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Can Kratom Cause Liver Damage?

November 12, 2019 by Speciosa Guide Leave a Comment

Some of the most recent kratom news headlines claim that kratom causes liver damage. However, is that a reason for concern or merely a negatively biased piece of news as 92% of news on kratom.

Let’s take a closer look at the data behind these headlines and examine how accurate they are.

Kratom Liver Damage News Data

WebMD published an article referencing a study that looked at 404 liver damage cases accredited to dietary supplements. The study was led by Dr. Navarro, the head of gastroenterology at Albert Einstein Network in Philadelphia.

The team he led attributed eight liver damage cases that occurred between 2004 and 2018 to kratom. Another professor who reviewed the study referred to this data as “concerning.”

While liver damage is a severe health concern, the article also referenced the FDA’s warnings about kratom and nearly 100 CDC kratom deaths. Both of them have been instances of exaggerated claims.

Dr. Jack Henningfield issued a review of a report on the dangers of kratom pointing out the lack of credible data to back the claims. And out of the nearly 100 CDC kratom deaths, most cases had other substances in the blood in addition to kratom. Nonetheless, regardless of what they were, kratom was referenced as the main issue.

Taking a closer look at this study revealed that all of these eight people were also using alcohol.

According to the American Kratom Association, there are at least 5 million kratom users in the United States. 8 people out of 5 million are 0.00016%, which is an extremely rare incidence. In the meantime, alcohol is the fourth leading cause of death among Americans and the second most common cause of liver cirrhosis.

Kratom and Alcohol

Alcohol is a depressant, and kratom can be both a depressant and stimulant, depending on its type and dosage. While some kratom lovers find small doses of kratom and alcohol enjoyable, it is generally not advisable to take kratom with depressants or substances that are broken down by the liver. These include alcohol. Avoid taking it together with kratom even if you’re willing to quit alcohol.

So, combining kratom and alcohol, especially in large doses, is not advisable. But that does not mean that kratom in itself is harmful and that it can cause liver damage if taken exclusively.

Kratom is not the only substance that you should not take with alcohol. There are various medications that one should not take with alcohol either. These include antibiotics, anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medications, antihistamines, opioid medications, and even over-the-counter pain relievers such as Aspirin and Ibuprofen.

That is not to say that all these medications are necessarily harmful. Not in the least. Mindful usage of them can help people feel better. However, taken in combination with alcohol, they can cause adverse side effects.

And, most importantly, alcohol itself is not a healthy substance.

Other Kratom Liver Damage Studies

We dug a little deeper and found another study that claimed that kratom was associated with rare instances of acute liver injury.

This study admittedly couldn’t determine what exactly caused the liver damage to occur. Yet, it added that kratom is often used in combination with other substances, including drugs of abuse. Therefore, the study concluded that it is not always possible to determine the actual cause of liver damage.

Kratom Intake Advice

Kratom is a raw botanical that originates from Southeast Asia where hygiene standards are low. So, it is not impossible for you to get unpure kratom.

Therefore, we strongly advise any kratom user to be cautious when selecting a vendor. Make sure you choose a trusted US-based vendor who lab-tests their kratom. While importing directly from the source may be cheaper, the potential health risks are not worth the minimal savings that you could make. That is if you are lucky enough to land a vendor who doesn’t want to scam you.

Moreover, keep in mind that any unwise decisions and behavior that you may take can endanger you. It can also put the legal status of kratom and its reputation at risk.

We strongly advise against combining kratom with alcohol or illegal drugs. If you take any prescription drugs, there may be kratom drug interactions. Therefore, it is wise to consult a physician who is not against alternative treatment methods before you add kratom to the mix.

If you would like to transition from opioid prescription medication to kratom for pain relief, optimally, we’d advise you to allow your body to detox from opioids first. This way, you’ll be able to accurately evaluate the effects of kratom and the dose that your body needs.

What are your thoughts on kratom liver damage news? Is it accurate information or not, in your opinion?

Kratom Drug Interactions: What to Avoid?

November 5, 2019 by Speciosa Guide 2 Comments

While kratom is safe if taken in its pure natural form and adequate doses, like any substance, natural or not, it can negatively interact with others.

Most governmental institutions and medical sites claim that kratom intake is dangerous. However, their reports tend to be misleading. Almost all of the so-called kratom deaths are not actually due to kratom but other substances taken alongside it. The rest usually lack valid data.

