Voacanga africana

Voacanga africana
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Gentianales
Family:	Apocynaceae
Genus:	Voacanga
Species:	V. africana
Binomial name
Voacanga africana Stapf

Voacanga africana is a small tropical African tree that grows to 6m in height. It has leaves that are up to 30 cm in length, and the tree produces yellow or white flowers, which become berries with yellow seeds.

Uses

Chemical structure of voacangine

Chemical structure of voacamine

The bark and seeds of the tree are used in Ghana as a poison, stimulant, aphrodisiac, and ceremonial psychedelic. These effects are due to the presence of a complex mixture of iboga alkaloids such as voacangine, vocamine, vobtusine, amataine, akuammidine, tabersonine, coronaridine and vobtusine.

Medicinal uses

A number of these compounds have pharmaceutical uses. Of particular pharmaceutical interest is voacangine, which is a common precursor in the semi-synthesis of the anti-addiction medication ibogaine. Small amounts of ibogaine are found in Voacanga Africana root bark but not in sufficient quantity to have much medicinal effect, although other alkaloids from the plant such as coronaridine and voacangine may have a weak anti-addictive effect in their own right.