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Kratom

Botanical name: Mitragyna speciosa
Also known as: Kratom, ithang, kakuam, kraton, kutum, madat, mabog, gra-tom, biak-biak, katawn
Family name: Rubiaceae (Coffee family)
Natural habitat: Thailand and from the Northern Malay Peninsula to Borneo and New Guinea

The botanical name for Kratom is Mitrygyna speciosa. This plant finds its origin in Thailand and Malaysia and has mainly in Thailand a long history of traditional usage. Outside Thailand and Malaysia it has long been a relatively unknown plant, but it got famous very quickly and since a few years it belongs to the most popular ethnobotanicals.

Appearance
The Mitragyna speciosa is a tropical tree or shrub which grows to a height only 3-4 meters, although sometimes it will grow as tall as 12-16 meters. The stem is erect and has forked branches that grow upward obliquely. Leaves are oval in shape and are a dark glossy green in color. The leaves are 8-12 cm. long, have a large surface and are constantly being shed and replaced. The tree produces deep yellow flowers.

History
The traditional usage of Kratom is only known from Thailand and Malaysia. In Thailand it has been used since hundreds of years as a substitute for opium. Thai workers use it to get through a hard day of work. There are some reports from the nineteenth century which also mention traditional usage in Malaysia. The first phytochemical research into the plant began around 1920. Pharmacological studies of the main active constituent (mitragynine) began soon thereafter.

Traditional usage
In traditional usage the dried leaves are smoked, chewed, made into a tea or made into an extract. Sometimes the leaves are chewed together with Betel nuts. Salt is often added to avoid constipation. A special method of preparation involves powdering the dried leaves and boiling them in water until a syrup results. (which is easy to preserve). Then it needs to be mixed with finely chopped leaves from the Palas palm or Betel leaves and made into pills. In Malaysia this product is known as madat and is smoked in long bamboo pipes.

Effects
The leaves of Mitragyne speciosa contain numerous indole alkaloids. The main active constituent is mitragynine (66% of the total alkaloid mixture). Some other alkaloids are ajmalicine, corynanthedin, mitraversine, mitraphylline, isomitraphylline and speciofoline. Mitragynine is chemically related to psilocybin and other ergot alkaloids. Mitraphylline and isomitraphylline belong to the yohimbine type.

The effects of Kratom on the mind are a bit paradoxal. It's simultaneously stimulating like coca and sedating like that of opium. Users of this herb describe the effects as stimulating and euphoric, happy, strong and active, with a strong desire to do work. The mind is described as calm. When consumed the first effects may already be noticed after 5-10 minutes and can hold on for several hours.

Health problems are unlikely to occur in occasional kratom users. Kratom seems to have very few toxic effects, even when taken in high dosage. In studies with mice, even extreme dosages of 920 mg/kg body weight did not produce any toxic effect. Some users have reported minor nausea, increased urination and constipation as side-effects. Like any drug or medicine, people's reactions vary and some people could possibly have an allergic or other unusual reaction to kratom, even if used responsibly. There are reports though that people (mainly in Thailand) have become dependant on Kratom though. So it's not advised to use Kratom on a daily basis.

Kratom on the market
Due its (rising) popularity Kratom is widely available these days, mainly through the internet. There are 2 kinds of Kratom available on the market today; one finds it origin in Bali, Indonesia and the other originates from Thailand. They are both the same plant, Mitragyna speciosa, but when consumed they do have a little bit a different effect on the mind.

Kratom is available in the following forms: dried leaves, extracts, resin and as tinctures.

These days Kratom has been banned in the following countries: Thailand, Australia, Burma, Malaysia and Vietnam. As far as we know it's not further subject to any other regulations.