Episode 859: Ibogaine – The Science Behind How It Works

Newt's World

Gingrich 360

News, Politics

4.7 • 6.3K Ratings

🗓️ 3 July 2025

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Newt talks with Dr. Nolan Williams, M.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University and co-author of the Stanford Medicine study, “Magnesium-ibogaine therapy in veterans with traumatic brain injuries.” Stanford Medicine researchers have discovered that ibogaine, a plant-based psychoactive drug, combined with magnesium, can safely and effectively reduce PTSD, anxiety, and depression, while improving functioning in veterans with traumatic brain injury. Published in Nature Medicine, the study included detailed data on 30 U.S. Special Forces veterans who underwent supervised ibogaine treatments. One-month post-treatment, participants showed average reductions of 88% in PTSD symptoms, 87% in depression symptoms, and 81% in anxiety symptoms, alongside cognitive improvements. Dr. Williams discusses the potential of ibogaine for neural repair and addiction treatment, highlighting its ability to reestablish critical periods of brain plasticity and unbiased choice in addiction recovery. Despite cardiac risks, mitigated by magnesium, ibogaine offers promising results, with ongoing efforts to gain FDA approval and integrate it into veteran healthcare. The study suggests ibogaine could revolutionize treatment for PTSD, addiction, and traumatic brain injury, offering long-lasting benefits from a single dose.

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0:00.0	This is an I-Heart podcast.
0:02.0	On this episode of NUTS World, Stanford Medicine researchers have discovered that the plant-based psychoactive drug, iBugame,
0:17.0	when combined with magnesium to protect the heart, safely and effectively,
0:22.7	reduced post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression, and improved functioning
0:28.7	in veterans with traumatic brain injury. Their study was published in the journal Nature Medicine
0:35.0	on January 5, 2024, and was the first to include detailed data
0:40.7	on 30 veterans of U.S. Special Forces who had undergone supervised ibogaine treatments.
0:47.7	One month after treatment, participants experienced average reductions of 88% in PTSD symptoms,
0:56.0	87% in depression symptoms, and 81% in anxiety symptoms.
1:02.7	Formal cognitive testing also revealed improvements in participants' concentration,
1:08.3	information processing, memory, and impulsivity.
1:12.3	Here to discuss the Stanford study on Ibrahimian, I'm really pleased to welcome my guest,
1:18.5	Dr. Nolan Williams. He is an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences
1:24.1	at Stanford University and director of the Stanford Brain Stimulation Lab.
1:29.5	Dr. Welcome and thank you for joining me in Needs World.
1:43.3	Yeah, excited to be here and really excited to talk about the work we're doing.
1:48.9	Well, I just had W. Brian Hubbard on the podcast on Sunday, and our conversation really convinced me
1:54.9	Iba Gain treatments have great potential. But I wanted to hear from someone who has studied the
2:00.2	science, so I'm thrilled you
2:02.0	would join me today. As the director of the Stanford Brain Stimulation Lab and an associate
2:07.8	professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, can you tell us more about the focus of your work
2:13.8	at Stanford? How did you get involved with doing the study in IBA game?
	...

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