Sadly, due to the lack of regulations, studies, and trusted, unbiased information on kratom, individuals taking it need to be particularly cautious and informed. Therefore, it is essential to know what drugs and substances can potentially interact with kratom to avoid potential adverse side effects and consequences.

Common Kratom Drug Interactions

Kratom and Prescription Opioids

Kratom and prescription opioids target the same areas in the brain. As a result, the effects of both are similar.

While many label kratom as an opioid because of that, it isn’t actually the case. Despite similar effects, kratom is a plant that belongs to be coffee family. It also does not engage opioid receptors in the brain in the same way that opioids do. Therefore, kratom provides strong pain relief, yet does not cause life-threatening respiratory depression and is about as addictive as coffee.

Because of this, many use kratom to overcome opioid addiction, which is currently plaguing America.

Unfortunately, many take kratom in addition to opioid medication to enhance the pain-relieving effects or avoid opioid withdrawal symptoms. This can be potentially dangerous, especially if one has developed a high tolerance to opioids and is taking low-quality, contaminated, or adulterated kratom.

While taken independently from other substances, kratom causes low respiratory depression that is not nearly enough to be fatal. However, taken with opioids, especially in large uncontrolled dosages, it can add on to the respiratory depression caused by opioids, and that can be dangerous, even if kratom itself wouldn’t be causing it.

To prevent this from happening, we advise not taking prescription or other opioids together with kratom. If you are willing to quit opioids and use kratom to manage your pain, it’s best if you give your body some time to clean itself first and only then start using kratom. Make sure that you only take pure, lab-tested, high-quality kratom from trusted vendors.

Kratom and Stimulants

Generally, we advise not taking kratom together with stimulants such as amphetamines or cocaine as well as herbal stimulants like guarana.

In small doses, kratom can have stimulant effects. Green strains are moderately stimulating, while whites have strong stimulant effects.

Taken with other stimulants, kratom can result in negative side effects such as agitation, anxiety, sweating, and heart palpitations.

When it comes to coffee, it can act as a kratom potentiator. Yet, those new to kratom shouldn’t mix it with caffeine. It’s best to get used to kratom first before experimenting. Moreover, if you take kratom and coffee, you should lower both your dose of kratom and coffee.

More about kratom and caffeine here.

Kratom and Depressants

Common depressants are anti-anxiety drugs, alcohol, and tranquilizers, such as central nervous system depressants. It’s best to avoid such combination as depressant drugs can have a similar effect to those of opioids.

Combining depressants and kratom can result in severe sedative effects and can potentially be dangerous if these doses are excessive, and one takes low-quality kratom.

Combining kratom with alcohol can also result in nausea, vomiting, headaches, and hangover. Therefore, it is not wise mixing them even if you’re trying to quit alcohol.

Kratom and SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors)

SSRIs are a type of mediation used to alleviate depression symptoms. They are most commonly known as anti-depressants.

Kratom interacts with the mu-receptors in the human brain, whereas anti-depressants interact with serotonin receptors. Serotonin receptors and mu-receptors can work together in certain processes; therefore, there may be potential negative consequences when taking both.

While currently, no studies are elaborating on the effects of kratom and anti-depressants taken together and these are only speculations, it’s best to approach this with caution.

Kratom and Medication Changed by the Liver

Our liver breaks down and changes the chemical composition of some medications. Kratom can potentially interfere with the process and slow down the rate at which our liver does that. This can alter the intensity of the effects or side effects of these medications.

This category includes a variety of Cytochrome p450 substrates such as Codeine, amitriptyline (Elavil), desipramine (Norpramin), flecainide (Tambocor), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL), ondansetron (Zofran), risperidone (Risperdal), tramadol (Ultram), indinavir (Crixivan), sildenafil (Viagra),and other.

Since there are many medications in this category, it’s best to consult a physician before taking any prescription medication with kratom.

Kratom and Modafinil (Provigil)

There has been a reported case of a person experiencing seizures and going into a coma after taking kratom and modafinil (Provigil), a drug used to manage sleepiness due to narcolepsy.

It is currently unclear what is causing this to occur; however, other people also have experienced seizures after combining the two, especially after high doses of kratom. Therefore, it is generally advisable to avoid taking kratom and modafinil (Provigil) together.

Final Thoughts

On many occasions, kratom gets the blame when any negative effects occur after mixing it with other substances or drugs. However, that is not to say that kratom would cause any of those by itself.

