Sananga
Traditional Amazonian eye drops made from the roots of Tabernaemontana shrubs, dripped directly onto the eye. Used by western-Amazonian peoples for hunting vision and spiritual cleansing. Causes intense burning; medical claims have no clinical evidence and it carries real ocular risk.
Important information
This information is for educational purposes only. Always research thoroughly, test your substances, understand legal implications, and consult healthcare professionals. Never use substances alone or in unsafe environments.
Risks & side effects
- Corneal irritation and epithelial injury (acidic, non-isotonic)
- Eye infection / microbial keratitis from non-sterile drops
- Corneal ulcer, scarring, or vision loss with misuse
- No standardization of strength or purity
- No long-term safety data
- Contamination from shared or reused droppers
Read the interactions and harm-reduction information below before the reference ranges.
Known interactions
No known dangerous interactions in our database — this does not mean all combinations are safe. Always research before combining substances.
Harm reduction
- NOT a proven medical treatment - educational context only
- Use only a sterile, single-user product; never share droppers
- Dilute and test one eye first
- Remove contact lenses beforehand
- Have a sober helper present; do not drive after
- See an ophthalmologist for pain beyond ~10 min, redness, discharge, or any vision change
- AVOID entirely with glaucoma, eye infection/injury, corneal disease, dry eye, recent eye surgery, or pregnancy
Dosage information
Traditionally 1 drop per eye at the inner corner, blinking to distribute. Sold as mild/medium/strong purely by dilution. No standardized or medically established dose.
Dosage ranges are reference values from published literature, not recommendations. Potency varies by source, body weight, and individual sensitivity — harm-reduction practice starts well below the ranges listed.
Before any number: set, setting, purity, dose · LD50 · microdosing
On this page: known interactions · harm reduction
Duration
Sting: 1-10 minutes | After-effects: reported calm/focus for minutes to hours; traditional accounts claim sharpened senses lasting days
Effects
- Intense burning/stinging (1-10 minutes)
- Profuse tearing
- Transient blurred, then reportedly 'clearer', vision
- Calm and heightened focus after the sting fades
- Traditionally: sharpened long-distance vision
- Reported clearing of 'panema' (stagnant energy)
Legal status
Not scheduled; sold as an unregulated ethnobotanical ('not for human consumption'). Isolated ibogaine is Schedule I in the U.S., but Sananga is the crude plant extract, not purified ibogaine. No FDA approval or quality/sterility oversight.
Pharmacology
A whole-plant extract, not a single molecule. Contains iboga-type monoterpene indole alkaloids (coronaridine, voacangine, ibogamine, heyneanine; ibogaine precursors). These alkaloids show preclinical antimicrobial, antiparasitic, and anti-inflammatory activity in the lab, but there is essentially no ocular pharmacology and no evidence the eye drop delivers any of these effects in humans.
Therapeutic research
- IMPORTANT: the claims below are traditional/marketing claims, NOT clinically validated
- Claimed to improve eyesight and treat glaucoma, cataracts, and myopia - no clinical evidence exists
- No registered interventional clinical trials of Sananga (ClinicalTrials.gov)
- Iboga-family alkaloids are studied for anti-addiction, but via ibogaine, not Sananga eye drops
- Traditional-eye-medicine research consistently links non-sterile herbal drops to worse ocular outcomes
- Honest position: no evidence of medical benefit; real risk of ocular harm
Research
A preview of the linked research. The library includes different kinds of evidence; read each source for its methods and limitations.
Krengel et al. 2019, Chemistry & Biodiversity. Characterizes the iboga-type indole alkaloids (coronaridine, ibogamine, voacangine, ibogaine) found across Tabernaemontana - the genus Sananga is made from.
Evaluation of the leishmanicidal activity of plants used by the Peruvian Chayahuita ethnic group
Estevez et al. 2007, Journal of Ethnopharmacology. Tabernaemontana sananho (a Sananga source species) showed good in-vitro activity against Leishmania - an anti-parasite finding, not an eye study.
Marques et al. 2018, International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Tabernaemontana catharinensis extract reduced paw edema and pro-inflammatory cytokines in animal models; illustrates genus bioactivity, not ocular use.
History & culture
Sananga is used by peoples of the western Amazon - most prominently the Matses (Mayoruna), who call it 'becchete', along with the Huni Kuin (Kaxinawa) and Yawanawa. Matses hunters use it to sharpen visual acuity and 'long sight' for hunting and to heighten the senses, with effects said to last days. Among the Huni Kuin and Yawanawa it is used to clear 'panema' - dark, stagnant energy associated with bad luck and lethargy - a spiritual rather than medical framing. It is frequently used within ceremony alongside ayahuasca, rape/hape, and kambo. Its rapid Western commercialization by retreats and online shops has raised cultural-appropriation and biopiracy concerns, and much of the online 'tradition' narrative is written by vendors.
Natural origins
Prepared from the roots and root bark of small trees in the genus Tabernaemontana (family Apocynaceae) - chiefly Tabernaemontana undulata (the Matses 'becchete') and Tabernaemontana sananho (the Kaxinawa 'kunakip'), with T. catharinensis also reported. These belong to the same tribe as Tabernanthe iboga, the source of ibogaine. The root is scraped or macerated in water and strained; the product is not sterile, not pH-balanced, and not standardized for alkaloid content.