Tabernanthalog — Safety, Research, Risks & Legal Status

Not medical advice. Tabernanthalog is discussed here for informational and harm-reduction purposes only. We do not endorse use, and any dosing context is informational, not a protocol.

Also known as	TBG, DLX-007, DLX007, 8-methoxy-3-methyl-2,4,5,6-tetrahydro-1H-azepino[4,5-b]indole, ibogalog
Category	Research Chemical
Drug class	Non-hallucinogenic ibogaine analog (ibogalog); psychoplastogen / neuroplastogen
Developer	Discovered in David E. Olson's lab, UC Davis; developed by Delix Therapeutics
Development code	DLX-007 (TBG)
Primary target	Serotonin 5-HT2A receptor agonism (plus other 5-HT subtypes)
Trial stage	Preclinical; had not entered human clinical trials as of 2026
First reported	2021 (Nature), from function-oriented redesign of ibogaine
US legal status	Not FDA-approved for any indication and not a lawful dietary supplement. As of 2026 tabernanthalog has not entered human clinical trials; it remains an investigational, preclinical-stage compound. It is not explicitly named as a controlled substance in the United States, but that absence of scheduling does not make it a legal consumer product: it has no GRAS status, no New Dietary Ingredient notification, and no approved use, so it cannot lawfully be sold or marketed for human consumption or as a nootropic. Material offered online is typically labeled a research chemical not for human consumption. Because it is structurally derived from ibogaine (a Schedule I substance), analog-style enforcement questions are at least theoretically possible, though tabernanthalog itself is not a scheduled iboga alkaloid. Informational only; verify current status against primary regulatory sources.

What is Tabernanthalog?

Tabernanthalog (TBG, development code DLX-007) is a simplified, water-soluble synthetic analog of the iboga alkaloid ibogaine, engineered to retain proposed neuroplasticity-promoting activity while removing the hallucinogenic and cardiotoxic liabilities of the parent natural product. It belongs to a class its developers call psychoplastogens (also neuroplastogens): small molecules hypothesized to rapidly promote structural remodeling of neurons. It was first reported by David E. Olson's laboratory at UC Davis in a 2021 Nature paper and is being developed by Delix Therapeutics. Essentially all of what is known comes from cell-based and rodent work; there are no completed human trials, so every therapeutic statement here is preclinical.

How it works

The proposed mechanism is engagement of serotonin receptors, with 5-HT2A agonism commonly cited as central to the psychoplastogen hypothesis, alongside reported activity at other serotonin subtypes (for example 5-HT1B, 5-HT1F, 5-HT2C, 5-HT6) and some binding at non-serotonergic targets. The distinguishing feature its developers emphasize is a proposed decoupling of neuroplasticity from the hallucinogenic signaling that accompanies classic 5-HT2A psychedelics: in animals it promotes structural plasticity without the head-twitch response and reportedly without the broad immediate-early-gene induction seen with hallucinogens. Downstream, the working hypothesis is that promotion of cortical dendritic growth (a psychoplastogen effect) underlies the antidepressant- and antiaddiction-like outcomes. All of this is a proposed mechanism supported by preclinical data, not a mechanism confirmed in humans.

Background & history

Tabernanthalog emerged from the Olson laboratory's function-oriented approach to redesigning ibogaine. Ibogaine has long attracted interest for anti-addiction effects but carries serious cardiac risk (QT prolongation, hERG blockade) and hallucinogenic activity. The goal was a single-step-synthesizable, water-soluble analog stripped of those liabilities. The compound was reported in a 2021 Nature paper (Cameron, Olson and colleagues). Delix Therapeutics licensed the psychoplastogen platform and advanced tabernanthalog as DLX-007, and Delix has partnered with NIH/NIDA-related funding to study it for substance use disorders. Despite earlier expectations of clinical testing, tabernanthalog had still not entered human trials as of 2026, while a separate Delix molecule (DLX-001, zalsupindole) advanced into Phase 1.

What the research says

The evidence base is narrow and almost entirely preclinical. The anchor is the 2021 Nature report from the Olson lab and a small number of follow-on rodent studies. In those experiments a single dose of tabernanthalog promoted structural neural plasticity (increased dendritic spine density and neurite growth in cortical neurons), produced antidepressant-like effects in standard rodent behavioral assays, and reduced alcohol- and heroin-seeking behavior. A later study reported it can reverse stress-induced behavioral deficits such as anxiety-like behavior and cognitive inflexibility and help restore stress-disrupted neural circuits in mice. More recent preclinical work has explored serotonergic effects on cancer-related cognitive deficits in animals. Crucially, no robust human trials exist: as of 2026 tabernanthalog itself had not entered clinical testing, and public human safety and efficacy data are absent. Note a common point of confusion: Delix's DLX-001 (zalsupindole) is a different molecule that reached Phase 1, whereas tabernanthalog (DLX-007) has not.