Therefore, we urge you to make sure that you buy your kratom from a trustworthy and reputable kratom vendor who tests their products in an independent third-party laboratory. This way, you have the highest chance of getting a quality product that’s free of pollutants, adulterants, and other risky substances that may cause negative consequences.

Keep in mind that buying questionable kratom and mixing it with potentially dangerous substances does not only put your health and life at risk, but negatively affects the reputation of the herb.

Are there kratom drug interactions that have we not mentioned, but you believe that the kratom community should know? Let us and our readers know! This can not only help people avoid negative consequences and side effects but also help us keep kratom legal!

Kava vs. Kratom: What’s the Difference?

October 22, 2019 by Speciosa Guide 2 Comments

Due to a growing number of problems associated with traditional medication, an increasing number of people seek alternative means of coping with a variety of conditions. CDB and kratom are growing in popularity, and you have noticed an interest in kava growing alongside them. Kava and kratom bars are popping up in multiple locations.

While there are similarities between both herbs, they are not one and the same. Let’s take a look at kava vs. kratom to see what the right herb for you is.

What Is Kratom?

Kratom, or Mitragyna speciosa, is a tropical tree from the coffee family that is native to Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and other Southeast Asian countries. For centuries, locals chewed kratom leaves to increase their energy while working as well as help with a variety of health conditions.

Nowadays, people primarily use kratom powder and less frequently kratom capsules and extract as a means of relieving different kinds of pain, stress, and anxiety.

Kratom has three different vein colors and a variety of strains. Depending on the type of vein and strain, as well as the dose, kratom can have soothing, stimulating, or moderate effects.

What Is Kava?

Kava, or Piper methysticum, is a shrub native to the western Pacific Islands, as well as some locations in Polynesia and Micronesia.

Kava is a part of the pepper family, and people use its root because of its sedative, euphoriant, anesthetic, and psychotropic properties. In addition to those, indigenous people also use it in religious and cultural rituals.

Kava vs. Kratom: The Similarities

Relaxing, Euphoric, and Stimulating Effects

Both kava and kratom have relaxing effects and help ease stress, anxiety, and aid with sleep. Kratom effects depend on its dosage; therefore, to achieve relaxing effects, one needs to take higher doses. Slow strains, such as reds, are best for relaxations.

Users of both kava and kratom state that kratom helps them stop the mental chatter, which helps them feel more at ease.

Kratom and kava both aid with sleep issues such as insomnia as well as improve the mood.

Their relaxing and euphoric properties can also aid with social anxiety. People report feeling more confident and being more talkative in social settings.

Both kava and kratom can also provide stimulating effects. Smaller doses of kratom can be stimulating, while larger doses of kava taken during a short period of time can be stimulating. Some less experienced users report feeling stimulation during their first times of taking kava.

Products

Both kava and kratom are sold primarily in raw powder form, which is made into tea. Some vendors also offer capsules and extracts in addition to raw powder.

Side Effects

The use of kava and kratom can result in side effects. You may experience nausea, vomiting, and other gastrointestinal problems if you take an inappropriate dose of either one of them.

Kratom can cause constipation, especially if one does not consume enough liquids. Since it is from the coffee family, kratom can have similar withdrawal effects that can occur after regularly taking coffee. Those, however, are mild and nowhere near to those of opioids.

One should also take adequate breaks between kratom doses to avoid developing kratom tolerance. This occurs because kratom alkaloids can build up in the body if taken more often than a body can eliminate them.

Kava does not develop tolerance. However, high consumption can potentially be extremely damaging to the liver. Therefore, moderation is important.

Buying Precautions

Kava and kratom aren’t approved by the FDA, and both are raw herbal products. Therefore, it is important to carefully select a vendor for either one of the products.

Kava vs. Kratom: The Differences

Origins and Growth Conditions

While kratom and kava are both tropical plants, their origins are slightly different. Kratom is a tree which is indigenous to Southeast Asia, whereas kava is a shrub native to the Western Pacific Islands, Polynesia, and Micronesia.

Both plants love humidity; however, too much sunlight can be harmful to kava. That’s because kava is a type of understory crop, a plant that thrives beneath the canopy of trees. When it comes to kratom, more sunlight usually develops red vein leaves, while leaves that get less sunlight usually develop green or white stems and veins.

