The alkaloid speciogynine may be a starting point for low-risk treatment Self-reports of kratom use as an alcohol substitute exist online, though they have not been as well documented in the scientific literature as other motivations for kratom use, such as substitution for opiates (Smith et al, 2023). In one survey of US residents, 18% …
Kratom Could Reduce Alcohol Consumption, Say Scientists Read More »
A study published in American Journal of Public Health found fatal drug overdoses increased following police seizures of illicit substances. Researchers examined data over a two year period in Marion County, Indiana, and “compared frequency and characteristics of drug (i.e., opioids and stimulants) seizures with changes in fatal overdose, emergency medical services nonfatal overdose calls …
Study Finds Drug Busts Related to Increase in Overdose Deaths Read More »
Last year, we published a 255 page document of first-person experiences that kratom consumers posted in the comments section of KratomScience.com articles. Other places like Reddit.com/r/kratom feature thousands of kratom testimonies. So far the nuances of these experiences, though abundant and similar, have not been reflected in the science. Case reports, often woefully inadequate in …
Scientists Interview Kratom Consumers About Their Experience Read More »
Both legality proponents and prohibitionists claim that kratom sold in the Western marketplace by some nefarious vendors is adulterated with other drugs such as fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine. But where is the evidence of this? There are confirmed cases in the scientific literature and media that we examine below of kratom being adulterated with O-desmethyltramadol, …
A case report published in European Journal of Case Reports in Internal Medicine entitled “Kratom-Induced Acute Respitory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)” claimed kratom induced ARDS in a 36 year old man with a “a 7.5-pack year history”. A “pack year” according to the National Cancer Institute, “is calculated by multiplying the number of packs of cigarettes …
Respiratory Distress in Heavy Smoker Caused by Kratom, Say Doctors Read More »
Many foods, drugs, and dietary supplements can interact with other foods, drugs, and dietary supplements. This can have various effects on the body ranging from barely noticeable to a toxic adverse event. Kratom can interact with multiple drugs and dietary supplements, and certain foods. Multiple studies have shown alkaloids in kratom inhibit cytochrome P-450 enzymes …
Kratom Interactions with Food, Drugs, and Dietary Supplements Read More »
Hallucination defined in Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide is “a perception without a stimulus” (2017). Kratom is not classified as a hallucinogen. Hallucinogens are defined by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) as “drugs that alter a person’s awareness of their surroundings as well as their own thoughts and feelings” (2019). However, while the Food …
Kratom and Hallucinations: Examining the Evidence Behind the Claims Read More »
A case report is a detailed medical report of the symptoms, diagnoses, and treatment of an individual patient who presents to a healthcare professional. Case reports are an important part of evaluating the risks of psychoactive substances new to Western medicine, including possible toxicity, drug interactions, and effects on individuals with certain pre-existing conditions. With …
NIDA Review Finds Kratom Case Reports “Inadequate” Read More »
At last week’s Judiciary Committee hearing on HB181, the bill to criminalize kratom consumers in Georgia, personal injury lawyer Drew Ashby claimed of kratom science (not us, the entire science of kratom) showing results that may indicate that kratom is beneficial, that “all those are animal studies. Those animal studies have been paid for by …
Are all animal studies showing beneficial kratom effects funded by the AKA? Read More »
Kratom has been consumed for at least four centuries in Southeast Asia, and likely longer. Southeast Asian drug policy expert Pascal Tanguay told Kratom Science about the earliest documented evidence he’s seen: “Kratom was referred to as a medicinal herb in Thai pharmacopeias dating from the 1650s, as was indicated for the treatment of stomach …