# What does Kratom (herb) do? Anyone here tried it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 19, 2010, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kratom-herb-do-anyone-here-tried-it/561203 "2010-11-19T05:30:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kratom-herb-do-anyone-here-tried-it/561203/1 "2010-11-19T05:30:41Z")
Kratom is a legal herb from Thailand which can be easily purchased online. Supposedly when you drink a tea made from the leaves, it produces a euphoric state. Someone on Yahoo Answers had this to say about it: > [@](#): > > It doesn’t taste nice, it’s very bitter, like over-steeped green tea x10, but it’s more tolerable than alcohol and it doesn’t have an aftertaste. Normally when I drink Kratom I first feel very energized. Think drinking a few cups of coffee minus the jitters and anxiety. I feel very clear headed, almost euphoric but also relaxed which makes it a great drink to spark intense conversation. After a while, I would say anywhere from half an hour to several hours later this feeling becomes a very sedated, opiated state. I would compare this feeling to a relatively small dose of prescription painkillers. It becomes almost the opposite of the initial effects, and makes laying down doing absolutely nothing feel wonderful. Effects seem to vary from person to person, and it seems like some don’t experience anything the first time they try it. You won’t exactly get f\*\*\*ed up, but you do get a buzz. I drink Kratom pretty regularly and would definitely recommend it. If you do decide to try it, buy it online as most head shops charge an insanely jacked up price. Sounds interesting. Has anyone here ever tried this herb and if so, what effects did it have on you? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kratom-herb-do-anyone-here-tried-it/561203/2 "2010-11-19T05:35:41Z")
Never heard of it, but if you have a drug question, [Erowid.org](http://www.erowid.org/plants/kratom/kratom.shtml) is the place to look. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kratom-herb-do-anyone-here-tried-it/561203/3 "2010-11-19T09:28:33Z")
They’re just screwing with you. Kratoms are tiny particles of racism; they’re the basic building blocks of the KKK. ---
**Author:** ![ExcitedIdiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ea5d25/32.png) [@ExcitedIdiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExcitedIdiot)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kratom-herb-do-anyone-here-tried-it/561203/4 "2010-11-19T12:06:34Z")
I tried it for the first time about month ago. It felt almost like taking 10 mgs of hydrocodone. I slept great and woke up refreshed the next morning. I made the mistake of taking more the next night, redosing and taking larger doses, and woke up one of the worst hangovers of my life. My advice is tread lightly. ---
**Author:** ![dzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzero)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kratom-herb-do-anyone-here-tried-it/561203/5 "2010-11-20T00:40:53Z")
The active ingredient seems to be mitragynine. If you google it, it seems to be an opioid with stimulant properties. It also appears to be highly addictive. The effect is supposed to be like “speedballing”, i.e., combining a stimulant with an opiate (I think). side note: John Belusi died from speedballing (meth and heroin I think). ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kratom-herb-do-anyone-here-tried-it/561203/6 "2010-11-20T00:51:02Z")
> [@dzero](#): > > side note: John Belusi died from speedballing (meth and heroin I think). Cocaine and heroin, not meth… ---
**Author:** ![berff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/43a26b/32.png) [@berff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/berff)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kratom-herb-do-anyone-here-tried-it/561203/7 "2010-11-20T04:16:45Z")
Actually, I have quite a lot of experience with kratom. I’ve been taking it almost every morning for the last four years or so. And it does make me feel very energized but sedated at the same time…and also very motivated. I usually have a cup of kratom tea at work along with my coffee, and I’m always extremely ambitious and clear-headed at work. I guess you could say I"m addicted to it but I really don’t mind. And yes, it tastes pretty awful. But I still enjoy it every morning. ---
**Author:** ![Snake\_Plissken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@Snake\_Plissken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snake_Plissken)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kratom-herb-do-anyone-here-tried-it/561203/8 "2010-11-20T17:42:15Z")
> [@berff](#): > > Actually, I have quite a lot of experience with kratom. I’ve been taking it almost every morning for the last four years or so. And it does make me feel very energized but sedated at the same time…and also very motivated. I usually have a cup of kratom tea at work along with my coffee, and I’m always extremely ambitious and clear-headed at work. I guess you could say I"m addicted to it but I really don’t mind. > > And yes, it tastes pretty awful. But I still enjoy it every morning. I see its used for easing opiate withdrawls. Wish I knew about that when I cold turkeyed vicodin last summer. Where do you find stuff like that, head shops, Natural medicine stores? ---
