Research

Interview with Dr. Walter Prozialeck, Biomedical Educator and Kratom Researcher

Listen to this interview on Kratom Science Podcast #44 KratomScience: How do you pronounce your last name? Dr. Walter Prozialeck: Proh-jell-eck. It’s an old Ukrainian word that means “really bad golfer”. KS: *laughs* But I see you are a really good rugby player, it says on your Wikipedia page. WP: Well I used to be. …

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UF Researchers First to Grow Kratom for Published Study

In one of the first formal studies of its kind, if not the very first, a team from University of Florida cultivated 68 kratom trees and fertilized them at different rates, then measured for alkaloid content, chlorophyll, and total biomass. The study, “Effects of Nutrient Fertility on Growth and Alkaloidal Content in Mitragyna speciosa (Kratom)” …

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Plant Medicine: Cannabis, Kratom, and Psychedelics: An Interview with Dr. Zach Walsh

Audio version Kratom Science Podcast #42 KratomScience: Canada was one of the first countries to fully legalize cannabis. This was in 2018. Has there been an impact on the research that you can do in Canada because of legalization? Dr. Zach Walsh: Yes and no. The big moment for us with legalization and research really …

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Why the AHRQ Review On Chronic Pain Matters

December 2020 The Agency for Healthcare and Research Quality (AHRQ) is currently conducting a systematic review on plant-based treatment for chronic pain. Their goal: “identify alternative treatments (to opioids) with equal or better benefits for pain while avoiding potential unintended consequences.” Specifically, they will be reviewing the benefits and potential harms of cannabinoids and kratom. …

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Kratom and Alcoholism

Scientists have found evidence that kratom can help alleviate opioid withdrawal and cut down on cravings for recovering opiate addicts. Emerging research and experiential testimony indicates that kratom also cuts down on alcohol cravings and in some cases eliminates the desire to drink altogether. In a 2011 case study in European Psychiatry, researchers found “The …

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What is speciofoline? The understudied kratom alkaloid

The most studied alkaloids of the 40 identified in kratom are mitragynine (MG) and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH). Recently, a team of researchers studied speciofoline (C22H28N2O5), a kratom alkaloid present in less than 1% of alkaloids. They found that speciofoline does not bind to mu-opioid receptors (MOR) like MG and 7-OH. They also found unexpectedly that levels …

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Is Kratom a Drug?

Is kratom a drug, a medicinal herb, a dietary supplement, a “safe food”, a tea? These terms have a whole lot to do with social perception, a little to do with legal issues, and nothing to do with science. Kratom is a shrub that grows natively in Southeast Asia. Botanically, kratom comes from the Rubiaceae …

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