Three Decades of Research on the Development of Ibogaine Treatment of Substance Use Disorders: A Scientometric Analysis.
Journal of psychoactive drugs January 1, 2024 Maria Helha Fernandes-Nascimento, André Brooking Negrão, Karine Viana-Ferreira et al. 7 citations
Ibogaine, a natural psychoactive drug, has been studied for treating substance use disorders since the mid-1960s. A scientometric analysis of publications from 1993 to 2022 found 1523 references, with linear growth in the first and third decades and lower average publications in 1993-2002 than in later decades. Researchers from five continents contributed, with US and Canadian academic centers most productive. Early keywords included cocaine, tobacco, morphine, and alcohol; opioids and psychedelics emerged in the third decade. Only one preclinical meta-analysis and no human meta-analyses were found. Research trends are widespread and growing, underscoring the need for rigorous clinical trials on ibogaine's efficacy and safety.