Kratom studies are scarce. As a result, finding reliable and unbiased information on the herb is relatively hard. Many sources refer to kratom as a dangerous drug, and there have even been efforts to ban it on the federal level.

While kratom is legal in most states in the US, many locations are still debating its legality and reviewing options for either banning or regulating it.

Since kratom still remains unregulated in most areas, the risk of it being contaminated or adulterated remains rather hard. This has led to unfortunate instances such as the CDC attributing nearly 100 deaths to kratom, when, in actuality, most cases had other substances present and others had inconclusive results or prior health issues.

Luckily, more studies are being done, which will hopefully shed more light on kratom, its alkaloids, and its effects. One such study was led by John Hopkins University School of Medicine.

But, first off…

What Is Kratom?

Kratom, also named Mitragyna speciosa, is a tree indigenous to the jungles of Southeast Asia. The leaves of this tropical tree are rich in alkaloids and other highly beneficial compounds such as flavonoids and polyphenols.

Mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine are the most abundant of the kratom alkaloids and attribute most of its properties.

Kratom has a variety of effects that depend on the vein type and strain, as well as the dosage that you take. In small doses, kratom has energizing and cognition-enhancing effects. However, in higher doses, it becomes a potent analgesic with sedating and relaxing effects.

Mitragyna speciose alkaloids affect the same regions in the brain as opioids. Therefore, many mistakenly refer to kratom as an opioid. While 7-mitragynine is around 13 times more potent than the pain-relieving drug morphine, kratom 8-Factor analysis has proven that Mitragyna speciosa does not have the same dangerous abusee potential.

The Basics of the John Hopkins Kratom Study

John Hopkins University School of Medicine conducted this study using a survey. It examined the responses of over 2,700 respondents who take kratom. 61% of them were female, and the median age was 40. 84% of all respondents had some form of a college education.

Their purpose was to determine the effectiveness of kratom as well as whether its use has less harm than opioid use.

While the results of this kratom study were purely anecdotal, considering the fact the lack of scientific research on the herb, it is still a highly beneficial scientific insight into Mitragyna speciosa.

The Results of the John Hopkins Kratom Study

The kratom study performed by John Hopkins University found out the following:

• 91% of respondents found kratom effective for pain relief,
• 67% of all respondents found the herb to be effective for anxiety,
• 65% found it effective for depression,
• 41% of respondents were taking kratom for opioid withdrawal,
• 87% of those taking kratom for opioid dependence found it effective,
• 35% of respondents who took kratom for opioid addiction reported being off prescription opioids or heroin for over a year.

In addition to the beneficial effects of Mitragyna speciosa, the study also looked at its side effects. The respondents had to complete a Substance Use Disorder checklist as part of the survey. The results found the following:

• Fewer than 3% of all respondents had moderate to severe kratom use disorder,
• Fewer than 10% met the criteria for mild kratom use disorder,
• 5% of respondents experienced kratom withdrawal,
• Only 1.9% of responded experienced severe side effects such as irritability, anxiety, insomnia, or depression.
• 19% experienced mild kratom side effects.

In the meantime, approximately 80% of those taking opioid medication experience at least one side effects. These include dry mouth, constipation, sweating, weight gain, sleep problems, drowsiness, memory issues, appetite loss, sexual dysfunction, nausea, fatigue, dry skin, and dizziness.

Conclusions and Comments from Organizers

Albert Garcia-Romeu, PhD., who instructs psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine and who lead the team performing this kratom study, commented that the findings of this study do not warrant kratom being categorized as a Schedule I drug. According to him, kratom doesn’t belong in the category.

Moreover, he added that kratom has very low abuse potential and should be explored for medical application as a means of managing pain as well as opioid use disorders.

He also noted that there is a lot of fearmongering due to the opioid-like effects of kratom and the growing concerns and issues caused by the opioid epidemic.

Garcia-Romeu also compared the statistics for opioid deaths and deaths attributed to kratom. He pointed out that in 2017 alone, there were over 47,000 opioid overdose deaths in the united states while, in a relatively similar time period, the CDC attributed nearly 100 deaths to kratom, out of which most had the presence of other substances while others had preexisting health conditions.

Regarding the side effects that kratom use can result in, Garcia-Romeu pointed out that most of that is due to the lack of regulations and standards in the kratom industry. These can result in kratom contamination with dangerous substances or inadequate kratom dosage.

Other Studies on Kratom

In addition to this kratom study, a longer and more thorough study on Mitragyna speciosa is currently in progress at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. NIDA has granted Christopher McCurdy, the pioneer in kratom studies, and his team nearly $7 million to study the herb.

John Hopkins Kratom Study Takeaways

This kratom study concluded that kratom use is not only significantly less harmful than opioid use but also effective. However, it is crucial to be responsible for kratom and purchase it only from reputable vendors to avoid any contamination. In addition to that, one should be mindful of their kratom dosage and not increase it over time, which can result in tolerance, side effects, and possibly withdrawal.

Are you taking Mitragyna speciosa? Would you agree with the results of this kratom study? How has your experience with the herb been?

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?

