Herbal Pain Relief

Biology: Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa)
Kratom as a therapeutic drug refers to the leaves or extracts of the leaves of the kratom tree endemic to South East Asia. The kratom tree is commonly found growing in the wild in swampy areas from Myanmar in the west to New Guinea in the east. It grows more than 20m high.

Cultural history:
In Thailand and Malaysia kratom leaves have for centuries been in use against fever, cough and diarrhea, but mostly as a stimulant and a strong painkiller. Western scholars researching in Southern Thailand in the late 19th century made the first scientific descriptions of kratom. Mitragyna, the main alkaloid of kratom, was first isolated in 1907 by David Hooper.

Active ingredients:
The effective ingredients of kratom are about 25 chemically complex alkaloids which can be found in highly varying concentrations in different kratom leaves depending on season and exact location.

Effects & side effects:
Research into the properties of these alkaloids is still going on, among others at the Institute for Chronic Pain Studies on Hokkaido/Japan and the Medical Faculty of Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University. Preliminary results so far have established that several of the kratom alkaloids are strong inhibitors on certain receptors of the central nervous system.

There are a number of scholars who forecast an outstanding role of kratom alkaloids in the future development of painkillers once the research into kratom has been concluded.

Side effects of kratom include dry mouth, increased urination, loss of appetite and constipation.