For those unacquainted with the kratom plant (Mitragyna speciosa), this guide will provide a thorough background on its past & current uses, legality, and biological information to help differentiate strains / types. Before beginning though, it’s important to note that the Federal Drug Administration has not approved of kratom’s usage as a medicine. In light of that, all views expressed in this article are entirely subjective and should not be taken as medical advice.
Legality
In the United States of America
Whilst we are discussing the FDA, we might as well go over kratom’s current legal status. In the United States, the FDA and FTC have not made any official ruling/approval on its usage and sale. That means that it cannot be sold as a medical substance and that in the eyes of the law, all medical claims about the plant are completely unfounded and misleading. Essentially, until a plant or substance gets FDA approval, its positive effects are seen as having no legitimacy. Any mention of its positive effects by a vendor will essentially be seen as an instance of fraud, since the customer is being mislead with unfounded data.
You can read more about the FDA/FTC position here.
While there has been no federal action to ban kratom, some states have been motivated to take action against the plant in their own jurisdictions. As such, there are a few states (and some cities) that do not allow the sale of kratom. The best place to find more detailed, organized information on the matter is Speciosa.org:
In the rest of the World
At the time of writing this article [4/2020], Kratom has been banned outright in 12 countries. There are a few more where its legal status is undecided but threatened by indirect legislation.
Kratom is banned in..
- Australia
- Denmark
- Finland
- Israel
- Lithuania
- Malaysia
- Myanmar
- Poland
- Romania
- South Korea
- Sweden
- Thailand
- United Kingdom
Kratom’s legality is questionable in..
- Finland
- Denmark
- Romania
- Germany
- New Zealand
(the overlap is intentional – it’s always safest to refrain if you’re unsure of your country’s laws)
Proponents
Kratom’s legal status is a hot subject due to its purported medicinal value being threatened by overzealous substance control legislation. The plant has been used in traditional medicine for at least 200 years in the regions of Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. There must be some significant use for the plant to be used through many generations over such a great area.
A 2015 study from the International Journal of Legal Medicine established that Kratom’s ability to relieve musculoskeletal pain was its primary use. Other uses in traditional medicine include improving energy, sexual stimulation, relieving diarrhea, cough relief, and appetite control. It was administered by simply chewing the leaves in most cases, or as an extract.
Today, Kratom continues to be used to relieve pain and improve energy. Many users have found the plant improves their social anxiety, depression, or similar antisocial behaviors. One of the more controversial claims is that it can be used to treat addiction.
The American Kratom Association is one such proponent for Kratom, primarily for its ability to treat pain and addiction. Coincidentally, both of these afflictions are tied to the opiate/opioid class of drugs, being a solution for pain and a progenitor of addiction. As expected, challenges to the status quo are met with intense scrutiny and require dedicated support and promotion to effect change. The American Kratom Association fills that role – it’s highly recommended that you visit their website to learn more about the battle to keep the plant legal.
Biology, Traits, Appearance
A word about those taking advantage..
With Kratom’s status as a partially regulated plant with little money behind its research, its identifiable qualities are far from common knowledge. This includes its appearance, potency, growth trends, and strain differences. As such, it’s easy for vendors to take advantage of this in their sales pitches.
You may find web-shops selling their Kratom under the pretense of it being a “10x” concentrated extract made from rare hybrid strains. First impressions are important for proper usage and advocacy, so puffery and fabrication will only damage perceptions of Kratom and obscure its positive qualities.
While it’s all well to include interesting information in your product copy, selling a lie indicates a major lack of integrity. Avoid vendors who harp on with exaggerated buzz word formulas with no evidence or methodology.
So – the best way to identify and avoid shoddy vendors is to arm yourself with information.
What does Kratom look like?
Mitragyna speciosa is a tropical evergreen tree. In an ideal environment, the Kratom tree can grow up to 100 feet if undisturbed.
Most of the images found on the web will picture young trees no larger than 15″ (4.5m) meant for harvesting.
