An introduction to appropriate use of Kratom
Short and to the point, based on personal experience and a multi-year seemingly-sustainable pattern of use for managing pain and borrowing spoons.
- Kratom is a probably-legal-in-your-area plant available as powder and extract in swaths of the country.
- It is available in a variety of strains across three main "colors" - red is "especially" analgesic, white is "especially" stimulating, and green is "all-around." I prefer and stock "White Maengda."
- One can become addicted to it, and experience (even severe) withdrawals, but it's hard to do so.
- It acts as a dose-dependent analgesic, and as a stimulant in small doses.
- It can help manage opiate withdrawal symptoms, cough, diarrhea, fever, acute pain - including menstrual cramps, and is a useful friend.
Kratom, aka Mitragyna speciosa, is a leafy shrub indigenous to a swath of south-east asia, where it has a history of use in traditional medicine. As per Wikipedia - "The leaves are chewed to relieve musculoskeletal pain and increase energy, appetite, and sexual desire in ways similar to khat and coca." But, unlike coca and khat - both of which act as stimulant monoamine release agents, the details of the mechanism of action of kratom cannot be said to be well-understood. The most studied and most relevant alkaloids alkaloids include mitragynine (1-6%) and 7-HO mitragynine (0.01-0.04%) - which act as partial agonists (partially activating) the mu opioid receptors. Morphine is the most commonly known agonist (full-activator) of the mu opioid receptors, but the differences between morphine's full agonism, and the partial agonism of kratom alkaloids, are relevant - especially at lower (recommended) doses.
First: Kratom is not legal in all parts of the world. It's not legal in all of the United States. This is silly; it's a drug (plant) (tool) - and outlawing drugs (plants) (tools) seldom produces the desired results. But please investigate your local regulations; the repercussions for ignorance can be severe.
Second: Kratom has the potential to be habit-forming, if not blatantly addictive. I've noticed some dependence after months (not weeks!) of daily dosing, but any "withdrawal" manifests as approximately 24-48 hours of increased lethargy or pain, before fading back into the background din. My doses have stayed consistently small. I have not felt any desire to increase them. My average dose is 1-1.5g with food, usually as a Soylent admixture. A half-gram dose in water or tea on an empty stomach is distinctly more intense. Average daily consumption is approximately two grams, but after my relationship and supply chains stabilised, I will confess to not tracking use.
With the with these admonishments out of the way, let's get to the good stuff:
I honestly don't recall the occasion for my first encounter, but over the last years, M. speciosa quickly became one of my favourite plants. Past misadventures have left me with an amount of chronic pain - exacerbated by the cold. Furthermore, I am an individual of slight build, without relation to alcohol that would endow me with the ability to enjoy drinks (plural) with friends, and enjoy myself as the ethanol hit my blood stream. I am fond of magic plants. I have a profound distaste (and significant familiarity) with all commonly prescribed opiates.
Discovering an atypical stimulant, that is an effective analgesic, with a long history of traditional appropriate use, and an excellent safety profile changed my life for the better.
- The individual for whom I wrote this, suffering from severe musculoskeletal pain, reported after their first dose: "I took a shot in the morning and it really calmed the loud pain."
- If my hands or feet hurt, I can hurt less, in minutes, by taking a half gram, mixed with water, as a "shot."
- If I am tired but want to be slightly more loquacious, or want(ed) to hang out with friends who were daydrinking - I can take a gram with food, or a half gram mixed with soda and lime as a "k&t (with lime)"
- In winter, I can mix a gram and a half in my morning soylent, and not experience the same pain in my phalanges or the same restrictions on my mobility.
- If I want to go hard at the club, but still soberly insist "I'm not on drugs" - I can mix yerba mate and kratom as a part of "Dr. Infra's Patent Five-Plant Dance Stack"
- A close friend has gotten and stayed clean (from heroin) with regular high doses of kratom (20-50x mine)
- My partner only takes kratom a few times a month, for menstrual symptoms.
- (will add your stories!)
From Wikipedia:
Kratom is often used by workers in laborious or monotonous professions to stave off exhaustion as well as a mood enhancer and painkiller
Carefully! Do your homework! Talk to friends! It's a plant, new to Western culture, with a dynamically changing landscape and supply chain. It's most commonly available to the west as a dried powder, not as a fresh leaf, so there's an inherent disconnect from the usage patterns and culture in its native context. Here are a few useful heuristics and important notes.
- Every batch of kratom, and every person, is different - start small, every time. It's not worth an uncomfortable surprise.
- Worst case from taking too much kratom (like, lots - 100+g?), one will get sick, and will likely vomit. This is probably very hard to do? I don't know many who will admit to coming close.
- Be mindful of your usage - if you're just starting out, keep a log. Find an accountability partner. DM me. Don't let bad habits take hold, and listen to the little voice in your head.
- Addictions, even to Kratom - can be Problematic! If you need help, ask for it. Don't worry about giving kratom a bad name, take care of yourself. It's a plant, it'll be fine.
- Taking any drugs before you go to sleep is a bad idea - kratom (and weed!) included. Give your brain a break (if you can.)
With the repeated admonishments (that help me sleep at night) out of the way, here are some "recipes!"
- Chocolate Soylent
- instant coffee
- 1tsp "all day energy greens" powder
- 1.5g "white maeng-da" kratom
- 0.5g powdered ginger
- 10mg dextroamphetamine
- magnesium glycinate (to taste)
editor’s note: one of these a day, keeps the ennui away
(this is literally daily breakfast)
- Soda water or tonic water (kratom's plenty bitter)
- lime
- 0.5g WMD kratom
editor’s note: tastes great, looks weird
- 10g agar
- 50g kratom
- 100g boiling water
- 10g dehydrated ginger juice
- 50g cane sugar
editor's note: not as good as I'd hoped, but effective way of dosing kratom on the go!
I personally spend $69 for a kilogram once a year or so, from Mystic Island Kratoms. Nice.
If you're in the US, and Kratom is legal - it won't be hard to find "something." - finding good stuff locally can be hard. Do your homework, order online, talk to friends.
red more analgesic, white more stimulating and oddly a bit dissociative, and green as good general purpose; total list of alkaloids is 20+ and they do all sorts of shit
long term dependency is ass -- withdrawal after daily use for year+ is ~2 weeks + long tail of potential PAWS
first times I've quit probably like 10g/day, but I've quit for 1+ months 3 times at like 10/20/30, roughly. First one was definitely easier, last one a month in I was still with a lot of extra pain
now tapered from 40 to 5 over the last 3 months, much better
(From https://twitter.com/egregirls/status/1364842430441398279.)
...other compounds include Speciociliatine, Corynantheidine, Speciogynine, Paynantheine, Mitraphylline, antioxidant flavonoids, terpenoids, saponins, polyphenols, and glycosides... (citation needed)
side effects of excessive consumption can include nausea, itchy rash, dry mouth, constipation, frequent urination, loss of appetite, dehydration, insomnia, and seizures
Stay safe, be happy!
I.