**Author:** ![berff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/43a26b/32.png) [@berff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/berff)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kratom-herb-do-anyone-here-tried-it/561203/9 "2010-11-20T18:51:14Z")
I actually prefer kratom to vicodin or other opiates but I’m probably in the minority. All the kratom I’ve ever bought has been from online sources-if you simply do a google search for “buy kratom” you’ll find a huge list of suppliers. I’ve tried it from many different sources and don’t really have a preference for any one in particular as I believe most kratom comes from the same source anyway. If you’re going to try it though, I’d recommend Bali kratom (finely powdered). Right now I’m paying a little over $200 for 1.2 Kg and it lasts me about 4 months or so but you could just buy 10-20 grams for very little if you just want to try it. I’ve never seen it sold anywhere locally though. ---
**Author:** ![Stringer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Stringer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringer)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kratom-herb-do-anyone-here-tried-it/561203/10 "2010-11-20T19:40:31Z")
> [@ExcitedIdiot](#): > > I tried it for the first time about month ago. It felt almost like taking 10 mgs of hydrocodone. I slept great and woke up refreshed the next morning. I made the mistake of taking more the next night, redosing and taking larger doses, and woke up one of the worst hangovers of my life. My advice is tread lightly. This was my experience as well. You have to be pretty careful not to “overdose,” or you get nausea and bad hangovers. I didn’t think it was that great (the taste, ugh) and I still have most of the powder somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![ExcitedIdiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ea5d25/32.png) [@ExcitedIdiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExcitedIdiot)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kratom-herb-do-anyone-here-tried-it/561203/11 "2010-11-20T22:52:58Z")
> [@Stringer](#): > > This was my experience as well. You have to be pretty careful not to “overdose,” or you get nausea and bad hangovers. > > I didn’t think it was that great (the taste, ugh) and I still have most of the powder somewhere. Everyone says the taste is bad, but it didn’t bother me. At first i just mixed it in with water, which tastes like tea to me. Swallowing the grit at the bottom did make me gag a bit. After that I mixed it with applesauce, it looks like baby poo, but I couldn’t taste it at all. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kratom-herb-do-anyone-here-tried-it/561203/12 "2010-11-20T23:32:56Z")
I’m curious now, so I ordered 10 grams of a product called ‘Bali X’ from [this outfit](http://thekratomking.com/default.asp). I’ll report back in week or so. Anybody have any idea how much I should use on my first trial? It’s a mixture of the dried leaf and the extract, so it must be more potent than the leaf alone. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2010, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kratom-herb-do-anyone-here-tried-it/561203/13 "2010-11-21T02:51:11Z")
I’m going to try it, it sounds good. I’ll let you know what it feels like. ---
**Author:** ![Nehemiah\_Samedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7993a0/32.png) [@Nehemiah\_Samedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nehemiah_Samedi)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2010, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kratom-herb-do-anyone-here-tried-it/561203/14 "2010-11-21T06:05:36Z")
> [@berff](#): > > Actually, I have quite a lot of experience with kratom. I’ve been taking it almost every morning for the last four years or so. And it does make me feel very energized but sedated at the same time…and also very motivated. I usually have a cup of kratom tea at work along with my coffee, and I’m always extremely ambitious and clear-headed at work. I guess you could say I"m addicted to it but I really don’t mind. > > And yes, it tastes pretty awful. But I still enjoy it every morning. Do you feel any withdrawals if you stop abruptly? Do you take opiates as well, or did you in the past before you began taking kratom? ---
