From time immemorial, humans have used various plants for food, medicine, and even to stimulate the functioning of their bodies or for recreational purposes. One of the plants that people have used for years for various purposes is kratom.
Demystifying the Kratom Plant
Kratom is the mostly used name for Mitragyna speciosa, a plant (tree) native of Southeast Asia’s marshy jungles.Here it grows wildly in central and southern Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia,Myanmar and other Pacific Rim places. In the early days, the plant had many uses in folk medicine, whereby the broad green leaves were hand-picked and sun-dried. They would then be brewed into a beverage like tea or powdered then swallowed with water.
The visibility of kratom has grown tremendously globally in the 21st century. The frequent users consider it a great help for physical and mental health. Some people enjoy it also for its recreational effect as a stimulant or a sedative narcotic.
Reasons People Consume Kratom
People use kratom for various purposes, such as:
Relieving pain
One of the main reasons why people consume kratom is to alleviate pain. It seems to be a good analgesic or pain killer.
To Quit Drugs
There reports of people using kratom to help them stop using other drugs, especially opiates.
Treating Mental Issues
The substance has shown potential in treating mental conditions like PTSD, anxiety, and depression.But scientific evidence is unavailable to support the effectiveness of kratom in such uses.
Ways of Taking Kratom
As earlier mentioned, normally, the leaves are dried and ground to produce a powder. This powder can be used in three main ways: capsules, in tea, or by swallowing them with a drink, popularly known as ‘toss and wash.’
The latter method involves putting the powder in the mouth and chasing it down with a beverage (non-carbonated), mostly fruit juice or chocolate milk, to beat the taste.Another way of consuming the compound is by using kratom tincture. Tinctures are made by dissolving organic compounds like kratom in neutral alcohol or natural oil.