Active Components

Kratom owes its beneficial properties primarily to its two main alkaloids – mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine. However, that’s not all there is to kratom. The currently limited studies show that kratom has at least 25 alkaloids and at least 40 total beneficial compounds.

Kratom alkaloids interact with the same areas in the human brain as opioids; however, kratom alkaloids engage the opioid receptors in a different way. They mimic the effects of opioids resulting in pain-relieving effects but bind with them in a way that does not cause addiction or respiratory depression. Therefore, kratom is frequently used as a pain reliever and a substitute for opioid prescription medication.

On the other hand, kava doesn’t have alkaloids. Instead, it has kavalactones. There are at least 18 kavalactones in kava root, yet six of them are responsible for about 90% of the effects of kava.

Kavalactones interact with the limbic system of our body. It’s the area of our brain that is responsible for emotions, arousal (stimulation), and motivation.

Pain-Relieving Effects

Kratom has strong pain-relieving effects. In fact, 7-hidroxymitragynine is around 13 times more potent than morphine. Because of that, people use kratom to deal with strong chronic and other types of pain as well as an alternative to opioid prescription medication.

Meanwhile, kava is primarily a relaxant. Therefore, it can ease muscle soreness and tension, such as after an intense workout. However, it will not be effective for chronic or any other type of strong pain.

Grind

While both herbs come in powder form, there is a difference between the types of grind.

Most kratom powder is ground into a fine micron powder. You can use it to make kratom tea, mix it with water juice, yogurt, or other drinks as well as Toss and Wash. There is also a variety of Bali Kratom, named Classic Bali, which is a courser grind, traditionally made by hand.

Kava, however, has two types of grind – medium and micron. The medium grind is slightly courser and prepared in a similar way to kratom. Micron grind is also referred to as instant kava and can be mixed with liquids such as water and orange juice.

Tea form is believed to be the more effective form of both.

Preparation

People take kava and kratom in tea form.

There are different ways of taking kratom, the most effective being kratom tea. Heat activates kratom alkaloids, given that it is moderate. To prepare kratom tea, one needs to simmer their dose of kratom powder for about 20 minutes. Check out our detailed guide on how to make kratom tea here.

While kava tea is the most common way of taking kratom, its preparation method varies.

Traditionally, one should place kava powder in a mesh bag, submerge it in water, knead that for about 10-15 minutes, and discard the kava pulp when the drink is ready. Kava bars usually use a mechanism that has two hydraulic plates that squeeze the bag that contains the kava root powder.

Legality

Kava is in a slightly more advantageous legal situation than kratom. While some countries around the world prohibit its use, it is not banned in the US. Kratom, however, is illegal in six states in the United States as well as in various cities and counties.

A variety of kratom vendors use that as an argument for choosing kava over kratom. Nonetheless, given the fact that the effects of kava and kratom are not exactly the same, that is not an accurate statement. Kratom is frequently villainized by the authorities due to its potency in relieving pain and few side effects associated with it.

Kava vs. Kratom: The Verdict

Kava and kratom are both natural and extremely beneficial. However, their effects aren’t the same; therefore, one cannot take them interchangeably and expect the same results.

If relaxation, relief from stress and anxiety, and better sleep are what you are looking for, then trying both can be a good idea. Yet, if you would like to get potent pain relief, then kratom is your herb.

Have you tried both kava and kratom? Share your experience with these herbs with us.

Kratom Overdose: Can You Overdose on Kratom?

August 6, 2019 by Speciosa Guide Leave a Comment

Kratom overdose is a topic that can frequently see in the news and on a variety of medical websites.

However, it’s not a secret that news articles on kratom are frequently misleading and biased. As a matter of fact, a review of approximately 2500 kratom news stories concluded that 92% of them are negatively skewed. Therefore, it’s not a surprise that you may be wondering if you can trust kratom overdose news and reports.

It’s our mission to provide unbiased and objective information about kratom. Not to skew anyone’s opinion but to provide information so that kratom users can make the best possible choices.

Let’s take a look at the kratom overdose situation so that we can find out whether you can overdose on kratom and if so, how dangerous it can be?

What Is Kratom?

Mitragyna speciosa or kratom is a tree that is native to Southeast Asia. Kratom powder comes from kratom leaf tissue, and there are different varieties of it.

Kratom leaves can have veins and stems in three different colors – red, green, or white (which actually looks more like pale green). Depending on the color of the veins and stems, kratom powder will have different alkaloid content and different properties.