The Kratom tree grows interesting yellow flower-like sprouts at the ends of its extremities. Its leaves, however, are where its sought-after alkaloids are found in abundance. Traditionally, the leaves were chewed and ingested, but modern usage begins with a finely ground product.
The top side of a Kratom leaf has a waxy texture and deep green hues. The underside is lighter in color, of a softer texture, and its veins are unprotected and visible. The veins of Mitragyna speciosa are a point of misunderstanding for many users of Kratom, which will be expounded in the next question…
Are there different Kratom strains with different effects?
Kratom is categorized and sold by two main specifications: vein color and “strain”.
Different vein colors are said to have different concentrations of alkaloids and, therefore, different (but distinct) effects. There is so much conflicting information floating around about this – some of it is really funny to read.
The vein colors are representative of a plant’s maturity, and have nothing to do with distinct strains. Every Kratom leaf starts out with a red vein. As the the leaf matures, the vein grows pale, before becoming green like the rest of the leaf. The implication is that the alkaloidal content of a Kratom leaf is directly related to the maturity of the leaf – which is entirely plausible. An overwhelming majority of users will get behind that theory, but there has not been a proper chromatography experiment that focuses on alkaloid:maturity yet.
The method by which Kratom leaves are dried also impacts the color of the product – sun dried Kratom has a darker appearance compared to leaves dried inside. Yellow Kratom is produced via blending and/or fermentation.
“Strain” is a word that gets thrown around a lot – it’s a misnomer. The fact of the matter is that there have been no proper scientific strain distinctions for Mitragyna speciosa. It doesn’t necessarily mean there’s no possibility of strains being defined, only that the differences are subtle and more research is needed. So when a vendor describes a strain of Kratom as “Borneo” or “Thai”, it’s merely a reference to the plant’s origin.
Origin likely does play a major role in a plant’s alkaloidal content due to the varied growing conditions from place to place. As growing conditions vary from season to season in a single region, you can expect variance within a single “strain” over time. So origin is more of a general qualitative expectation.
There also remains the likelihood that different locations utilize different growing techniques, fertilizers, and soil quality. This may as well just be lumped in with the “growing conditions” blanket factor though, as that’s what it boils down to.
Growing conditions and maturity are the most important factors in a plant’s alkaloidal content. Don’t get too excited about the names though, because in the end, one batch of Kratom could potentially be much stronger than a previous batch from the same exact plants. There’s a lot at play here.
That being said – you can expect a general alkaloid profile (concentrations of alkaloids in relation to each other) to define one region’s plants distinctly from another’s.
Are there any visible indicators for alkaloid concentration?
There are no visible signs of alkaloid concentration. The vein color indicates maturity of the leaf and, as previously mentioned, alkaloid profile (in relation to each other, not in concentration).
Is there any way to test these factors?
Yes! Chromatography – these tests will give you a very clear picture of a substance’s alkaloid profile. The issue is that there have been very few properly conducted chromatography comparisons to give us verifiable evidence of one origin or vein color’s expected variance.
Pharmacology
When examining compounds with affinity for opioid receptors in humans, pharmacologists use morphine as a base of reference to define strength. For instance, methadone is said to be 3 times stronger than morphine (although its effects are significantly different).
In the Mitragyna speciosa leaves, you will find two alkaloidal compounds in quantities worthy of note: Mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine. In equal quantities, morphine is 3.53 times more potent than mitragynine, while 7-hydroxymitragynine is 13 times stronger than morphine [rgare.com].
There are a number of other alkaloids, but their contribution to its effects are more subtle. Mitragynine comprises of about 66% of all the alkaloids found in kratom, while 7-hydroxymitragynine makes up just 2%. In its natural concentrations, a standard dosage of 2 grams of leaf material will produce noticeable effects.
Different concentrations of these two alkaloids, along with many others, create distinct effects for the user.
And so ends your introduction to Kratom!
