Voacanga africana
Voacanga africana is a small tree native to tropical Africa belonging to the family Apocynaceae that grows to 6 m (20 ft) in height and bears leaves that are up to 30 cm (12 in) in length.[3] Voacanga africana was named by botanist Otto Stapf in 1894 after he received a type specimen from George Scott-Elliot, who had been participating in the Sierra Leone Boundary Commission.[5] This changed when, in 1955, French chemists Maurice Marie-Janot and Robert Goutarel extracted three alkaloids from the Voacanga africana which they believed could be used in the treatment of heart conditions.[7] The plant contains a large number of alkaloids related to the anti-addiction medication ibogaine, including some of the only known naturally occurring CB1 receptor antagonists.[10] While small amounts of ibogaine are found in Voacanga africana root bark, they do not occur in sufficient quantity to have medicinal or psychoactive effects.
Scientific classificationPlantaeTracheophytesAngiospermsEudicotsAsteridsGentianalesApocynaceaeVoacangaBinomial nametropical AfricafolliculardehiscentexocarpmesocarpCNS depressantshypotensivesOtto Stapftype specimennon-timber forest productCameroonNigeriaCôte d'IvoirevoacanginevoacamineibogaineCB1 receptorvinpocetineAlzheimer's diseasevinblastineChristian RätschWest AfricapoisonstimulantpsychedelicWikipediaNational Institute of Health SciencesBerlin Botanic GardenJardin botanique de LimbéCamerounsuckersGermplasm Resources Information NetworkAgricultural Research ServiceUnited States Department of AgriculturePharmaceutical BiologyACS OmegaWikidataWikispeciesiNaturalistOpen Tree of LifePlant ListTropicos