Botanical Classification of Kratom

Depending on who you talk to, kratom is either a dangerous and addictive drug with severe side effects that can lead to addiction and even death, or it’s an herbal remedy for chronic pain, opioid withdrawal symptoms and other ailments. The DEA says there is no medical value to the plant, but the herb’s fans say it’s a cure-all for everything from depression and anxiety to PTSD and bipolar disorder.

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is a tropical plant related to coffee trees that grows in Southeast Asia. It has long been used there in small doses as an energy booster and mood enhancer, similar to how Americans drink coffee. It can be brewed into a tea, crushed into a powder or mixed into food and drinks. Traditionally, people chew on the leaves or brew them as a drink to relieve fatigue from manual labor and to boost work productivity. People also use kratom for its stimulant, opioid-like sedative and analgesic properties.

For centuries, Asians have been using kratom in traditional medicine buy as an alternative to opium for pain and to reduce opiate withdrawal symptoms. They have also been used for diarrhea, coughing and as a sexual stimulant. But in the United States, kratom’s popularity has spiked in recent years among people seeking an alternative to prescription pain medications. A growing number of patients are admitted to rehab centers for kratom-related problems, such as withdrawal and dependence, according to Michele Scasserra, LCSW, director of Substance Use Counseling Services at Blake Recovery Center in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.

According to the American Kratom Association, which represents a number of kratom supplement brands, about 10-16 million people in the United States regularly consume the drug. The group estimates that most of them are adults who eat the leaf in tea or a smoothie, crush it into a powder and add it to drinks. Others take it as a pill or liquid extract.

The survey of kratom users conducted by Garcia-Romeu’s team found that the average participant took about 5 grams of kratom per day. More than half reported taking it for pain relief, while 67% said they took it for anxiety or depression and 65% for PTSD. The survey also showed that a majority of respondents reported positive benefits from the drug, including increased energy, reduced pain, improved focus, less depression and anxiety, and decreased withdrawal symptoms from opioids.

But a lot of the information about kratom is anecdotal. The FDA has a warning on its website about the potential for toxicity, and the CDC claims that it’s linked to 91 deaths between 2016 and 2017. However, all but seven of those deaths involved other drugs in the person’s system at the time of their death, making it hard to blame kratom alone.

Despite the FDA’s warnings, kratom has become increasingly popular in America, where it has been embraced by many as an effective treatment for opioid withdrawal and other illnesses. But the research is in its early stages, and many experts caution that more studies are needed to verify the health benefits and safety of kratom.