In the United States, there is an ongoing debate about the safety of kratom, a plant native to Southeast Asia. Kratom has been used for centuries in traditional medicine to help relieve pain. However, in recent years, kratom has been gaining popularity as a natural way to manage pain, anxiety, and depression.
However, there is still much debate about its safety. Some people believe that kratom is safer than opioid-based painkillers, while others believe it is just as dangerous. In this blog post, we will explore the evidence for and against the idea of kratom.
Opioid-Based Painkillers Are Highly Addictive
Opioid-based painkillers are some of the most addictive drugs on the market. They work by binding to opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord, reducing pain perception. However, they also produce a sense of euphoria, which can lead to abuse and addiction.
Addiction to opioids is a serious problem in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 2 million people were addicted to opioids in 2016. Unfortunately, this number has only increased in recent years as the opioid epidemic continues to claim more lives.
Kratom Is Less Addictive Than Opioids
There is growing evidence that kratom does not have the same addictive properties as other substances.
Kratom is a plant that has been used for centuries in Southeast Asia for its medicinal properties. In recent years, kratom has been gaining popularity in the West as a way to treat pain and other conditions.
While kratom does contain compounds that can produce psychoactive effects, a study concluded that it is less addictive. In fact, kratom is widely used to help people with addiction disorders, specifically opioids.
This is likely due to the fact that kratom is less potent than other psychoactive drugs. It is also the reason why kratom has milder withdrawal symptoms than opioids.
If you or someone you know is considering kratom for medicinal purposes, it is important to do your research and speak with a medical professional, even though kratom is known to be less addictive.
Recent research by prominent Kratom specialists from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which is funded by the University of Florida, found that there is a low abuse possibility of mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitrgynine among animals.
This study contributes to the set of data that directly refutes the FDA’s assertion that kratom is a morphine-like opioid substance.
It Is a Natural Plant
Kratom is a plant that is in the family of the coffee plant. It is a tropical tree that is native to Southeast Asian countries. Kratom is also known as Mitragyna Speciosa. Kratom is a herbal substance with stimulant and opioid-like properties.
The leaves of kratom contain a variety of chemical substances called bioactive alkaloids that have physiological effects. Mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine are the kratom-related substances that have undergone the most research.
Kratom is commonly consumed by people as raw plant material in the form of capsules or powder, mixed into food or beverages, brewed as a tea, or taken orally as a liquid extract.
Mitragyna Speciosa users describe effects that are comparable to those of opioids and sedatives, as well as stimulant-like effects.
Kratom Has Been Used for Centuries Without Any Serious Reported Side Effects
According to anthropologists, kratom has been used for centuries in Southeast Asia as a multipurpose treatment in traditional medicine to boost energy and alertness during work and also during social events.
Native manual laborers in some parts of Southeast Asia have traditionally chewed or brewed fresh or dried kratom leaves to reduce fatigue and increase productivity at work. In addition to being an energy booster at a lower dose, kratom was also used as a sedative when given at a higher dosage.
Furthermore, kratom compounds have been used for millennia in social-religious rituals and to treat a variety of illnesses, including morphine addiction in Thailand and opium replacement in Malaya.
It has been one of the most popular herbal medicines in the past centuries in Southeast Asia, where OTC drugs are still not available to help relieve pain. In addition to being an energy booster at a lower dose, kratom was also used as a sedative when given at a higher dosage.
It Is Not Considered a Dangerous Drug
Mitragyna Speciosa is not a drug and is also not an opiate. It is also a plant, which means that it is a natural occurrence in nature. Therefore, it is not a synthetic substance.
Natural Kratom is a safe herbal supplement that acts as a partial mu-opioid receptor agonist and is utilized for a variety of conditions, including depression and anxiety, which are widespread in the United States.
Even though kratom doesn’t have opiates, it still binds to the same brain receptor sites as opioids. The effect of these receptor sites is similar to how chocolates, coffee, and exercise affect our brains.
Safety of Kratom Vs. Opioids
It was concluded that the probability of death from an opioid overdose is more than 1,000 times greater when compared to kratom, and it might be thousands of times higher compared to heroin or any opiate.
Similar to those who take prescription medications and other dietary supplements, some kratom consumers may have health issues that increase their risk of dying. This circumstance greatly increases the likelihood of the consumer dying when using kratom in conjunction with opioids, sedatives, alcohol, or other drugs.
There is a high possibility that deaths related to kratom involved other drugs like opioids, which are known to pose a high risk of overdose death. A regulation defining criteria for kratom purity, packaging, and labeling should be imposed. This way, it will help reduce the danger for individuals who buy kratom products legally.
Final Words
You can conduct your own research so that you can get the necessary information about the safety of kratom compared to opioids from the studies you can get hold of online. Remember, always conduct research and talk to your physician before using any alternative medicines.