\n Ibogaine is one of several psychedelic drugs that have been given serious attention by the Trump administration as potential treatment options for people with certain mental health conditions. And they could be getting closer to receiving approval from the US Food and Drug Administration.\n <\/p>\n
\n President Donald Trump signed an executive order in April designed to fast-track research on and access to these drugs, including a $50 million investment in state governments to study how psychedelics might help people struggling with mental illnesses. The executive order specifically names \u201cibogaine compounds\u201d as showing potential to address serious mental illness.\n <\/p>\n
\n Dr. Marty Makary, who was then FDA commissioner, told CNN in April that ibogaine could receive FDA approval once the agency reviews data from late-stage clinical trials.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cThese are potentially promising treatments,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ll see how the data reads out when we get the applications, but we don\u2019t want to waste any time, because this is an urgent matter, given the mental health crisis.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n Ibogaine and some other psychedelics are classified as Schedule I substances by the US Drug Enforcement Administration, a designation the federal government uses for substances it considers to have no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.\n <\/p>\n
\n In rare cases, it can also disturb the heart\u2019s electrical rhythms, leading to cardiac arrest and sudden death.\n <\/p>\n
\n But \u201cthe FDA has a system with the DEA by which, when a drug becomes FDA-approved and the FDA sets clear criteria, then it can be given with a transient de-scheduling that is exempt from those enforcement rules, because it\u2019s given in a hospital setting or in a clinic setting under clinical supervision,\u201d Makary said earlier this year. \u201cIf they do get approved, these are not the medications you\u2019ll just pick up at a pharmacy. These are given in a controlled, supervised setting in a hospital.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n In April, the FDA accepted an investigational new drug application<\/a> for a drug that uses an ibogaine derivative, which researchers hope will provide the benefits of ibogaine, but without the hallucinogenic trip or potential heart toxicity.\n <\/p>\n \n Dr. Kirsten Cherian, a researcher at Stanford University who led<\/a> a landmark study on ibogaine, called the executive order a \u201cgreat step,\u201d adding that it may open the door to offering the treatment in US research facilities.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThe first step is to be able to do the research at home,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd it could open up a lot of research possibilities. It is kind of an exciting time.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n The compound, extracted from the iboga plant in Central Africa, has long been used to decrease opioid cravings and treat severe depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in veterans.\n <\/p>\n \n Anthropologists trace its discovery to the Pygmy people in Central Africa, who viewed ibogaine as a sacred medium given by God that allowed them to reconnect with the divine and the dead. During the colonial period, as indigenous structures were disrupted, the compound provided communities in the region with a sense of unity and shared experience.\n <\/p>\n \n Years later, in 1962, ibogaine was introduced by researchers in the US as a potential treatment for substance-related disorders. Early results proved to be promising, but psychedelics were considered controversial, and broadly, researchers \u201cabandoned\u201d it, said Dr. Arnt Schellekens, who studies the compound at Radboud University in the Netherlands.\n <\/p>\n \n In 1967, the DEA classified ibogaine as a Schedule I controlled drug, making it illegal to use.\n <\/p>\n \n In recent years, ibogaine has garnered several high-profile supporters, including former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and podcast host Joe Rogan.\n <\/p>\n \n When Trump signed the executive order<\/a> this year, he invited Rogan to speak about the initiative.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cI want to tell everybody how this happened,\u201d Rogan said from the Oval Office. \u201cI sent President Trump some information.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThe text message that came back,\u201d Rogan said, \u201c \u2018sounds great, do you want FDA approval? Let\u2019s do it.\u2019 \u201d He added that it was \u201cliterally that quick.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Early research suggests that ibogaine may alter certain neural pathways<\/a>, potentially leading to improvements in some mental health conditions, including PTSD, anxiety or depression.\n <\/p>\n \n People who have ibogaine treatment typically describe an initial \u201cvisual\u201d phase that lasts one to four hours, followed by an \u201cintrospective\u201d phase that can last several hours to days.\n <\/p>\n \n During that time, the brain becomes more malleable and can form new connections, Cherian says.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIt acts across multiple neurotransmitter systems,\u201d Cherian said, adding that its effects are more intense than those of other psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD. \u201cThat\u2019s contributing to sort of reorganizing brain networks.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n These mechanisms are thought to underlie some of the benefits that come with treatment. But Schellekens warns that much is still unknown about ibogaine and that evidence for its use remains \u201cmodest.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cWe are just not there yet,\u201d he added, emphasizing that mainstream mental health treatments such as therapy and prescription medications are preferred.\n <\/p>\n \n The hallucinogen is known to raise the risk of abnormal heart rhythms and rates and could cause vomiting. Several deaths<\/a> have been associated with the ingestion of ibogaine, though it\u2019s not always clear whether the drug itself, underlying health conditions or other factors were the direct cause.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIt is sort of romanticized,\u201d Schellekens said. \u201cBut going for ibogaine treatment can be very dangerous. As a scientist and as a doctor, I always am very cautious about this type of substance.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n That\u2019s why he says more research is needed to shed light on the safety profile.\n <\/p>\n \n For patients, families and clinicians navigating the realities of mental health, questions remain around whether ibogaine\u2019s potential benefits outweigh its risks \u2014 and for whom.\n <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/gettyimages-2212952006a.JPG\")
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