The Mitragyna speciosa tree is in the Rubiaceae flowering plant family. The coffee plant is perhaps the most well-known plant in the family. Therefore, kratom and coffee share some of their qualities.

The Chemical Makeup of Kratom

The properties of kratom are due to its alkaloids. While studies on kratom are still minimal, we know that there are at least 40 active components in kratom 25 of which are alkaloids.

The two primary kratom alkaloids are mitragynine and 7-hydrohymitragynine. Mitragynine is the more abundant one while 7-hydroxymitragynine comes in tiny quantities, yet is 10-20 times more potent than morphine.

You Can Overdose on More than Just Drugs

The majority of sources that warn readers about kratom overdose refer to kratom as a drug.

“Overdose,” in general, is a negative word and it most frequently associates with drugs. In fact, the primary dictionary definition for “overdose” is “an excessive and dangerous dose of a drug,” while, in actuality, you can overdose on everyday foods, as well. Some of them are:

Carrots – eating too many carrots can lead to carotenemia. It’s a condition when there is excess beta-carotene in your body, and your skin turns orange. It’s a harmless condition which can often happen to babies after eating too much pureed food.
Bananas – bananas are high in potassium, and too much of it can lead to hyperkalemia. That is excessively high potassium content in the blood. It can cause muscle weakness, fatigue, nausea, abnormal heart rhythm, and even paralysis. However, you would need to eat about 400 bananas for them to kill you, which is virtually impossible.
Potatoes –potatoes contain natural pesticide solanine that wards off snails. Overdosing it can lead to cardiac arrest, coma, death. Though, you’d need to eat an average of a pound of green potatoes for that to happen.
Chocolate – too much of your favorite dessert food can lead to theobromine poisoning, excess amount of a bitter alkaloid also present in tea and acai berries. Consequences can be fatal, though you would need to eat over 80 chocolate bars for that to happen. Humans can quickly excrete theobromine, so, severe poisoning is unlikely to happen.
Coffee – taken in moderation, coffee can have beneficial effects. However, it has a lethal dose – 10g of caffeine. To achieve that, you’d need to drink at least 30 highly caffeinated energy drinks or about 80-90 cups of coffee.

And…

You Can Even Overdose on Water

While we are encouraged to drink more water, too much of it can be lethal. Drinking more than a liter within an hour dilutes the sodium content in the blood and can cause your cells to swell. This is a condition known as hyponatremia. Rapid swelling of the brain can cause coma or death.

While possible, all of the above are extremely rare and unlikely to happen to an average human. In most cases, your body will prevent that from happening. However, they prove that you can overdose on products and substances that are deemed not only harmless but also beneficial.

Can You Overdose on Kratom?

Technically – yes, it’s possible; however, it’s highly unlikely to happen. Scientists have determined the lethal dose of mitragynine. It is 60 g of pure mitragynine. They have not found one for 7-hydroxymitragynine.

However, kratom does not only consist of mitragynine, and you’d need a massive amount for kratom overdose to kill you. This is unlikely to happen as you wouldn’t be physically able to ingest that much kratom powder in either pure or tea form.

Kratom also has extremely low respiratory depression; therefore, it doesn’t have the same lethal; risk as opioids or opioid-based drugs. In fact, studies have concluded that your risk of overdosing on kratom is over 1000 times smaller than your risk of overdosing from opioids.

You indeed can take a dose of kratom that is too high. However, you’re going to experience kratom side effects and feel nauseous and weak until your body flushes most of the alkaloids out of your system.

If It’s not Kratom Overdose, then What Is It?

Even the warning reports by the CDC and the FDA state that most of the fatal cases had other substances present in the blood. In instances where kratom was the only substance, the authorities didn’t rule out other substances. Therefore, it is unfair to assume that kratom was the cause.

Moreover, CDC reports on kratom complaints are based on anecdotal data rather than actual scientific evidence.

This indicates that kratom overdone isn’t the real issue. Instead, it’s the lack of reliable information and regulations. Luckily some states have moved towards making the kratom market safer for consumers by passing the Kratom Consumer Protection Act. Hopefully, this leads to less misinformation on kratom in the future.

What are your thoughts on kratom overdose? Is it an issue, or is it exaggerated?

