Clinical-stage natural psychedelics company Filament Health Corp. FLHLF has completed the first Nagoya Protocol compliant import of Tabernanthe iboga root from Gabon into the Company’s Vancouver R&D facility.

After approval by the Gabonese government under the international Nagoya Protocol (see Filament’s attitude In relation to sustainable supply) as well as the country’s Convention on Biological Diversity, the botanical raw material was shipped to Canada for analysis and development into ibogaine extract.

Filament will work with iboga expert company Terragnosis to convert the root into a full alkaloid extract. Founder Jonathan Dickinson believes the agreement will both “facilitate vital healing work” and “support communities in Gabon.”

See also: Filament Health’s First Quarter 2023 Financial Results, Material Uncertainty on the Horizon

The iboga shrub is native to Central Africa and contains the psychoactive compound ibogaine. Both iboga and ibogaine are traditionally used in ritual and ceremonial practices and have recently shown promise for the treatment of conditions such as addiction (see results of a Clinic based in Brazil.)

The fact that the agreement complies with the Nagoya Protocol means that the sharing of benefits from the use of genetic resources is ensured in a fair and equitable manner.

“We have worked closely with Filament Health, as well as Blessings of the Forest Gabon and the A2E community, who had the foresight to start growing iboga almost 20 years ago. We are committed to this journey to ensure future access and benefits for traditional knowledge holders in Gabon,” added Dickinson.

Speaking on behalf of Filament, co-founder and CEO Benjamin Lightburn says the company has “the pre-eminent botanical extraction expertise and regulatory capabilities in the psychedelic industry” and is committed to exploring the “promising but under-researched drug.”

The first batch of extract to be developed will be…