Post: Texas May Be Bringing Ibogaine Therapy to the U.S.

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster Ibogaine is a naturally occurring psychoactive compound derived from the roots of the Tabernanthe Iboga plant. Gabonese members of the Bwiti religion have used Iboga for centuries in spiritual and healing ceremonies. Thousands of people suffering from PTSD and opioid addiction have dramatically improved their lives with Ibogaine treatment.

Albert Schweitzer brought the plant to the attention of Westerners in the 1930s, but not until the 1960s did American amateur scientist Howard Lots use Ibogaine effectively to wean people from heroin addiction. Unlike artificial opioids like methadone, Ibogaine is non-addictive.

The Food and Drug Administration still lists Ibogaine as a Schedule 1 controlled substance despite its proven record in combating opioid addiction and recent research at Stanford University that found combining Ibogaine with magnesium protects against rare heart arrhythmias. It is, however, a legal medication in Jamaica, Mexico, Brazil, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Stanford researchers also found that a single treatment effectively reduced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression by over 80% and improved functioning and well-being in veterans with traumatic brain disorders. Most recently, Ibogaine is proving valuable as a weapon against neuro-degenerative diseases.

A January 2024 article in Nature Medicine recounted phenomenal results of a study of U.S. Special Forces veterans who received Ibogaine therapy in Mexico for traumatic brain injuries and PTSD. After a single treatment, diagnostic imaging studies confirmed that Ibogaine had broad-based regenerative effects on their brains (including global restoration of white matter), enlargement of brain structures responsible for emotional regulation and executive functioning, and reversal of physiological brain age. Recommended

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The Stanford study followed numerous anecdotal stories from veterans and others who had undergone Ibogaine therapy. One of those who shared how the treatments saved his life, career, and marriage was Houston sailor Marcus Luttrell. Luttrell, whose brother Morgan Luttrell is now a U.S. Representative from Texas. Both Luttrells were befriended by then-Texas Governor Rick Perry in 2006, as Perry recently recounted to podcaster Joe Rogan.

Perry told Rogan’s huge audience that promoting Ibogaine is his primary mission. “My job, and our job,” […]

Texas May Be Bringing Ibogaine Therapy to the U.S.