Kratom Effects

With ever increasing popularity, the kratom tree has become a unique household plant with an enthusiastic following. Update June 29, 2018: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has completed its investigation of illnesses in several states caused by Salmonella in kratom. Kratom comes with a risk of tolerance, dependence, and withdrawal Kratom users can build tolerance , or needing more to achieve the desired effect, and experience symptoms of withdrawal when they stop taking the drug.

The genus was given its Mitragyna name by the Dutch botanist Korthals because the leaves and the stigmas of the flowers of the plant resemble the shape of a bishop's mitre. Across America, thousands of people are throwing away their prescription drugs and picking up kratom, a plant-based drug from Southeast Asia usually brewed as a tea.

That said, there have been kratom products that were found to contain adulterants, and even recreational drugs. You may have heard about kratom (Mitragyna speciosa), an herbal supplement used traditionally in Southeast Asia for energy and to help ease aches and pains.

Dr. Peter mitra Science Grinspoon, a primary care doctor and instructor at Harvard Medical School, said banning kratom would leave many chronic pain sufferers without an option they may be relying on if they want to avoid prescription opioids or cannot get them from their physician.

Unfortunately, kratom itself seems to cause dependence, therefore leading to withdrawal symptoms whenever people stop using it. It has also been reported to cause an increase in blood pressure, hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, emphysema, over-inflation of the alveoli, and cytotoxicity to human neuronal cells and there are even several reports regarding fatalities after kratom consumption.

A lot of short and long-term users claimed to have felt an increase in their capability for hard work, activeness, and heightened sexual desire 13 , 15 An anonymous cross-sectional online survey was conducted in the USA in 2006, where 8049 users were studied through available social media and online resources from the American Kratom Association 16 This study concluded that kratom is primarily used by middle-aged (31-50 years) and middle-income ($35,000 and above) individuals, the main purposes being to treat pain (68%) and emotional or mental conditions (66%).