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Revision as of 14:21, 6 April 2006
| Kratom | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Rubiaceae |
| Genus: | Mitragyna |
| Species: | M. speciosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Mitragyna speciosa Korth. | |
Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is a large tree native to Thailand and Malaysia, first documented by Dutch colonial botanist Korthals. It is botanically related to the Corynanthe, Cinchona and Uncaria genii and shares some similar biochemistry. Other species in the Mitragyna genus are used medicinally in Africa, and also used for their wood.
It is a well established psychoactive drug in its native region, and there is some use elsewhere in the world. The leaves are usually made into a tea, although they are sometimes also chewed or extracted into water and then evaporated into a tar that can be swallowed. Kratom is not often smoked, although this method does provide some effect.
Kratom contains many alkaloids including mitragynine, once thought to be the primary active, and 7-hydroxymitragynine, which is currently the most likely candidate for the primary active chemical in the plant. Although structurally related to yohimbine and tryptamines, its pharmacology is quite different and it seems to act in some ways similarly to opiates, although it seems to also have some stimulant properties similar to yohimbine. Kratom also contains alkaloids found in uña de gato (Uncaria tomentosa) which are powerful immune system enhancers and lower blood pressure, as well as epicatechin, a powerful antioxidant found in dark chocolate and closely related to the ECGC that gives green tea its beneficial effects. Other active chemicals in kratom include raubasine (best known from Rauwolfia serpentina) and some yohimbe alkakoids such as corynantheidine.
Kratom has many potential medicinal uses, including as a safer and cheaper replacement for methadone, and as a source of chemicals with a wide range of beneficial activities.
Effects and Interactions
It is commonly reported that at low doses (14 grams for "Commercial Grade", please see below), Kratom acts as a mild stimulant. In higher doses (28+ grams for "Commercial Grade"), its effects more closely resemble opiates, despite its rather different chemical structure. It is most commonly compared to oxycodone and hydrocodone.
Kratom does, as one might guess, potentiate opiates. On the other hand, though one might suspect alcohol (itself a depressant) - and therefore other GABA agonists - to do the same with Kratom, some subjective experience reports suggest otherwise, such as this one or this one.
Commericial Availability
Kratom is widely available in the United States, and is most commonly offered and purchased online. Online vendors that sell Salvia Divinorum also tend to sell Kratom these days. Though prices can differ substantially, the prices for these various "grades" of Kratom are, generally, roughly the following:
Commercial $8 per 28 grams (enough for one strong dose)
Premium $12 per 10 grams (enough for two relatively strong doses)
Super $15 per 10 grams (enough for two strong doses)
Super Enhanced $20 per 5 grams (enough for two strong doses)
15x Extract $20 per 4 grams (enough for two strong doses)
Note: *The names are not always the same across all vendors.
*Prices generally go down as one buys more and more in bulk, as with any other product.
With this last quality (there is also a 10x variation), the potency of the product is far more stable across batches than in any other form, since the concentration of the active alkaloids are standardized. Also, while the commercial grade must usually be brewed into some form of tea, the other grades may simply be consumed in raw form, either by mixing with water (difficult for some people to swallow) or honey (roughly 5 grams per one shot glass full of honey).
Legal Status
Kratom is classified as Narcotic Level 5 in Thailand, but still can be bought at markets in more rural towns. It is legal in all other countries besides Australia, Malaysia or Myanmar. Thailand is rumored to be considering altering its legal status in light of recent discoveries of its medicinal uses in treating drug addiction. Similar research is also underway in Malaysia. Kratom is currently legal everywhere in the United States (The recently passed bill in Louisiana banning several entheobotanicals does not mention and/or include Kratom).