Though kratom has been around for quite some time, it has only entered into the mainstream arena within the last several years. As a plant, it offers many different medicinal and recreational qualities. So, here’s a bit about kratom strains and what they can do for you.
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What is kratom?
Before getting into the specific strains of kratom, best to answer the question of what it is. Kratom – or Mitragyna speciosa, is a tropical evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia. It’s actually from the coffee family. Kratom can be found in Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Indonesia, and has been used in natural medicine for at least hundreds – and possibly thousands, of years. It became a part of Western medicine in the 1800’s when Pieter Willem Korthals, a Dutch botanist, classified the plant as Stephegyne speciosa. This was later reclassified by George Darby Haviland in 1859 to it’s current status.
Kratom can produce a stimulant effect similar to coca leaves when its leaves are chewed. But there’s a strange aspect to kratom apart from this. While it can be like the coca plant in small doses, where euphoria and alertness are triggered, it can also act more like an opiate, and overall downer, in higher doses.
Why does this happen? While it’s not well understood, kratom has 26 different alkaloids which have been identified, and they are responsible for the different attributes of the plant. These include: 7-hydroxymitragynine, mitragynine, and (-)-epicatechin, among others. 7-hydroxymitragynine only comprises a small percentage of the plant, but its potent, and reacts with opioid receptors.
The most common alkaloid is mitragynine, which binds to delta receptors to give stimulant effects in smaller doses, and which also binds to mu receptors in larger doses, which creates a sedative effect. This compound could explain the difference in effects at different doses. Lastly, it contains alkaloid (-)-epicatechin, a compound that acts as an anti-inflammatory agent, and which can minimize free radical damage. This flavonoid can be found in other places like cherries, grapes, tea leaves, cocoa, apples, blackberries, and broad beans.