What is ibogaine? All about the psychoactive drug Presley Gerber took for treatment before death

Before his tragic death at 27, model Presley Gerber turned to a powerful psychedelic drug in a desperate bid to “rewire” his brain.The son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber, and brother of model Kaia Gerber, died Sunday, Sept.

20, at a rehab facility in California.His exact cause and manner of death remain pending, but Santa Monica police are investigating it as a “suspected overdose.”Presley had been candid about his battles with addiction and mental health for years.

In 2025, he said he had been sober from alcohol for five months.He later detailed the medications he was taking, including Xanax for “really, really bad panic attacks,” buprenorphine and ketamine.In one of his final social media posts, Presley shared video from a Mexican wellness center he visited in March, where he prepared to undergo a high-dose psychedelic treatment involving ibogaine.“Pre Ibogaine Flood Dose — quiet moment before everything changed,” he wrote on Instagram.

“I was absolutely terrified, and I knew I would be again if I ever had to face something like this, Letting go of control didn’t come easy, but I trusted there was something bigger than me guiding it.I knew why I was there.”“I faced what I had been running from, and somewhere in all of it, I started finding my way back to myself,” he added.

“We shall see….Praying it’s the last time I have to come back.”At the time, Crawford praised her son as a “warrior,” while Kaia said she was “damn proud” of him.

Now, as fans mourn Presley’s death, here’s what to know about the psychedelic treatment he turned to in hopes of changing his life.It’s a naturally occurring psychoactive compound found in the root bark of the iboga shrub, native to Central and West Africa, according to the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics.For centuries, tribal communities have used ibogaine in religious, spiritual and healing ceremonies, where it is said to induce hal...