Reported effects

Reported in rodents and cell models only; no confirmed human effects
Promotes structural neuroplasticity (dendritic spine and neurite growth) in preclinical models
Antidepressant-like effects in rodent behavioral assays
Reduced alcohol- and heroin-seeking behavior in animal models
Reversal of stress-induced anxiety-like behavior and cognitive inflexibility in mice
Does not produce the head-twitch response in rodents, a proxy suggesting it is non-hallucinogenic
No reliable characterization of subjective effects in humans exists

Dosing & administration (informational)

Informational only, not a protocol. There is no established or validated human dose for tabernanthalog because it has not been through clinical trials; published work reports doses only in rodents (typically expressed as mg/kg in mice), which cannot be translated to a human dose by any legitimate simple scaling. No safe human dose has been demonstrated, and any figures circulated by vendors or in anecdotal reports are unverified and should not be treated as guidance.

This is general research/context information, not medical advice or a recommended protocol.

Safety & side effects

No human safety data: tabernanthalog has not completed (or, as of 2026, entered) clinical trials, so its human safety profile is unknown
A stated design goal was reduced cardiotoxicity: it was reported roughly 100-fold less potent than ibogaine at the hERG channel in vitro, but this does not establish human cardiac safety
Purity and identity of vendor-sold research-chemical material are unverified and may contain impurities or the wrong compound
Long-term effects, carcinogenicity, reproductive toxicity, and organ toxicity in humans are entirely uncharacterized
Being non-hallucinogenic in animal proxies does not imply it is safe or inert in people
No established antidote, drug-interaction profile, or contraindication list exists for human use

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Who should avoid it

Anyone: it is investigational with no human safety data and no lawful consumer use
People taking serotonergic medications (SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs, triptans, tramadol, other psychedelics) given theoretical serotonergic-additivity risk
People with cardiovascular disease or QT-prolongation risk, given the ibogaine lineage and unproven human cardiac safety
Pregnant or breastfeeding individuals
Anyone seeking a validated treatment for depression or addiction, for which approved options exist

How it is commonly combined

There is no evidence-based rationale for stacking tabernanthalog with anything, and doing so is not supported. As an unapproved research chemical with no human data, combining it with other actives only compounds unknown risks, particularly with other serotonergic or cardioactive compounds. Peptropix does not sell this compound and does not endorse any combination or protocol involving it.

Legal & regulatory. Not FDA-approved for any indication and not a lawful dietary supplement. As of 2026 tabernanthalog has not entered human clinical trials; it remains an investigational, preclinical-stage compound. It is not explicitly named as a controlled substance in the United States, but that absence of scheduling does not make it a legal consumer product: it has no GRAS status, no New Dietary Ingredient notification, and no approved use, so it cannot lawfully be sold or marketed for human consumption or as a nootropic. Material offered online is typically labeled a research chemical not for human consumption. Because it is structurally derived from ibogaine (a Schedule I substance), analog-style enforcement questions are at least theoretically possible, though tabernanthalog itself is not a scheduled iboga alkaloid. Informational only; verify current status against primary regulatory sources.

Quality & harm reduction

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Frequently asked questions

Is tabernanthalog approved or available as a treatment?

No. It is an investigational compound that had not entered human clinical trials as of 2026 and is not FDA-approved for anything. It is not a lawful dietary supplement, and any material sold online is unregulated research chemical.

Is it really non-hallucinogenic?

In rodents it does not produce the head-twitch response, a behavioral proxy for psychedelic activity, and its developers designed it to separate neuroplasticity from hallucinogenic signaling. But non-hallucinogenic in animal proxies is not the same as proven in humans, and its subjective effects in people have not been formally studied.

Is tabernanthalog the same as Delix's DLX-001?

No. DLX-001 (zalsupindole) is a different Delix molecule that advanced into Phase 1 trials. Tabernanthalog is DLX-007 and, as of 2026, had not entered clinical testing. It is easy to conflate them, but the human-data status is very different.

What has it actually been shown to do?

In cell and rodent studies it promoted structural neuroplasticity, produced antidepressant-like effects, reduced alcohol- and heroin-seeking behavior, and reversed some stress-induced behavioral deficits. These are preclinical findings only; none have been confirmed in humans.

Is it safer than ibogaine?

It was engineered to reduce ibogaine's cardiac liability and was reported to be roughly 100-fold less potent at the hERG channel in vitro. That is a design goal supported by preclinical data, not a demonstration of human cardiac safety, which remains unestablished.

What is a typical dose?

There is no validated human dose. Published dosing exists only in rodents and does not translate to people. We do not provide dosing guidance; anyone considering an investigational compound should consult a qualified clinician.

References & further reading

PubMed: tabernanthalog non-hallucinogenic psychedelic analogue therapeutic potential
PubMed: tabernanthalog ibogaine analog neuroplasticity Olson UC Davis
PubMed: tabernanthalog heroin alcohol seeking rodent model
PubMed: tabernanthalog stress-induced behavioral deficits mice cortical neurons
ClinicalTrials.gov: Delix Therapeutics DLX-007 tabernanthalog psychoplastogen