Kratom Ban in Indonesia: What We Can Do

July 16, 2019 by Speciosa Guide Leave a Comment

The news of the potential kratom ban in Indonesia shocked the kratom community. While kratom is indigenous to several Southeast Asian countries, Indonesia has become its leading exporter to the west.

An estimated 5 million Americans are finding relief in the herb amidst the opioid crisis. As the numbers of satisfied kratom users are growing, so are the warnings from various governmental institutions.

In 2016, the DEA announced its intent to schedule kratom that it later backed out of. The FDA issues regular warnings about salmonella, heavy metal contamination, and more. It has even released its own algorithm and study, proving that kratom hits multiple receptors in the brain. The CDC has joined them by attributing nearly 100 deaths to kratom.

Yet, it’s not the American institutions that we may need to fear as much, but rather the Indonesian ones.

Is Kratom Legal in Indonesia?

While most of the kratom imports to the US come from Indonesia, it’s not entirely legal there. A blanket regulation that covers a number of Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia, prohibits the sales and use of kratom. However, Indonesia currently allows growing kratom for export.

As a result, one can grow kratom and sell it online, but local use and distribution are not legal.

The primary country for kratom export is the United States. The business has been so lucrative that farmers of other industries, such as palm oil and rubber, have abandoned their usual crops and switched to kratom. Raw kratom leaves are a lot more expensive per kilogram than rubber or other crops.

This is providing Indonesian farmers with additional profits that they’ve not experienced before giving them a better chance of providing for their families and putting their children through college.

Kratom Ban in Indonesia

In early 2019, the first talks about making kratom a Schedule I drug in Indonesia emerged. The proposal came from the Indonesian Ministry of Health.

In June 2019, the Indonesian government issued an official statement about a potential kratom ban. As of mid-July, 2019 and the latest reports from the AKA, the ban has been approved. The Indonesian Ministry of Health has declared a 5-year transition period. This timeframe is meant to give current kratom farmers time o that they can switch to other crops.

Thus, the news of the kratom ban in Indonesia came as a shock not only to millions of kratom users in the US but also kratom farmers in Indonesia.

A kratom ban in Indonesia means that they would have to go back to harvesting their usual crops or something different drastically lowering their profits.

Indonesian Kratom Ban Controversy

Because most of the kratom imports to the US come from Indonesia, this ban would be a massive hit to the kratom industry. It would nearly eliminate American people’s access to the herb.

The only vendors who would be able to sell kratom would be those sourcing it from places other than Indonesia. However, this would not be anywhere near to being able to satisfy the growing demand for kratom.

According to data from 2016, kratom export from the West Kalimantan region alone equated to approximately $130 million in annual profits. 90% of kratom exports from this region of Indonesia were to the US.

Why would the Indonesian government decide to ban kratom growth and export if kratom contributes such a large sum of money to the Indonesian economy?

The American Kratom Association believes that the FDA has had something to do with it. It has been against kratom the entire time. Therefore, a ban on kratom that would prohibit its export to the US would mean a definite win in the FDA’s war against kratom.

The FDA denies having had any involvement in the ban. Yet, it has admitted having inquired about kratom in Indonesia.

An FDA spokesperson has allegedly told the Pain Network in an email that the FDA has inquired about the legal status of kratom in Indonesia, but has not made any moves toward influencing the Indonesian law on kratom.

Activism against the Kratom Ban in Indonesia

Even though the kratom ban in Indonesia has been issued, representatives from the American Kratom Association and the Botanical Education Alliance have traveled to Indonesia. There, they met with the Ministry of Health.

While their initial meeting went well, other Indonesian institutions got involved after that. Sadly, they too are for the kratom ban in Indonesia.

According to sources, Daniel Jonah, Deputy Chairperson of the House of Representatives Commission IV, has been furious about the decision. He pointed out that once more a government issues a ban without doing proper research or basing their decisions on scientific data.

Scheduling kratom in Indonesia would state that kratom has no medicinal use. It would also be virtually impossible to conduct any studies on it in Indonesia to prove the opposite.

The AKA and BEA aren’t giving up.

There is still hope.

The grants given to the US College of Pharmacy are going to provide insight into the properties of kratom that we’ve never had before.

And the AKA and BEA are planning to send another delegation to Indonesia lobby against the kratom ban.

If you’d like to contribute to keeping exports of kratom from Indonesia legal, now is a great time to donate to the AKA. This would provide them with extra resources to keep fighting for keeping kratom legal.

Every person and every dollar counts.

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