**Author:** ![berff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/43a26b/32.png) [@berff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/berff)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2010, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kratom-herb-do-anyone-here-tried-it/561203/15 "2010-11-21T07:03:00Z")
> [@Nehemiah\_Samedi](#): > > Do you feel any withdrawals if you stop abruptly? Do you take opiates as well, or did you in the past before you began taking kratom? I’m not even sure any more. The last day I went without any kratom was back in February 2009 but I’ve cut down significantly since then; at the time I was consuming approximately 50 grams per day. Now I measure out only 10 grams per day which is perfect for me. But when I was using 50 grams of kratom per day and I’d stopped abruptly, the withdrawals were one of the worst experiences of my life, I think. The dysphoria, insomnia, restless legs, coldness, lack of appetite, etc. lasted for over a week. I use opiates on occassion but usually no more than once per month so I’ve never experienced actual opiate withdrawals. The only opiates I’ve tried were vicodin, morphine and poppy pod tea and all have paled in comparison to kratom for me. But then again, kratom does have a nice stimulating effect in addition to the sedation so that might be the reason. And to the person above who just ordered some, I’ve used that supplier several times in the past and I’ve always been pleased with their product. I just hope this substance doesn’t catch on too much and end up being scheduled. Hopefully, the terrible taste will help keep the kids away… Oh and also, if you’re just trying this for the first time, do not try to use anywhere near 10 grams at once. I would say maybe 1 or 2 at the most, especially since it’s enhanced. ---
**Author:** ![Nehemiah\_Samedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7993a0/32.png) [@Nehemiah\_Samedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nehemiah_Samedi)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kratom-herb-do-anyone-here-tried-it/561203/16 "2010-11-21T20:11:10Z")
> [@berff](#): > > I’m not even sure any more. The last day I went without any kratom was back in February 2009… Sorry for asking so many questions, I’m just very interested in this substance. It seems to be pretty much identical to other opiates in it’s spectrum of effects. If you mind me asking, do you find yourself getting constipated? Do you think that kratom could be successfully used as a substitute for somebody such as a heroin abuser, if their tolerance had been reduced to an appropriate level before the switch? Have you noticed an increased prevalence of dental problems since you’ve been taking it? ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2010, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kratom-herb-do-anyone-here-tried-it/561203/17 "2010-11-21T21:11:35Z")
Well, I was digging around last night and I found a message board post by a pharmacy student who said that the active substance in kratom does not have a universal affinity for all of the opioid receptors, but only binds to the ones that are responsible for opium’s _antidepressant_ properties. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2010, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kratom-herb-do-anyone-here-tried-it/561203/18 "2010-11-21T23:43:26Z")
> [@Nehemiah\_Samedi](#): > > If you mind me asking, do you find yourself getting constipated? > **[7-Hydroxymitragynine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7-hydroxymitragynine)** > > 7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH-MIT, often simply referred to as 7-OH) is a terpenoid indole alkaloid present in the plant Mitragyna speciosa, commonly known as kratom. It was first described in 1994. In humans, it is produced as an active metabolite of mitragynine via hepatic oxidation. 7-OH exhibits greater binding affinity to μ-opioid receptors (MOR) than mitragynine.\[citation needed\] > 7-OH-MIT, like mitragynine, appears to be a mixed opioid receptor agonist/antagonist, with recent research indic... Second paragraph. ---
**Author:** ![SparkleLilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SparkleLilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SparkleLilly)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kratom-herb-do-anyone-here-tried-it/561203/19 "2010-11-22T00:00:46Z")
Um, does this not seem like a HORRIBLE idea? You are buying a drug you have never tried and do not know proper dosing for. It’s addictive. You don’t know what OD symptoms are, or what interactions it might have. You don’t know what the plant would look like properly, but you are willing to get it from strangers overseas online, knowing full well that many prescription meds sold online are counterfeit. This sounds like an ER visit or worse in the making. Hope you don’t end up with Jimson weed, repackaged. ::shakes head ---
**Author:** ![Nehemiah\_Samedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7993a0/32.png) [@Nehemiah\_Samedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nehemiah_Samedi)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kratom-herb-do-anyone-here-tried-it/561203/20 "2010-11-22T01:00:54Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > [7-Hydroxymitragynine - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7-hydroxymitragynine) > > Second paragraph. Thanks, but that doesn’t really answer my question at all. Pretty much every opiate/opiod has constipation listed as an effect, but how much they really do constipate people varies wildly from drug to drug. I’m trying to get a feeling for how much this one in particular really affects a real person, which is why I chose to use this opportunity to ask a real person. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kratom-herb-do-anyone-here-tried-it/561203.md?page=2)