A psychedelic plant from Africa “significantly” reduced symptoms in veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI), according to another new study.
Ibogaine, a natural compound found in the roots of the African shrub iboga, was found to be successful in improving dysfunction, PTSD, depression, and anxiety in veterans.
This plant-derived psychotropic drug has been used in spiritual and healing rituals in Africa for 1,000 years, but it has also been found to contain no harmful side effects, and experimental treatments have been shown to be fatal. Some veterans said they were saved.
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq have sustained traumatic brain injuries in recent decades, and these injuries are suspected to be contributing to the high depression and suicide rates seen among veterans. There is. Mainstream treatments are not completely effective for all veterans, so researchers have explored alternative treatments.
Ibogaine has gained notoriety in the scientific community for its potential to treat opioid and cocaine addiction, as it increases the signaling of several important molecules in the brain, some of which are associated with drug addiction and depression. is said to be related to.
Traumatic brain injury is defined as a disruption of the brain's normal functioning caused by an external force such as an explosion, vehicle collision, or other physical impact. Such trauma can cause changes in brain structure, which can contribute to neuropsychiatric symptoms.
Researchers at Stanford Medicine have shown that ibogaine, when combined with heart-protecting magnesium, safely and effectively reduces symptoms such as PTSD, anxiety, and depression and improves function in veterans with traumatic brain injury. discovered.
Their new research Published on January 5th The Nature Medicine paper includes detailed data on 30 U.S. Special Forces veterans.
“No other drug can reduce the functional and neuropsychiatric symptoms of traumatic brain injury,” said Nolan Williams, MD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. “The results are dramatic and we intend to study this compound further.”
Since 1970, ibogaine has been listed as a Schedule I drug and is prohibited for use in the United States, although clinics in Canada and Mexico offer legal ibogaine treatment.
“Several veterans have visited this clinic in Mexico and anecdotally reported significant improvements in all areas of their lives after taking ibogaine,” Williams said. told Stanford Medicine News. “Our goal was to characterize these improvements through structured clinical and neurobiological assessments.”
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Dr. Williams and his team at Stanford University Betts Co., Ltd., a foundation that has facilitated psychedelic-assisted therapy for hundreds of veterans. Thirty special operations veterans with a history of traumatic brain injury and repeated blast exposure, nearly all of whom experience clinically significant psychiatric symptoms and functional impairment, receive ibogaine treatment at a clinic in Mexico. I made my own plans to take the exam and was hired.
Before treatment, researchers measured participants' levels of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and functioning based on a combination of self-report questionnaires and clinician ratings. The participants then went to a clinic in Mexico run by Ambio Life Sciences where, under medical supervision, they received oral doses of magnesium and ibogaine aimed at preventing heart complications associated with ibogaine. The veterans then returned to Stanford School of Medicine for post-treatment evaluation.
Nineteen of the participants had suicidal thoughts and seven had attempted suicide.
“These men were incredibly intelligent and high-achieving individuals who experienced life-altering impairments from traumatic brain injuries in combat,” Williams said. “They were all willing to try anything they thought would help them get their lives back.”
On average, treatment with ibogaine immediately led to significant improvements in function, PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Moreover, those effects continued for one month after treatment when the study ended.
Before treatment, the mean disability rating on the Veterans Disability Rating Scale was 30.2, corresponding to mild to moderate disability. After one month of treatment, his rating had improved to 5.1, indicating no disability.
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Similarly, after one month, PTSD symptoms were reduced by an average of 88%, depression symptoms by 87%, and anxiety symptoms by 81%. Formal cognitive testing also revealed improvements in participants' concentration, information processing, memory, and impulsivity.
“I didn't want to admit that I was working on the issue of traumatic brain injury. I thought I rang the bell a few times until the day I forgot my wife's name,” said a study participant from Colorado. said Craig, 52, who served in the U.S. Navy for 27 years.
“Since [ibogaine treatment], my cognitive function has fully recovered. As a result, I have made progress at work and my ability to talk to my children and wife has improved significantly. ”
“Before treatment, I was living in a blizzard with zero visibility, feeling cold, hopeless, and sluggish,” said the 51-year-old Arizona veteran who served six combat deployments. , says Sean, who says ibogaine saved his life. his life. “After Ibogaine, the storm subsided.”
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Importantly, ibogaine has no serious side effects, and there have been no cases of heart disease that can be associated with ibogaine. During treatment, the veterans reported only typical symptoms such as headaches and nausea.
The research team plans further studies, along with analysis of brain scans that could help uncover how ibogaine led to improved cognitive performance. They also believe that ibogaine's dramatic effects on traumatic brain injury suggest that ibogaine has broader therapeutic potential for other neuropsychiatric conditions. .
“I think this has the potential to emerge as a broader neurorehabilitation drug,” Williams said. “This targets different brain regions and I think it will help us better understand how to treat other forms of PTSD, anxiety and depression that aren't necessarily related to traumatic brain injury.”
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