Kratom is the name of a tree from the coffee family native to Southeast Asia. Also known as mitragyna speciosa, it is grown in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Its leaves are dried and used to make tea or encapsulated and sold as a supplement or kratom capsules. Kratom leaves can also be smoked like tobacco.
You can find kratom leaves, powder, and capsules in some health food stores, vape shops, and online specialty stores. The most common uses of it are to relieve pain, depression, and opioid addiction. The two most active compounds found in kratom, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, work on opioid receptors, but with fewer side effects.
Kratom has been used for hundreds of years in Asia as a natural home remedy. Traditionally, it has been used to treat:
- Fatigue
- Pain
- Diarrhea
- Muscle cramps
However, while modern science has lent some support to these and other traditional medicine claims, much more research is needed.
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