If you’ve ever heard of kratom, you might have heard that it’s a miraculous plant or perhaps the exact opposite, a potentially harmful evergreen. Debates about this have been ongoing since its recent spike in popularity.
Plenty has used kratom as a natural alternative to opioids and claims it’s effective. Others have countered this by saying use is potentially harmful and should not be used as an alternative, leaving everyone confused.
We’ll be re-examining what we know about kratom to understand further what are the truths and myths about kratom effectivity. Dive into this article and find out!
Basic Kratom Facts
Kratom (Mitragyna speciose), a plant that comes from the coffee family, has been widely used in Southeast Asia for remedies. It has oval-shaped, dark green leaves with greenish-white or red veins.
The leaves are used to create tea or kratom products. Sometimes the raw leaves are chewed or smoked. There are various kratom products on the market today, some in the form of powders, liquids, pills, pastes, and resins.
Different strains of kratom are also available, each with its levels of effectiveness to treat or aid in particular issues. Therefore, other strains are recommended for various concerns.
What Is It Used For
This herb has long been used in Southeast Asia to treat fever, cough, diarrhea, and hypertension. Still, many westerners use it as an alternative to opioids to control pain and inflammation.
Taxi drivers and other hard-working Southeast Asians are known to eat these leaves since they have a refreshing and uplifting impact. The exhaustion of long workdays is reduced, making it simpler to get through them.
The Composition of the Chemical Elements
Indole alkaloids, such as mitragynine and 7-hydroxy mitragynine, are partial agonists on opioid receptors. Kratom’s key active ingredients are the ones that are drawing attention.
Mitragynine level in kratom products ranges from 2% to 1%, while 7-hydroxy mitragynine content ranges from 0.1 to 0.2 percent.
Kratom, According To Studies
Much information is going around on kratom about whether it is good or bad. A controversial plant it is, indeed. We’ll be looking at some studies conducted to see the objective truths about the effectivity of kratom and its safety.
The Effects Of Kratom
An anonymous online survey found that people use kratom mainly to treat acute or chronic pain by managing emotional or mental conditions.
Respondents cited the positive effects of using kratom as an increase in energy, less pain, improved focus, reduced depressive mood and anxiety, reduced or discontinued use of opiate medicines, reduced PTSD symptoms, and enhanced mood.
Kratom use and dosages of up to 5 g taken three times a day, we’re able to provide positive effects with lower rates of adverse effects. The following are possible side effects of usage: perspiration, vomiting, nausea, dry mouth, loss of appetite, constipation, and increased urination.
The most often reported adverse side effects, which tended to be dose-dependent, were constipation, nausea, and dizziness or drowsiness.
Kratom rarely results in respiratory depression or several other opioids’ unfavorable side effects. Human kratom consumption has not been linked to respiratory depression, coma, or pulmonary edema.
Kratom users who use it heavily lose weight, get exhausted, and experience constipation. Redness on the face can also happen. Repeated administration of 10 to 25g of the dried leaves results in sweating, lightheadedness, nausea, and dysphoria.
Can Kratom Cause Dependence?
Kratom may lead to dependence, which means users may experience physical withdrawal symptoms once they cease using it, just like other substances with opioid-like effects.
When kratom use is stopped, withdrawal symptoms may appear, including muscle pains, aggressiveness, and mood swings. Signs of weaning are often minor and tend to go away after approximately a week.
Is Kratom Fatal?
Many available articles say that kratom can be fatal, while others defend that it cannot cause death. In this section, we’ll tackle the facts and myths about kratom fatality according to research.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) started giving out warnings regarding kratom in 2017. In 2019, 44 to 47 deaths were linked to its usage. However, only western countries have reported such events.
Most deaths linked to kratom appear to have been caused by contaminated goods or combining kratom with other potent drugs, such as alcohol, gabapentin, benzodiazepines, opioids, and over-the-counter medicines like cough syrup.
Misinformation On Kratom
Kratom is often portrayed to be a terrible substance when in reality, like many other prescription drugs, there must be some caution with usage. Over-the-counter medications aren’t allowed to mix with certain substances like kratom.
Overdosing on kratom is not possible. There is yet to be any study showing someone overdosing on pure kratom use. Cases linked to kratom regarding overdose have mentioned that the kratom was used with many other potent drugs.
Though, taking too much kratom can make you feel awful. The effects of kratom vary through dosage, so it’s essential to bear this in mind when trying kratom.
Kratom can potentially benefit consumers; studies are still being done through research that has already been released that provides information on the effects of kratom on humans.
Bottomline
Kratom has effects that can help with pain management, enhance mood, boost productivity and possibly be an opioid alternative. Like everything you consume, be informed about it and use it carefully.
There are plenty of benefits to kratom usage though there are also other side effects to using kratom such as perspiring, dry mouth, loss of appetite, etc. Dosage is a significant factor in how to use kratom & what to use it for.
Be aware that the effects of kratom vary depending on the dosage. Dependence is also possible, but the symptoms are mild and go away in a week.
Kratom itself cannot cause overdose or death, but be mindful of not mixing kratom with other substances.
Despite possibly causing dependence similar to other opioid-like substances, adverse effects from opioid usage are not linked to kratom. Therefore, kratom can be an option for those who want to find an alternative to opioids.
Many vouches for the effectiveness of kratom, and studies show promising results. As a friendly reminder, always remember to check in with your body. Not everything affects everyone the same way. But it might be worth a try.
