The second episode grounds the listener in botanical and chemical fundamentals. It covers Tabernanthe iboga taxonomy, morphology, and why the root bark concentrates alkaloids. The hosts map the iboga-alkaloid family — ibogaine, ibogamine, tabernanthine, ibogaline, coronaridine, and voacangine — highlighting the shared isoquinuclidine fused to indole skeleton. Biosynthesis via the monoterpene indole alkaloid (MIA) pathway is explained from strictosidine through the iboga-type skeleton. The episode concludes by addressing alkaloid distribution across tissues and variability by provenance, setting up the sourcing and quality themes that follow.