Herb. No. 036 · Rubiaceae
Mitragyna of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and neighboring forests.
Native · Southeast Asia
Kratom
Mitragyna speciosa
A Southeast Asian coffee-family tree whose leaves act on opioid receptors — used for pain and withdrawal, and capable of dependence.
Legal at the US federal level as of this writing, banned or restricted in several states and cities. Not FDA-approved. Check current local law before possessing it.
Mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine are partial opioid agonists. Traditional Thai and Malaysian use was as a chewed fresh leaf for field stamina. Western powder and extract culture is a different animal: dependence, seizures at high dose, and contaminated products are documented. The FDA has not approved kratom for any use. Some US jurisdictions have banned it.
Flavor
Bitter green leaf, tea-like and astringent. Extracts taste of chemistry.
Parts used
Leaf (where legal)
In favor
- Traditional fresh-leaf use is culturally old
- Not scheduled federally in the US at present
Against
- Opioid-type dependence and withdrawal
- Liver injury reports
- Salmonella-contaminated powders have circulated
- State bans
- Extracts are much stronger than leaf