Kratom is increasingly being used to treat opioid addiction, withdrawals, and pain throughout the Western world. Though kratom had already been used medicinally for years in Southeast Asia, more studies need to be done.
The reputation of kratom is in limbo. Many testify that it works wonders for them, while others raise concern for its safety. However, some studies show promising results in the capabilities of kratom.
To see kratom through a more transparent lens, let’s dive into this article and assess the facts about kratom.
What Is Kratom?
Southeast Asia is the home of the tree species known as Mitragyna speciosa, better known as kratom. The kratom plant is a relative of the coffee tree and is capable of inducing stimulating effects.
Kratom is most famous for its analgesic and sedative effects attributed to its main compounds, mitragynine and 7-hydroxy mitragynine. These alkaloids are the most studied ones.
It is well known that the plant contains at least 40 other alkaloids, though in different concentrations. Little is known about these additional alkaloids’ biological characteristics.
Kratom Products
Kratom has long been used in Southeast Asia. Usually, they would use the leaves themselves without drying and powdering. The leaves can be used to make tea, smoke, and chew.
After gaining more popularity in the West, more and more products appeared. Kratom can now be found in powders, capsules, tinctures, resin, and pastes. These are readily available at online suppliers.
Miracle Plant Or Dangerous Herb?
The media has a lot to say about kratom; Science hasn’t studied kratom enough, And testimonies about kratom pop out from left and right. Most of our information on kratom relies on these three.
Though we can’t say for sure what kratom falls under, a miracle plant or a dangerous herb, we’ve gathered different information to enlighten you about kratom.
According To The Media
If you search about kratom, you would likely have mixed results. Some say that kratom is harmful, and others say that kratom is good. The media often portrays kratom as a dangerous drug of some sort.
From 2011 to 2017, around 1,800 reports of kratom usage were made to poison control centers in the U.S., including accounts of fatalities. Nearly half of these exposures had severe adverse effects, like seizures and elevated blood pressure.
There have also been reports of withdrawal from infants born from mothers taking kratom.
Many of the media report that the effects of kratom include Weight loss, Dry mouth, Muscle pain, Chills, Nausea, Vomiting, Drowsiness, Liver damage, Changes in urine, and Constipation.
More severe side effects include Hallucinations, Delusions, Depression, Breathing suppression, Seizure, Coma, and Death.
According To Science
A study illustrates the kratom alkaloids’ distinct binding and functional characteristics, suggesting possible pain management benefits. Interventional trials that used clinical data also reported decreased pain sensitivity.
According to a 2015 Thai study, people in Asia have used kratom to treat opiate addiction for decades. Kratom rarely results in respiratory depression or
several other opioids’ unfavorable side effects.
However, note that all three tested kratom alkaloids blocked certain cytochrome P450 enzymes, raising the possibility of harmful interactions when kratom is taken with medications that are processed by these enzymes.
Frequent kratom use and high doses can lead to dependence. Humans experience relatively moderate withdrawal symptoms, which usually go away in a week.
Compared to prescription medication, these withdrawal symptoms are much more tolerable.
It’s possible to have cravings, exhaustion and lethargy, anxiety, nervousness, runny nose, nausea, sweating, muscle discomfort, jerky limb movements, tremor, disturbed sleep, and hallucinations.
Although kratom has been reported to have been linked to deaths, almost all of these reports have also shown that other adverse drugs were used alongside kratom or severe disease. There has not been an isolated case of kratom proving to cause death.
According To Testimonials
There are a ton of testimonies for the use of kratom. Many people have self-treated using kratom, and others swear by it.
According to a survey, 91% of users reported using kratom on average twice daily to treat back, shoulder, and knee pain, 67% to treat anxiety, and 65% to treat depression.
A little over 41% of survey participants claimed to use kratom to treat opiate withdrawal, and of those who did, 35% claimed to have gone more than a year without using heroin or prescription opioids.
According to Henningfield, “The FDA and DEA received more than 20,000 testimonials in 2016 alone from a cross-section of America that said kratom is working for them,” he said in an interview.
Safety Of Use
Kratom is not regulated and is not approved by the F.D.A for medical use. However, kratom is not poisonous and is safe to ingest. Side effects are relatively mild but keep the dosages and frequency of use in check.
Withdrawal symptoms may occur in high dosages and frequent use. But, these symptoms are mild and will go away in a week. More Research is to be done on kratom and its services.
Buy Kratom Online
Because there is no regulation of kratom, buyers of kratom must be meticulous when choosing their suppliers.
The American Kratom Association (AKA) attempts to regulate the production and quality of kratom by providing a standard that suppliers must pass to be approved. Searching for suppliers approved by the AKA is worth a shot for better quality kratom.
For AKA-approved kratom, shop for kratom here.
Conclusion
What do we know about kratom? We know that kratom is a plant native to Southeast Asia that can induce analgesic, sedative, and stimulant effects. It comes in different types of products that are easily accessible to many.
Kratom has multiple faces when searched on the internet. The media generally considers kratom a dangerous and concerning herb.
Science shows that kratom has the potential to be utilized but not enough Research is out to confirm many other things about kratom. Testimonials show promising results for kratom use, and many feel like kratom has given them their life back.
Despite all the commotion on kratom, kratom is generally safe, and deaths that were linked to it were, in fact, not isolated to kratom use.
However, there is an organization that tries to regulate the production of kratom.
For more information, visit this website.
