I'm not familiar with that "awesome herb", so I wondered what other sources might have to say.
While the numbers are small (unsurprisingly, if it's not nearly as widely known and used as some other substances), it may not be quite as innocuous as you seem to imply:
> "A 2019 paper analyzing data from the National Poison Data System found that between 2011-2017 there were 11 deaths associated with kratom exposure. Nine of the 11 deaths reported in this study involved kratom plus other drugs and medicines, such as diphenhydramine (an antihistamine), alcohol, caffeine, benzodiazepines, fentanyl, and cocaine. Two deaths were reported following exposure from kratom alone with no other reported substances."
> "In 2017, the FDA identified at least 44 deaths related to kratom, with at least one case investigated as possible use of pure kratom."
Actually, even the study you linked has some disturbing statements:
> Deaths attributed to the use of Kratom have been reported in Europe and the United States but not in Southeast Asia.
> The increasing trend in Kratom consumption in the West has corresponded with an increase in reports of Kratom-related exposures to Poison Control Centers in the United States, care received at a health care facility due to Kratom consumption, and association with overdose fatalities.
> Kratom was identified as the cause of death by a medical examiner in 91 of the 152 Kratom-positive deaths, but was the only identified substance in just seven of these cases.
If this reasoning is valid, we might as well accuse you and the grand parent of being internet kratom sellers, who have a vested interest in convincing HN readers of the benign nature of Kratom.
In any case, your reasoning is completely invalid. Here, for example, is an article from pubmed which argues:
"While several cases of toxicity and death have emerged in the West, such reports have been non-existent in South East Asia where kratom has had a longer history of use. We highlight the possible reasons for this as discussed in the literature. More importantly, it should be borne in mind that the individual clinical case-reports emerging from the West that link kratom use to adverse reactions or fatalities frequently pertained to kratom used together with other substances. Therefore, there is a danger of these reports being used to strengthen the case for legal sanction against kratom. This would be unfortunate since the experiences from South East Asia suggest considerable potential for therapeutic use among people who use drugs."
Yeah, I see the issue with relying solely on anecdote.
Re: safety of kratom itself: AKA (https://www.americankratom.org/) has had independent physicians look into each reported death involving kratom in the US, and all have involved various other substances of abuse, none have been exclusively cause by kratom.
When taking powdered leaf itself, OD is pretty much impossible since you end up vomiting. There are many extracts and such on the market, but most people I know partake of (including myself) are wary about strength and clarity of said extracts.
I'd love to see more of a push for some legitimate research, I think it's something that could be very effective in this space. Good luck with licensing and I'll be sure to share the service with ones I know are currently trying to kick opiods.
Kratom actually does not cause respiratory depression and there is doubt the powdered leaf (not concentrate) alone can causes death. It began to be used in place of opium in Malaysia starting in 1836. [1]
It has already been on the market in the US for many years. It was researched by Smith, Kline & French (acquired by GlaxoSmithKline) and one of its alkaloids was patented in 1963. [2] It is aiding people in quitting opiates/heroin and is much easier to withdraw from.
Companies sell it as botanical specimens, soap ingredients, and generally label it as not for human consumption and consumers understand what they are getting. There has not been a problem, aside from the contamination with O-desmethyltramadol and consumers mixing drugs. In fact, the CDC reported only one death in six years involving kratom, as well as paroxetine and lamotrigine. There are 16 deaths where kratom has been found in autopsy reports and 14 in the scientific literature. [3]
Regulation is important. Users should be able to know that the product they are buying is safe and would probably like to know the alkaloid content, the same way marijuana strains are tested. Schedule 1 is not appropriate for this plant. It is going to encourage synthetic alkaloid production. In fact, PZM21 is being synthesized to be able to curb addiction without respiratory issues. [4] While this is great for addiction treatment, it is unfortunate that kratom will not be available for those who use it in place of opiates.
If you are interested in the research that is available, someone has uploaded it all here:
> for a plant that is far less addictive and harmful that traditional opioids
Interestingly enough, the related links at the bottom of the article point to another article from the same site: "Poison control centers are getting a surge of calls about ‘natural’ painkiller kratom"
Personally I have never taken Kratom but people I know who have taken it have said that the effects were minimal at best. From my own research into it, there is little to support it being both safe and effective. In fact, from a quick search just now, I found a lot of information questioning its effectiveness and safety. The CDC has concerns about it and they believe it has been the cause of a number of salmonella cases. [Ref: https://www.healio.com/news/infectious-disease/20180220/opio...]
Kratom is a rare stimulant that makes you more productive. It is unfortunate that our culture chooses to only tolerate caffeine which makes you twitchy, and nicotine, which slowly kills you.
Kratom is currently neither a food, drug, or herbal supplement which puts it in a weird legal wasteland. Kratom is usually consumed as a tea. It is very palatable when sweetened with sugar and contains healthy anti-oxidants[1]. One of the active alkaloids of kratom, 7-hydroxy mitragynine is an incredibly strong opiate, 17 times as strong as morphine[2]. Kratom has been further tested as a drug on your average variety of small mammals. This study is on a guinea pig, where they didn't get the 17x number but concluded that 7-hydroxy-mitragynine is a dose dependant antinociceptive that is stronger than morphine.[3] They do a follow up study demonstrating cross tolerance with morphine. [4]
Erowid[5] is the authoritative list of studies[6] on the subject of kratom. You can read more than 50 personal experiences with kratom, mostly with regards to it as a recreational drug though some individuals there use it as a substitute for real opiates or to potentiate other drugs. Most of the negative experiences can be attributed to people incorrectly consuming kratom[7]. Kratom is properly consumed as a tea with lots of sugar and the extra kratom powder filtered out with a french press.
