THE BEST WAY TO TAKE KRATOM AND THE PRECAUTIONS INVOLVED
Introduction
“Kratom,” a drug that has for ages been used by natives of South East Asia to relieve pain, fatigue, and boost work energy, is now becoming very popular in the West. Users have been falling into the trap of addiction due to abuse. Users and a section of scientists have strongly advocated for the protection and increasingly using it for self-medication to treat psychoactive issues. One of the prevalent problems is training the brain to learn how to withdraw from opioids.
Users are self-medicating because physicians are not authorized to prescribe it.
It is an unregulated drug in the US, and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has been toying with the idea of banning it. DEA claims that continuous use of the unregulated drug could cause of the drug, citing its effectiveness.
This article, however, concerns itself with information about the best way to take Kratom for the benefit of the users. It is for those who are interested in using the drug to ease their pain, just like the natives of South Eastern Asia have been doing for decades.
First Get a Grasp of What Kratom Is
Kratom is a coffee-like tree that grows in the tropical areas of Malaysia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, and Myanmar. The natives have used it as a traditional medicinal remedy and stimulant for more than one hundred years.
The drug’s the scientific name, “Mytragyna speciosa” According to BioMed Research International- .https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4657101, the term “Mytragyna” was a term that Korthals, a Dutch botanist coined. Kratom got its scientific name owing to how its leaves and flowers appear. They are in a shape that mimics the headgear worn by bishops.
The leaves of the tree are the ones with medicinal properties. The natives of the regions where it came from used to chew the leaves for immediate effects. However, today, the leaves are dried and crushed into powder and used as capsules, tablets, or made into a tea and other liquids.
Though the DEA is apprehensive about authorizing the use of Kratom, loyal users of the herbal supplement have formed societies to defend its use and advocate for its legislative protection. A good example is the American Kratom Association. The purpose of this drug is, therefore, ever-increasing.
Educate Yourself on the Uses of Kratom
If used in the right amounts, Kratom eliminates pain and acts as a stimulant. Large doses of the herb can treat anxiety and induce sleep.
The following information is for those who want to learn the best way to take Kratom.
Wash the Powder down Your Mouth
Popular known as the “Toss and Wash” method, it involves nothing more than the Kratom powder and some water or any other cold drink, apart from soda.
You put the powder inside your mouth and push it towards the end of the tongue, near the throat, then just wash it down with the liquid that you have chosen to use. Toss-and-Wash is the quickest and simplest method that fetches fast results too.
The wrong side of it is the horrible taste that it leaves in your mouth. You can avoid this taste by going for the capsules instead.
Make Kratom Tea
This method is simple, too, even though it is not so convenient for you if you do not have time to go to the kitchen. You make it just the same way you do with a teabag, or rather, we can say, you use it together with tea bags.
Here is an outline of the short procedure:
- Put some Kratom powder inside a mug or just an ordinary cup
- Add some honey or sugar (most preferably honey)
- Add hot water into the mug
- Stir so that the ingredients mix properly
Your Kratom tea is now ready to drink. You may choose to add boiled milk before stirring, but remember to wait for it to cool before you drink.
Alternatively, an ice cube will do the trick for you.
Mix with Drinks like Juices
Orange juice is considered the best option since it has the most potent effects that neutralize the awful taste of Kratom. You may also use pineapple juice or any other fruit juice if the taste is not so much of your concern.
Follow a similar procedure that you used with the tea to mix. However, you have to take note that you will have to stir thoroughly. You will only stop the stirring once all the powder dissolves into the juice.
Take It with Food
The effects of the drug will still be there even if you mix it with the food that you are eating. The only difference will be that the impact in your body will take longer to feel since it all depends upon the metabolic process that the food will follow inside your system.
There is no particular type of food that we consider best to take with Kratom. Any food is good.
However, you may take the personal initiative of assessing how much of Kratom you will put in a particular quantity of food, just like you do with your salt.
Take caution that too much of anything is poison! Do not put too much of the substance in your food.
Chew from the Source
Just like the natives used to do, you can also chew the Kratom leaves directly-the the fastest of all methods. The reason why we consider the toss-and-wash way fastest earlier is that; the leaves may not be so easy to access where you are.
But then again, if you can get the leaves, go for it! You get the immediate effect of the drug when you chew.
Important Points to Remember
- In my opinion, the best method for you is the one where you mix it with juices.
- Apart from the ones mentioned above, you can also mix Kratom with coffee, lemonade, mango juice, and chocolate milk.
- Chocolate milk and orange juice are the best in eliminating the bad taste of Kratom
- Do not take Kratom daily to minimize possibilities of addiction
- Taking the raw powder is not very friendly to the stomach as making it as tea is
Beware of Kratom Side Effects and Hazards
According to Drugs.com, https://www.drugs.com/illicit/kratom.html, Kratom may be having side effects that are similar to those of opioids. They include the following:
- Sedation
- Nausea
- Sweating
- Dry mouth
- Increased urination
- Loss of appetite
- Itching
- Constipation
- Dizziness
- Confusion
The same source that I have quoted above mentions that the FDA had issued advisories about some severe health risks associated with Kratom. It states that there have been deaths caused by the drug.
