Inspired by traditional use, H. Ridley reported In 1897 that the leaves of Mitragyna speciosa were a cure for opium addiction. In more recent times, mitragynine has been used in New Zealand for methadone addiction detox. Kratom was smoked whenever the patient experienced withdrawal symptoms, over a 6 week treatment period. Patients reported a visualization effect taking place at night in the form of vivid hypnagogic dreams. While working on plans for ibogaine experiments in the USA, Cures Not Wars activist Dana Beal suggested that mitragynine could be used as an active placebo for comparison in the study. Acting Deputy Director of the NIDA Charles Grudzinskas rejected the proposal, however, saying that even less was known about mitragynine than ibogaine. Although chemically similar, ibogaine and mitragynine work by different pathways, and have different applications in treatment of narcotic addiction. While ibogaine is intended as a one time treatment to cure addiction, mitragynine used to gradual wean the user off narcotics. The fact that mitragynine's mu crossover is increased by the presence of opiate drugs may be exploitable in the treatment of narcotics addiction, because it directs binding to where it is needed, automatically regulating the attachment ratio and modulating it towards the delta receptors over a short time. Within a few days, the addict would stop use of the narcotic they are addicted to, and the cravings and withdrawal will be moderated by the binding of mitragynine to the delta receptors. Mitragynine could also perhaps be used as a maintenance drug for addicts not wishing to quit but trying to moderate an out of hand addiction. In 1999, Pennapa Sapcharoen, director of the National Institute of Thai Traditional Medicine in Bangkok said that kratom could be prescribed both to opiate addicts and to patients suffering from depression, but stressed that further research is needed. Chulalongkorn University chemists have isolated mitragynine which researchers can obtain for study.

In conclusion, there seems to be much more research done into this plant and its active constituents. Although kratom has been used since time immemorial by Thai natives, Western science hasn't paid it that much attention. What research does exist contains some apparent conflicts. Knowledge even of the plant's existence outside of Thailand has been limited to ethnobotanists and a handful of pharmacology researchers. Availability of live plants and dried leaves has been practically non-existent until very recently. There is much to learn.

Credits

Atthakor P. "Role Seen For Traditional Herbal Stimulant": Bangkok Post November 27, 1999

De Rienzo P, Beal D, The Statten Island Project. "The Ibogaine Story"

Idid S Z, Saad L B, Yaacob H, Shahimi M M. "Evaluation Of Analgesia Induced By Mitragynine, Morphine And Paracetamol On Mice": ASEAN Review of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Nov-Dec 1999

Merck & Co., Inc. "The Merck Index": 12th edition, 1996.

Oxford University Press. "Dictionary of Organic Compounds": Volume 4, 4th edition, 1965.

Rifat, Claude. "Mitragynine": http://www.lycaeum.org/drugs/SSRI/mitragy.html

Shaman Australis. Mitragyna speciosa catalog entry: http://www.shaman-australis.com/Website/Mitragynaspeciosa.htm

Shaman Australis. Personal email from owner: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

Shellard E J. "The alkaloids of Mitragyna with special reference to those of Mitragyna speciosa, Korth": Bulletin On Narcotics, 1974 issue 2

Suwanlert M D Sangun. "A study of kratom eaters in Thailand": Bulletin on Narcotics, 1975 issue 3

Thongpradichote S, Matsumoto K, Tohda M, Takayama H, Aimi N, Sakai S, Watanabe H. "Identification of opioid receptor subtypes in antinociceptive actions of supraspinally-administered mitragynine in mice": Life Sci 1998;62(16):1371-8

Yamada R. "Re: Is Mitragynine anti-addictive?": Usenet post This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it