Herbal extracts, like blue lotus extract and kratom extract, have been used for thousands of years to promote good health. Kratom in particular has a long history of traditional medicinal use in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. Kratom has been used medicinally to treat diarrhea, improve sexual relations, relieve pain and treat opioid dependence.
Kratom is an effective remedy for opioid dependence because it is an opioid receptor agonist similar to morphine. It acts on opioid receptors in the brain to ease withdrawal symptoms. It is considered less dangerous than opiate drugs, and though it is also addictive, its withdrawal symptoms are less severe. Many opiate addicts have used small doses of kratom to relieve withdrawal symptoms and eventually get clean.
The Psychoactive Properties of Kratom
Kratom acts on the opioid receptors of the brain in the same way that opiate drugs do, which is why it’s been used traditionally to relieve pain and treat opiate dependence. It’s legal to possess and use kratom in most of the United States.
In small doses, kratom is said to have a stimulant effect; in larger doses, its effects are said to be more like those of opiate drugs. People throughout Thailand and Southeast Asia, where the kratom tree grows naturally, chew the leaves to enhance mood and promote good health.
Though often used successfully as a remedy for opiate withdrawal, kratom is also addictive. If you use kratom for opiate withdrawal, take care to use it only as long as you need to in order to ease your withdrawal symptoms and detox from opiate drugs. Once you’ve finished your detox period, you may need to taper off kratom. Withdrawal from kratom is said to be considerably less severe than opiate withdrawal — many people don’t even notice kratom withdrawal symptoms.
How to Use Kratom to Ease Opiate Withdrawal
Many find that kratom capsules or kratom extract are best for easing opiate withdrawal symptoms. You can also make a tea from kratom leaves. Kratom tea can have an unpleasant taste, however.
When you’re ready to quit using opiate drugs, simply stop taking the drugs, and start taking kratom instead. Your specific dosage will vary, depending on the strength of your tolerance to opiate drugs. The higher your tolerance, the more kratom you may need to take.
A small dose of kratom is anywhere from two to six grams. A person who was not dependent on opiates would feel mild stimulant effects from a dose of this size. Pain-relieving and sedative effects begin at seven to 15 grams. Strong euphoric, sedative and pain-relieving effects set in at 15 to 15 grams. Doses above 25 grams are too strong for the recreational user, but may not be too strong for someone who has a high tolerance for opioid drugs.
You may wish to start with a dose of 10 grams, although many people who use kratom to ease opiate withdrawal symptoms find that a dose of 20 to 30 grams eases their symptoms to a tolerable level. Once you have found a dose that works for you, take that amount three times a day until your opiate detox has ended.
You may find that kratom causes nausea, which may improve if you use the herb on an empty stomach. You should begin to feel the effects of kratom within about 20 minutes of taking it.
Tapering Off Kratom
It should take only about a week to ten days to fully detox from opiates. At this point, you will want to stop taking kratom, since it can be addictive and become a chemical dependency problem on its own. You may find that you are able to quit using kratom cold turkey with few or no withdrawal symptoms.
If you are worried about withdrawal symptoms, simply taper off your kratom use over a period of several days. If you were taking 60 grams of kratom per day to ease withdrawal symptoms, for example, begin tapering by taking 30 grams the first day, 20 grams the second day, 10 grams the third day and five grams the fourth day. On subsequent days, reduce your kratom use by one gram per day.
Kratom is an herb native to Southeast Asia, where it’s long been used in traditional herbal medicine. Its psychoactive effects are similar to those of morphine, making it a popular choice among opiate addicts who use it to ease withdrawal symptoms and kick the habit.
Kratom leaves by Manuel Jebauer (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
About the Author:
Contributing blogger Erin Boyle has 15 years of professional experience as an herbalist. She recommends Arena EthnoBotanicals to all of her clients, because of the high quality of their botanical products.