The whole root ceremony on Kauaʻi.
Iboga vs. ibogaine: the whole root, the isolated alkaloid, and the difference row by row
Book a discovery callOne is a plant.The other is one of its molecules.
Iboga is the root bark of a Central African shrub, carrying more than thirty alkaloids and held in ceremony for generations. Ibogaine is one of those alkaloids, isolated and purified. The clinics and the trials work with the compound; ceremony works with the root.
The facts, with sources
- Iboga is the root bark of Tabernanthe iboga, a shrub of the Central African rainforest held in ceremony by the Bwiti of Gabon for generations. The bark carries more than thirty alkaloids; ibogaine is the most studied of them. Explore Bwiti, iboga vs ibogaine
- Ibogaine hydrochloride is one alkaloid, isolated and purified, dosed by body weight in a clinical setting. It is what the Mexico clinics administer and what the Stanford study used, with magnesium alongside to protect the heart. Stanford Medicine, January 2024
- Total alkaloid extract sits between the two: the root's alkaloids extracted together, with ibogaine making up roughly four fifths of the mass and a dozen or more companions carried with it. Iboga alkaloid reference
- Ibogaine's clinical development has been limited by regulatory barriers and by its cardiac effects, which is why screening, an EKG and monitoring matter in every setting. Wikipedia, ibogaine
The whole root,and the isolated alkaloid.
| Ibogaine, the alkaloid | Iboga, the whole root | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | One alkaloid, isolated and purified | The whole root bark, more than thirty alkaloids together |
| How it is given | A measured dose by body weight, in one session, under monitoring | Titrated slowly over hours, in dialogue with the body, over two held nights |
| Where | In a clinic, in a bed, with cardiac monitoring | In ceremony, in nature, as it has been held for generations |
| What the research used | Ibogaine hydrochloride with magnesium, in the Stanford veteran study | Ceremonial use is the older record; clinical trials are of the alkaloid |
| What holds it | Intake before, aftercare where offered; most programs four to fourteen days | Preparation before, integration after; on Kauaʻi, thirteen weeks |
| Legal footing | Schedule I in the US; unscheduled in Mexico, where clinics operate | Schedule I in the US; held by Vital Kauaʻi as a church within a protected religious context |
What medicineis beginning to confirm.
Stanford University, the landmark study
In 2024, Stanford published the first controlled clinical study of the root’s primary alkaloid: thirty U.S. Special Operations veterans, one session each. One month on, PTSD, depression and anxiety had fallen by the figures above, disability scores went from 30.2 to 5.1, the level of no disability, and suicidal thinking fell from 47% of the group to 7%. Concentration, memory and processing improved. There were no heart problems. A 2026 follow-up with MRI found their brains measured younger after the session than before.
Nature Medicine · January 2024 · Dr. Nolan Williams, Stanford Brain Stimulation Lab
A whole root ceremony,held in nature on Kauaʻi.
Most providers hand you a single isolated compound in a medical room. We work with the whole root, the way it has been held for millennia, in a sanctuary on Kauaʻi’s North Shore where the land itself holds you. Private journeys and containers of up to three members.
The root is a powerful and intelligent plant ally, and the science is catching up to it: in Stanford’s 2024 study, a single session eased veterans’ anxiety and depression and sharpened their thinking. Leaders and creators come for the same reasons: clarity, a sharper mind, open creativity, and performance that holds.
Thirteen weeks.Two nights in ceremony.
Six weeks of preparation from home. One week on Kauaʻi, with two held nights with the root. Six weeks of integration back home, so what the root shows you becomes how you live, lead and create.
Preparation
A personal medical consultation and health review with our medical provider. Somatic and nervous-system preparation. Weekly guidance through the member portal, so you arrive clear, steady and ready to receive.
Ceremony
An EKG on-island first. Then two fully held nights with the root, one-on-one or in a container of up to three, with experienced guides and our medical provider present overnight. Days of on-island integration between and after.
Integration
Six weekly one-on-one calls with your integration coach, plus somatic sessions, so the opening holds in your work, your relationships and your body.
What people askabout the two words.
What is the difference between iboga and ibogaine?
Iboga is the whole root bark of Tabernanthe iboga, carrying more than thirty alkaloids. Ibogaine is one of those alkaloids, isolated and purified into a single compound. The clinics in Mexico and the clinical trials work with the isolated compound; ceremony works with the root.
Is iboga stronger than ibogaine?
They are different things rather than two strengths of one thing. The root carries ibogaine along with its companion alkaloids, and ceremony titrates it slowly over hours; the isolated compound is dosed in one measured amount by body weight. People describe the experiences differently, and the published comparisons come from businesses rather than trials.
What did the Stanford study use?
Ibogaine hydrochloride, the isolated alkaloid, with magnesium alongside, in thirty veterans with traumatic brain injury, at a clinic in Mexico. One month after, their disability score fell from 30.2 to 5.1, and most no longer met criteria for PTSD, depression or anxiety.
Which does Vital Kauaʻi work with?
The whole root, titrated slowly over two held nights in ceremony, inside a thirteen-week journey with a medical consultation and clearance before, an EKG on-island, and our medical provider present overnight. We honor the way the root has been held for generations, and we hold it with the care the research asks for.
Is the whole root safer than ibogaine?
The serious risks of either are primarily cardiac, and they are most closely associated with the isolated, concentrated alkaloid at a single flood dose. The root asks for the same care: screening, an EKG, and someone watching through the night. The way it is given, slowly and in dialogue with the body, is part of how it is held.
What is total alkaloid extract?
The root's alkaloids extracted together rather than one isolated: roughly four fifths ibogaine by mass with a dozen or more companions. Some clinics and retreats work with it as a middle path between the whole root and the purified compound.
The root is waitingon Kauaʻi.
Thirty minutes on Zoom. We meet you, you share what is calling you, and together we know whether this is your next step.
Book a discovery callWhat ibogaine costs, clinic by clinic. The Mexico comparison. Offered for education; see the medical disclaimer.