Since most users of Kratom are self-medicating, some unpredictable risks may occur and pose a significant challenge to people with other underlying medical problems for which they are under clinical medication.
People with diabetes, in particular, may not just use the drug without getting their physician’s opinion.
Meredith Rutland Bauer, in an article on “Everyday Health,”- https://www.everydayhealth.com/type-2-diabetes/treatment/kratom-diabetes-what-know-about-fdas-recent-warning/, quotes the FDA as having expressed reservations about the safety of the supplement. FDA observes that Kratom is not regulated, and that research on its safety and efficiency is scarce.
Bauer adds that there is no information on what could happen to a diabetic person should they use Kratom products. She notes that The FDA is categorical in its warning to consumers asking them to avoid anything associated with Kratom completely.
It is essential to know about the potential side effects so that you can take the necessary precaution. There is practically no drug without a single side side-effect, and therefore, this is not necessarily to cause alarm.
Be a Step Ahead and Avoid Kratom Addiction
The drug can be addictive since large and regular doses can make the user dependent on it over and over. Anwar and Schier, in their article on https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6529a4.htm?s_cid=mm6529a4, write about reported cases of poisoning in poison centers. They note that among the cases reported were those of Kratom users who were addicted to the drug since their exposure to it was “multiple.”
Anwar and Schier observe a worrying trend; that 71.7% of people who the reports captured are men aged between 28-69 years old. Those subjects of the research reported having used Kratom many times, together with hard drugs like cocaine and heroin. That report shows that those people were are addicts.
According to the advisory on Drugs.com, Kratom is addictive, and some addicts among the natives of South-Eastern Asia exhibited withdrawal effects. The article observes that indeed several countries in that region have gone ahead to restrict the use of the drug due to abuse that leads to hopeless addiction.
To avoid addiction, do not use too much of Kratom, especially not daily. Taking too much of it will lead to dependence on the drug, and you will start developing withdrawal effects when you stop using the herb.
Continuous use of the drug anytime you experience hangovers will lead to addiction.
You may want to discontinue its use if you start suspecting that your body is becoming dependent on it. That will prevent the situation from developing into a full-blown addiction.
Exercise Caution Just in Case Kratom Has Adverse Harmful Potential
You may, of course, wonder what harm it has been causing to the natives who have used it for decades. I mean, are they not still there safe and sound despite using the products for many years?
Your concerns are probably right, with reservations, of course!
The natives may not have experienced severe problems since they only consumed it in the natural form. Now, this powder that many people are using may not be so much in its natural state by the time it reaches the end consumer. We, therefore, cannot rule out any possibility of harm caused by Kratom.
Studies have reported some adverse and fatal effects like:
- Liver toxicities
- Seizure
- Coma
Kratom also has the potential to cause Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Hyperthyroidism, and even the ultimate fatality of death! Refer to the journal here, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4657101/.
Other experts have also discussed the toxic possibility of Kratom, as you can see here, https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/aasld/83244.
I have provided a link here to a video where a health expert with Mayo Clinic explains some of the harmful effects of Kratom. He posits that too much of it is, without a doubt, harmful. You can follow the link, listen to the advisory, and then make an informed decision even as you continue to use Kratom. Here is the link, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CksZ1SU3cmM&t=50s.
The information contained you may gather therein is relevant to the whole issues about Kratom and concerns about its safety.
Draw Some Inspiration from People Who Have Used Kratom Before
Although there is comprehensive research yet, Kratom indeed has eased withdrawal effects. It relieves anxiety and depression to some extent. It, therefore, qualifies for the treatment of opioids withdrawal to some extent.
On the flip side, however, the drug itself may end up exhibiting some opioids-like effects. It might become addictive too. The use of it calls for extra caution.
Some people claim to have used it and seen it work for them. Some activists indeed have been fighting for the legalization of Kratom.
Here is a link to a video from someone who claims to have recovered from opioids withdrawal symptoms after using Kratom, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PurZjfb48kg. The gentleman is giving an account of his personal experience, which you might find useful.
Conclusion
I have been discussing Kratom with you in such a detailed manner that even if you had never heard about it before, you now have the necessary knowledge and information that will guide you. We have seen what Kratom is, and where it comes from, as well as some of its uses.
For you and others who may want to use the herbal remedy, some of the methods are going to be very useful when you decide to use Kratom or its products for medicinal purposes.
You may not need to follow all those ways, but you can choose the one that is the most appropriate and easy for you. Go ahead and take consideration also of the other related critical issues related to the use of this herbal supplement.