Kratom is completely legal everywhere except some of its native Southeast Asia: Thailand, Burma, and Malaysia, and Australia[8]. It is legally grown in Indonesia and India, though I haven't found any real Mitragyna Speciosa sold out of India. Most of the guys on Ali Baba are selling fake kratom, except PH. All of the kratom on the market comes from this mystery world landowner who owns dozens of legal drug plantations in all the continents. If anyone could undercut him for one of his major products, the second supplier would make a lot of money because a successful international kratom operation could source kratom 100 fold cheaper than PH. This would require you to grow your own kratom, in a warm, wet climate or travel to Indonesia and give people money to take you to the kratom, which would probably work. Unfortunately, I don't have any contacts in Indonesia or anywhere else where Kratom is legally grown. Maybe one of these days I can take a sourcing trip.
I'm not trying to push a drug here, I'm trying to tell the truth. This is a substance with a lot of potential and I would love to collaborate on research with anyone that is interested.
I agree it's a knee-jerk reaction, but it seems that study is warranted rather than just praise. Seems like an interesting plant.
From a November 2015 paper entitled "Following 'the Roots' of Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa): The Evolution of an Enhancer from a Traditional Use to Increase Work and Productivity in Southeast Asia to a Recreational Psychoactive Drug in Western Countries" [0]
Note: reference numbers changed from original, and where appropriate, non-working or functionally empty URIs were replaced with working ones,
"...findings show that regular kratom use is associated with drug dependency, development of withdrawal symptoms, and craving [1]. Many regular users declare their difficulty to abstain from kratom use and experiencing sharp unpleasant symptoms during abstinence periods [2]. Physical withdrawal symptoms include anorexia, weight loss, decreased sexual drive, insomnia, muscle spasms and pain, aching in the muscles and bones, jerky movement of the limbs, watery eyes/nose, hot flushes, fever, decreased appetite, and diarrhoea [3, 1]. Psychological withdrawal symptoms commonly reported are nervousness, restlessness, tension, anger, hostility, aggression, and sadness [4, 1]. Long-term addicts are described to become thin and have skin pigmentation on their cheeks, due to the capacity of mitragynine to increase the production of melanocytes-stimulating substance [4, 5]. Regular ketum use is also reported to cause psychotic symptoms such as mental confusion, delusion, and hallucination [4]..."
Ignoring the article and its questionable nature, I would like to take this as an opportunity to assist hopeful readers, who were attracted by the headline, by recommending research into Kratom, for those with no other recourse.
While there is (ironically) little in the way of published literature, there are a number of communities (e.g. reddit.com/r/kratom) which espouse the seeming safety and utility of the mildly psychoactive plant. The consistent claims (as with any anecdote, trust at your own risk) are that the leaf is mildly addictive, seemingly safe, with a manageable withdrawal, yet extremely effective for pain and anxiety.
I have personally used it for headaches/migraines, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, and I think it is tragic that the DEA attempted a ban. Note as there is a mild but unmistakable opiate-like high associated with use, although it does not appear to significantly impair cognitive function, particularly when the alternative is performance with pain and/or anxiety.
This is ridiculous! First, please become informed before posting on a subject you clearly know little about. Second, in your "aforementioned" comment, you did not differentiate between uei and plain leaf kratom. This means you are either a "plant", or just a complete m. I know first-hand that coming off daily use of plain leaf kratom is a cakewalk compared to pharmaceuticals like methadone. Kratom is very similar to stopping your daily cup of coffee. You do not have 2 weeks of severe withdrawal nor do you have years in a state of PAWS. Also, if you think man made drugs like methadone are safer than natural substances like kratom, you need to head back to your big pharma office. Kratom is safe when taken in moderation. It will not kill you DEAD because when you take too much, it induces the users to vomit. It does not cause a complete shutdown of your cns! And when used daily for anxiety or other ailments, it is much safer than big pharmas "non natural" poisons. All big pharma concoctions can kill you and "accidental" overdoses occur every minute in the US on a daily basis. You are wrong and I question the sincerity of your comment.
Thank you. Most of that, like plant protein powders, is due to heavy metals in the soil the plant is grown in, or adulterants. I've been using Kratom for over 5 years with no elevated liver enzymes. It's actually made me healthier since it, like other dark green leafy vegetables, has many micronutrients and minerals.
NEVER buy kratom from a gas station or head-shop. That's likely where most of incidents stem from.
I haven't seen any peer-reviewed literature talking about this particular aspect of kratom or mitragynine, but if you look at Erowid or the kratom subreddit you will find hundreds if not thousands of people saying the same thing. Anecdotal, I know, but still.
While the numbers are small (unsurprisingly, if it's not nearly as widely known and used as some other substances), it may not be quite as innocuous as you seem to imply:
> "A 2019 paper analyzing data from the National Poison Data System found that between 2011-2017 there were 11 deaths associated with kratom exposure. Nine of the 11 deaths reported in this study involved kratom plus other drugs and medicines, such as diphenhydramine (an antihistamine), alcohol, caffeine, benzodiazepines, fentanyl, and cocaine. Two deaths were reported following exposure from kratom alone with no other reported substances."
> "In 2017, the FDA identified at least 44 deaths related to kratom, with at least one case investigated as possible use of pure kratom."
(https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/kratom)
Actually, even the study you linked has some disturbing statements:
> Deaths attributed to the use of Kratom have been reported in Europe and the United States but not in Southeast Asia.
> The increasing trend in Kratom consumption in the West has corresponded with an increase in reports of Kratom-related exposures to Poison Control Centers in the United States, care received at a health care facility due to Kratom consumption, and association with overdose fatalities.
> Kratom was identified as the cause of death by a medical examiner in 91 of the 152 Kratom-positive deaths, but was the only identified substance in just seven of these cases.
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