Research

NIDA Review Finds Kratom Case Reports “Inadequate”

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 …

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Are all animal studies showing beneficial kratom effects funded by the AKA?

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 …

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Scientists review kratom-related toxic events

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 …

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People with psychiatric conditions report improvement after kratom use

A survey conducted from 2019-2020 found the majority of the 2,296 respondents with psychiatric conditions reported improvement in their condition following the consumption of kratom. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being “much worse” and 10 being “much better”, most people who use kratom (PWUK) who have been diagnosed with ADHD, PTSD, depression, …

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Scientists study mitragynine levels in Thai kratom

In a study published in October in Frontiers in Plant Science, researchers collected leaves from kratom trees in various regions of Thailand to measure mitragynine (MG) levels, and to account for environmental variables that may influence the alkaloid content. The team from Kasetsart University in Bangkok found a range of mitragynine content, from 7.5 to …

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Is it a good idea to make a 7-hydroxymitragynine based drug?

A Vancouver drug company announced that it has filed a patent for a deuterated form of 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-HMG) called D7-h. The company, Nirvana Life Sciences Inc., intends to pursue D7-h as a pain relieving drug, citing 7-HMG’s partial opioid agonism, and the deuteration process that they say makes the drug last longer. A deuterated drug …

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Interview with International Drug Policy and Harm Reduction Expert Pascal Tanguay

This interview is the text version of the audio episode #66 of the Kratom Science Podcast, posted December 2, 2021. It’s been lightly edited for clarity in reading. Pascal Tanguay is originally from Montreal, Canada and has been living in Thailand for 20 years studying issues around people who use drugs, international and Southeast Asian …

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Lead (Pb) in kratom possibly hazardous, say researchers

Researchers from Midwestern University recently published an article in the journal Toxics entitled “Public Health Implications and Possible Sources of Lead (Pb) as a Contaminant of Poorly Regulated Kratom Products in the United States”. Based in part on earlier research conducted by lead author and pharmacologist Dr. Walter Prozialeck, several randomly selected kratom products have …

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NIDA is rolling out a massive nationwide study of regular kratom consumers

QR Code link https://enroll.drugabuse.gov/kratom-nida/ From the research team: About The KEMA Study We are conducting a new study on kratom entitled “Real-world momentary assessment of kratom use accompanied by product assays: A natural history study toward an interdisciplinary characterization of kratom use and pharmacology”! That is a long name, so we typically refer to it …

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