Mitragyna speciosa as it is known in the scientific community is a highly medicinal and therapeutic plant that has geographic origin in the lush green forests of Southeast Asia. More commonly called Kratom, this plant is very common especially in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Papua New Guinea where for many centuries it has been used as herbal medicine and in tribal religious rituals. This blog will tell you What is Kratom USA.
The plant has both stimulant-like effects and opioid properties. Mitragyna speciosa is an evergreen tree in the genus Mitragyna that grows to a height of 25m. Its leaves are dark green and glossy. The flowers are orange and grow in clusters of three at the base of branches. Historically, the plant is specifically indigenous to Malaysia, Thailand, and Myanmar with each of the countries having different varieties, known to induce different effects when ingested. Recently, Kratom has become more prevalent within the USA.
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How is Kratom consumed?
The part of the plant most commonly consumed is the leaves. Kratom leaves are normally chewed, as herbal tea ingredients, pills, and or capsules. In some rare cases, it is smoked. The powders produced from unspecified tissues in the plant are extracted for use in liquids.
The Major Users And Use Of Kratom
Thailand is both the world’s largest producer and consumer of Kratom. Kratom is mostly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. However, the percentage of Kratom consumers within the age of 18 to 25 within the USA has steadily increased over the past 10 years.
How Does Kratom Feel And Affect The Body
Kratom USA contains a variety of components, most of which have no significant effects on the human body, biologically active ingredients include; Mitragynine-hydroxy mitragynine, other alkaloids, Raubasine, and more than 40 other compounds.
Word of mouth reports suggest that red-veined Kratom varieties native to Bali tend to activate different effects from green and white veined varieties native to Malaysia. Different varieties of Kratom have been speculated to have different relative proportions of Alkaloids. Alkaloids, which are commonly found in other psychoactive drugs and are known to affect the central nervous system and are strong narcotic painkillers.
A psychoactive drug or agent is any chemical substance that alters the normal functioning of the nervous system resulting in changes in mood, activity, cognition, and behavior. Kratom is a strong psychoactive agent whose effects include but are not limited to euphoric effects at low doses but quickly escalate to opioid-like effects at higher doses.
Does It Have Any Long-Term Side Effects?
Kratom may cause adverse side effects, especially in continued use. The side effects display a dependence on individual dosage and are more common with doses above 8 g. The U.S. Poison Control Centers have compiled and reported the following signs and symptoms, agitation cardiac and respiratory arrest, temporary erectile dysfunction, withdrawal, and insomnia.
Is Kratom A Drug Of Concern?
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has previously stated that there is no legitimate medicinal use for Kratom, in 2019 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concluded, because of lack of evidence, that there are no clinical uses of the plant and it cannot be used to effectively treat any condition. This leaves the drug as a “Drug of concern subject to import bans, and sale for consumption is illegal” as its official legal status.
To recap: Kratom is a plant originating from South East Asia whose leaves, when consumed have euphoric effects, fatigue-fighting, and pain-relieving effects. It is getting more common with the American public who use it mostly for pain relief. There are discussions among policymakers to make it a Schedule I drug (controlled substances) but controversy has slowed the debate.
