Kratom
Mitragyna speciosa
Active ingredients: 7-hydroxymitragynine, Mitragynine
Kratom is a tree with a rich and no doubt fascinating history. Unfortunately, very little of it was written down.
The kratom tree grows in Southeast Asia, where its leaves have been used as an energising and mildly psychoactive tea for thousands of years. A relative newcomer to the range of consciousness-altering herbs in the West, kratom is a subtle and intriguing plant with substantial medical and therapeutic potential and a nice recreational buzz that many find useful for focus or relaxation.
In its native Asia, it has been chewed or brewed into a tea as herbal medicine to treat pain, boost energy, alleviate anxiety and symptoms of depression, and promote wellness and happiness.
Amsterdam botanist Pieter Korthals wrote the first study of the plant while in service with the Dutch East India Company in Malaysia in the 1830s, after noting a lot of locals chewing it. He named it Mitragyna speciosa because he thought its flowers resembled a mitre or bishop’s hat.
It’s only since the early 2000s that kratom has made its way with any regularity into the US and European online and offline smart shops supplied from Thailand and Bali. The kratom from Bali is generally more of a mellow experience than the comparatively energetic Thai kratom. Both are sold dried as loose-leaf tea, raw powder, or fortified with leaf extract.
Like all herbal highs, the experience of kratom can vary from individual to individual and from occasion to occasion. There are also differences in batches of the herb and potency of different brands, plus its effects differ depending on whether the dose taken was low or high.
Like coffee, kratom is a mildly bitter pick-me-up taken at any time of the day. Rather than giving a caffeinated short-term energy boost followed by a crash, it delivers a more centred, calming experience.
At higher doses, it becomes progressively more relaxing, sedative and pain- relieving. The effects are felt both mentally and bodily and include a sense of inner warmth and happiness, pleasant thoughts, relaxed breathing and reduced mental chatter. Though not itself an opiate, it is for these opiate-like effects that it has become increasingly popular.
The overall experience is very relaxed, whether in social interactions or by oneself - some report an increased ability to focus and a calm but intense mental stimulation.
Although more than 25 alkaloids have been isolated from kratom leaves, the natural history of its use, clinical pharmacology and toxicology are poorly understood. Only a handful of scientific papers have been written about its effects and the centuries-long history of use.
Mitragynine was believed to be the primary alkaloid responsible for kratom’s effects, it being the most abundant. In 2002, 7-hydroxy mitragynine was discovered to be the most significant substance. Despite being present in much smaller amounts, this minor alkaloid was found to be even more potent in its pain-relieving action than morphine.
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