CDC kratom deaths have been a hot topic over several weeks. On April 12, 2019, the CDC released a report claiming that kratom has claimed nearly 100 lives and is deadlier than thought before.

Along with the wave of kratom bans in Northern Mississippi, the news of CDC  kratom deaths may have shaken up your trust in kratom. Or, you at least have a few worrisome questions.

So, is kratom indeed that dangerous or is this inaccurate news that’s a part of someone’s agenda?

Let’s investigate.

What Is the CDC?

CDC or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a public health institute in the United States. Its job is to protect public health and safety. CDC does so by controlling and preventing a variety of diseases, injuries, and disabilities.

It works with a variety of different topics such as contagious diseases, non-infectious diseases like obesity, lack of physical activity, use of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, health while traveling, global health, and more.

Even prevention of a potential zombie apocalypse. Yes, you read that right. Though the article was more of a way of raising public awareness about natural disasters.

The CDC is a federal organization just like the FDA. In fact, the CDC, FDA, and USDA are all under the Department of Health and Human Services. All three organizations collaborate on a common health mission to promote food safety.

CDC claims to be committed to protecting the American people and keep them safe and healthy. It also accepts outside gifts. Dr. Mercola and other sources state that this has skewed CDC’s public opinion.

What Is Kratom?

Kratom or Mitragyna speciosa is an evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia. It’s closely related to coffee and belongs to the Rubiaceae, coffee, family.

People use it as a dietary supplement to manage a variety of health conditions that range from chronic pain to PTSD, stress, and anxiety. Taken in lower doses kratom is stimulating. Meanwhile, in larger doses it’s relaxing.

Kratom comes in four vein types and a variety of strains. Each of them has a different composition of kratom alkaloids.

Is Kratom Safe?

According to the Kratom 8-Factor Analysis released in late 2017, kratom has very low abuse potential. Though it binds with the same receptors in the brain that opioids do, kratom works in a different manner. Thus, it is no more addictive than coffee.

Is Kratom an Opioid?

Kratom has opioid-like properties which is why it is being used to overcome opioid addiction. However, it’s not an opioid itself because it does not derive from opioids.

The Kratom 8-Factor analysis mentioned above revealed that that kratom can deliver similar effects to those opioids without the respiratory depression risks and the abuse potential that opioids cause.

How Much Kratom Is Safe to Take?

The average kratom dosage can range from two to eight grams. However, the exact dosage that will suit an individual human will depend on a variety of factors such as the purpose, strain, body weight, and age.

The quality and freshness or kratom can also make a huge difference. For instance, some vendors offer really potent kratom that requires much lower doses. So, it’s best to experiment and see what dosage best suits your needs.

You should also take the preventive measures needed not to develop kratom tolerance. These include taking adequate intervals between your doses and rotating strains.

Can You Die from Kratom? 

Theoretically, you could die from kratom overdose, but it’s virtually impossible to happen. Scientists actually conducted studies that identified the lethal dose of kratom in mice.

In this study, scientists administered mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine to mice. They find out that oral intake of approximately 547 mg of mitragynine per kilogram of body weight was lethal for mice. Yet, no mice actually died from taking large oral doses of 7-hydroxymitragynine.

What does that mean for humans?

If an average dose is around 6 grams of kratom powder, for a 200-pound body, that is over 100 times lower than the lethal dose of pure mitragynine in mice.

Keep in mind that kratom powder isn’t just mitragynine. There are at least 25 alkaloids in kratom that we know of today. The highest amount of mitragynine in kratom on average constitutes about 60%. Some varieties have as little as 12%. The amount of 7-hydroxymitragynine is even lower – about 2%.

This means that you would need a minimum of 60 grams of pure mitragynine to die from kratom. If you take kratom powder, then this amount would be even higher. However, you don’t just take kratom powder? You make kratom tea or toss and wash, right?

So, if you put an average of 6 grams of kratom powder in your tea, you’d need to drink at least 100 cups to die from kratom. This can be a hard feat considering that an average stomach can hold only about a sixth of that.

To give you a bit more perspective, let’s look at coffee since kratom and coffee are in the same family. Your daily cup of Joe also has a lethal dose. Wonder what that is? 70 cups per a 154-pound body taken at once.

If you do the math, coffee can be more lethal than kratom.

So, What About the CDC Kratom Deaths?

Don’t let the headlines scare you. While the headlines boldly state that that kratom has claimed 91 lives in 27 states, the data speaks a different story.

Postmortem toxicology results showed that 84 of the deceased had heroin, fentanyl, prescription opioids, cocaine, and other drugs present. In their report, CDC states that 7 of these 91 victims had kratom detected as the only substance, yet….

The report also stated that “the presence of additional substances [couldn’t] be ruled out.”

So, are CDC kratom deaths actually caused by kratom?

The Bottom Line

So, if we know that the lethal dose of oral kratom intake is ridiculously high, yet CDC reports that 46 people die of a prescription opioid overdose every single day, then parading almost 100 deaths that cannot even be clearly attributed to kratom seem to be distracting us from the real problem.

Have you read about CDC kratom deaths online? What are your thoughts?