© Shutterstock

Origins -

Native to Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, and other South Asian countries, kratom is a tropical evergreen tree in the coffee family.

© Shutterstock

Five million users -

Used as an alternative approach to pain management, kratom is taken by as many as five million people in the United States.

© Getty Images

A sedative and stimulant -

Strangely, leaves or extracts have been known to be used both as a sedative and stimulant.

© Shutterstock

Used as treatment -

Kratom has also been reported to treat chronic pain, digestive ailments, and aid with withdrawal from opium dependence.

© Shutterstock

No human trials -

However, there haven’t been any human trials or studies on it, and it hasn’t been approved for medical use.

© Shutterstock

Legality -

It is illegal in many European and Asian countries, as well as in Australia. It's also illegal in six states in the US (Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin).

© Shutterstock

It can be beneficial -

Kratom’s benefits depend on how it’s used in terms of dosage and frequency.

© Shutterstock

As a stimulant -

People who take low doses of it, usually for work, will report feeling more alert and energized. Often people will feel more outgoing and social, too, likely a result of having more energy.

© Shutterstock

As a stimulant -

The stimulant effect is known to affect different people differently, but typically will last for about 90 minutes.

© Getty Images

Low dosage -

A low dose can also cause people to experience dizziness and even reduced motor coordination.

© Shutterstock

Pain relief -

The main active ingredients of kratom are alkaloids mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, and there is evidence that alkaloids have pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory effects.

© Shutterstock

Opioid receptors -

The reason that they produce these effects is that they interact with opioid receptors in the brain.

© Shutterstock

Adverse effects -

However, one study on rats and mice suggested that people can develop dependency that can cause nausea, sweating, tremors, the inability to sleep, and hallucinations.

© Shutterstock

A substantial effect on the body -

Kratom has the potential to have a substantial effect on the body. It contains almost as many alkaloids as opium and hallucinogenic mushrooms.

© Shutterstock

Fibromyalgia and kratom -

Kratom is often used to ease symptoms of fibromyalgia, a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain.

© Shutterstock

How it's taken -

It is usually taken in powder form, but it’s also available in paste, capsule, and tablet form. The dark green leaves are ground down to make this powder.

© Shutterstock

The EMCDDA -

According to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), a small dose of just a few grams produces a stimulant effect that kicks in after 10 minutes.

© Getty Images

A high dose -

On the other hand, with a higher dose of between 10-25 grams as a sedative, people can experience feelings of calmness and euphoria for up to six hours.

© Shutterstock

High dosages adverse effects -

It has been reported that high dosages can also produce a range of adverse effects, like itching, sweating, dry mouth, constipation, increased urination, seizures, hallucinations, and appetite loss.

© Shutterstock

The FDA forced recall -

This concern was brought to light in 2018 when the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a mandatory recall for all powdered kratom food products manufactured, processed, packed, or held.

© Getty Images

The FDA forced recall -

The FDA said the recall was because one company failed to comply with their request to conduct a voluntary recall.

© Getty Images

The opioid epidemic -

At a time when the opioid epidemic was at a critical point, the increasing use of kratom as an alternative or adjunct to opioids was to the FDA “extremely concerning.”

© Getty Images

Compliance -

The FDA began clamping down on companies producing these kinds of products, penalizing one company in California for giving “misleading statements about its compliance with FDA regulations.”

© Shutterstock

Deemed unsafe -

“To date, the FDA is not aware of any evidence of safety establishing that kratom (or any compounds derived from kratom) can reasonably be expected to be safe as a dietary ingredient.”

© Getty Images

Salmonella -

It is also often suggested that some products made from kratom are contaminated with salmonella.

© Shutterstock

The CDC -

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also expressed concerns about the product in 2018, concluding that kratom products were the likely source of at least 132 cases of salmonella across 38 US states.

© Getty Images

The CDC -

The CDC also found that “isolated” kratom exposure was linked to 428 calls to poison centers nationwide between 2010 and 2015.

© Shutterstock

National Poison Data System -

One 2019 paper from the National Poison Data System found 11 deaths associated with kratom exposure between 2011 and 2017.

© Shutterstock

Other substances involved -

In nine of these deaths, the person had ingested other substances, such as diphenhydramine (an antihistamine), alcohol, caffeine, benzodiazepines, fentanyl, or cocaine.

© Shutterstock

Kratom found laced with other substances -

There have also been cases where kratom that was packaged as a dietary supplement caused deaths because it was laced with other compounds.

© Shutterstock

Kratom -

Despite these claims by US governing bodies, many in the scientific community don't vilify it. Many experts say that the unregulated and unresearched herbal substance could have many medical uses, like treating people with opioid addiction. More studies are needed on the subject, as a lot of research to date on kratom is speculatory and relative to related substances.

Sources: (Healthline)(Healio)(WebMD)

See also: The effects and health risks of sleeping too much

© Shutterstock