Kratom Strains Guide

History of Kratom

Kratom plant has long been used in Southeast Asia for energy boost and for its medicinal property. Farmers and workers have been known to chew on fresh leaves to power them through a hot day under the sun. Adjust the dosage, and it can help numb pain, either by chewing on its fresh, bitter leaves or consuming it by boiling the leaves and drinking it as tea.

But what is the history of Kratom plant? When did people discover its herbal properties? Where is its native habitat?

The US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health has published a study tracing the roots of the Kratom plant and how it was used by the communities where the plant is indigenous to.

“Kratom is a 4–16-metre high tropical tree, indigenous to Southeast Asia, the Philippines, and New Guinea. Traditionally, in certain regions of Southeast Asia, the chopped fresh or dried leaves of the tree are chewed or made into tea by local manual labourers to combat fatigue and improve work productivity. In addition, kratom preparations have also been used for centuries during socioreligious ceremonies and to treat various medical conditions, such as morphine dependence in Thailand, and as opium substitute in Malaya.”

The full copy of the study can be downloaded here.

Traditional medicinal use

The website The Renegade Pharmcist has mentioned how Kratom is traditionally used in Southeast Asia. Apart from boosting the energy of farm workers, it has been known to act as an herbal analgesic and pain reliever.

“It’s been used in traditional medicine to treat diabetes, diarrhoea, fever, and relieve pain. This is because it contains more than 40 compounds and over 25 alkaloids, most notably mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine. These are mild analgesics, and help interfere with the effects of opioids, to alleviate some of the suffering associated with withdrawal that can be one of the most powerful benefits of kratom.”

Check out the rest of the write-up here.

Kratom information website The Third Wave also published relevant information on Kratom’s historical background. It mentioned in their blog post that in early 1930s scientists have started studying the constituents that make Kratom as effective herbal pain medication.

The continuation can be found here.