If you’re not familiar with kratom, you’re probably wondering what kratom is and what are the kratom uses. Kratom is a huge buzzword these days in the holistic medicinal community. Advocates have fought strongly for deregulation of kratom while at the same time, the federal government has worked to limit, regulate, and even criminalize it.
Kratom Uses | A Glimpse of Nature’s Medicinal Wonder
What Is Kratom?
Put simply, kratom is another name for Mitragyna Speciosa, which is a tropical tree indigenous to Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. In its native lands, kratom has been used for centuries (with some reports saying thousands of years!) as traditional medicine, before the kratom leaf found its way into popular consumption in the United States as an alternative to addictive (and profitable) pharmaceutical drugs.
The first official recorded mention of kratom in Europe came in the mid-1800s, though descriptions of the leaf were observed in Dutch trading records as early as the 1600s, and had been used in Asia for thousands of years before that.
While banned in Thailand, kratom is as common to countries in which it grows as coffee is in the United States or tea in England. And while, like coffee, kratom can give a little boost, the similarities stop there.
What Are the Kratom Uses?
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) claims that kratom has no medicinal uses whatsoever, and is strictly for recreational use, which is why they are fighting to ban kratom. However, kratom has been shown to have many medicinal benefits and been used for centuries specifically because of its medicinal uses. Those include:
1. Mood Management
Kratom is commonly used for mood management — among the many wonderful kratom effects — across the world. In fact, in Asian countries to which kratom is indigenous, many locals chew the kratom plant’s leaves to elevate mood. Sometimes, this can be construed as drug use, though there have been no confirmed overdoses from kratom.
You can also make a relaxing kratom tea made from powdered kratom. Check out this recipe you can easily do at home.
2. Pain Management
Kratom has long been popular in Eastern medicine but has only recently crept into Western medicine as a holistic alternative to prescription drugs for pain relief. Kratom products such as kratom capsules, kratom resin, kratom powder, and kratom extracts can be used to relieve muscular, skeletal, and chronic pain.
Additionally, the kratom leaves and extract can be used to treat coughs, diarrhea, and intestinal infections. It is also being used to heal wounds and as a local anesthetic.
The Maeng Da kratom strain is considered as one of the most effect kratom strains for managing pain. Kratom aficionados suggest taking this kratom strain in high doses to experience its sedative kratom effect.
3. Helping Opiate Withdrawals
Kratom has been hailed as a miracle for many opiate addicts, ranging from prescription meds to heroin. With kratom’s medicinal qualities for mood and pain management and the fact that it has no addictive qualities, kratom is a perfect candidate for helping addicts overcome their crippling opiate addiction.
4. Boost Immune System
Ongoing research is currently being done on animals, though not on humans (yet) regarding kratom’s ability to boost immune systems. But given the effects of kratom on individuals regarding strength and stamina, as well as its revered position in Eastern medicine, researchers are optimistic that kratom can be a major boost to human health and immune systems, in Eastern and Western medicine, alike.
What’s Next for Kratom?
Kratom is currently illegal in Australia, Myanmar, and Malaysia. Interestingly, though native to Thailand — where Kratom naturally grows — the plant has been illegal there since 1943. In fact, the Thai government actively looks for and cuts down kratom trees.
That fact may have something to do with kratom’s US status as the plant is experiencing its own legal battle here domestically in the United States. The DEA continues to combat kratom’s growing recreational popularity and wants to classify kratom as a controlled substance. However, kratom is currently classified as food by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which means that the DEA doesn’t really have much say… at the moment, at least.
Just like with anything, people taking this herb may also be subject to kratom abuse. But the same goes for tobacco, alcohol, and prescription drugs, too. Though unlike those legal things, kratom has no addictive properties, meaning it’s physically healthier.
Perhaps part of the backlash against kratom is that there’s no “industry” lobbying for it. In fact, a free and unregulated kratom industry challenges Big Pharma, Big Tobacco, AND the Alcohol industry. And that’s concerning because those industries will throw money at trying to criminalize (or at least regulate) kratom.
But it falls to us, the people, to ensure that our voice is heard in the defense of kratom. Keep an eye on your state new because anti-kratom bills can be introduced at the state level. Let your local congressman know how important free access to kratom is to all our well being as well the kratom uses which are highly beneficial to us.
Did you benefit from any of these kratom uses already? Share us your stories in the comments section below!
Up Next: Kratom Seeds | Is Growing A Tree Possible In Your Location?
Disclaimer: As with any natural remedy, please use discretion on the amount and frequency as it can have adverse effects. You can find our full disclaimer here.
Editor’s Note – This post was originally published on August 31, 2017 and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
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