the support that follows. That is why our program does not end when you leave the clinic.

Sources: Cherian et al., “Magnesium-ibogaine therapy in veterans with traumatic brain injuries,” Nature Medicine 30, 373–381 (2024), doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02705-w; Texas Senate Bill 2308 (2025). We will publish our own outcome data as our first participants complete their follow-up assessments.

Apply for Treatment

If you are a veteran or first responder, we would be honored to hear your story. Applying is confidential and there is no judgment here. Tell us how to reach you, and a member of our team will call to talk through the next steps.

Donate

Treatment abroad is out of reach for most of the people who need it. Your gift covers the three things that stand between a veteran and recovery: the medical treatment itself, the travel to get there, and the therapy and follow-up that make it last.

Unchained Brain is a grassroots nonprofit. Every dollar goes to participants’ treatment, travel and aftercare; our team is volunteer.