But research on psychedelics has largely ignored ibogaine, a drug that’s derived from a plant native to the rainforests of Central Africa.

Over the past three years on this beat, I have interviewed researchers who have occasionally mentioned ibogaine, often in tones that hinted at both promise and peril.

An ibogaine journey can be grueling.

Ibogaine, a formidable hallucinogen made from the root of a shrub native to Central Africa, is not for the timid.

But scientists who have studied ibogaine have reported startling findings.