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Dr. Steven Novella has an article on the current state of the science on kratom and its potential as a source of new medicines. He gives an overview of the current state of the scientific study that has been done on kratom so far, and concludes that it is very promising but the scientific research done on it as of now is woefully insufficient. However, recent attempts by the FDA and DEA to schedule it on the one hand, and its continuing use as an unregulated supplement on the other may serve to stifle serious scientific research.
You may never have heard about kratom (though if you're a regular reader, you probably have), but there is already a thriving market for this Southeast Asian herb, and groups dedicated to the business of selling kratom. Kratom has also come onto the radar of the FDA and DEA, who would like to regulate it (it currently is essentially unregulated, except as a supplement). This has sparked a controversy over whether and how kratom should be regulated, fueled partly by a lack of clear scientific studies.
[...] I do not think that kratom should be classified as schedule 1, which the FDA and DEA did try to do two years ago, but had to back off due to public and political backlash. Schedule 1 is for substances with abuse potential but no legitimate medical use. The problem with this categorization is that it will frustrate scientific investigation, and that is exactly what we need right now.
It may be too late because it is already widely available as an herbal supplement, but kratom should be considered an investigational new drug, and properly scientifically studied. We desperately need more options in treating pain, especially chronic pain, and any addition to our toolkit is extremely welcome.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 07 2018, @04:33PM
No, it doesn't get you high.
It doesn't really help with opiod problems, either. but the marketing may say otherwise and hope sells.
It is more like a ginseng or other adaptogen you can actually feel rather than hope is acting like a tonic.
Ever get into 'the zone'? it can help you achieve that. If anything, I'd call it an herbal nootropic.
Getting into the zone can help a person forget about pain or hunger. It can let them focus on work, fun, or something else. that means people can take it and have fun and someone that doesn't understand may say they are high. it can also help someone going through withdrawal and appear to act as relief. It can also help someone study for a test or do a lot of tedious work/chores because... being in the zone means you have focus.
All of these things can end up dooming the plant. There are already drugs for sale that try to do all of these things, but nothing is sold to get you into the zone, or really claimed that is what the drug does. There are things of course, but that's too performance enhancing to be fair to allow for everyone to use.
Anything natural that works well will be demonized until it can be patented and purified into a profit, or at least licensed and taxed to ensure a revenue stream.