If you have been closely monitoring the Internet and been finding ways to keep yourself healthy, chances are you’ve seen this term once or twice. You might have even seen or heard about this in the news, especially with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)’s interest in cracking down on these products.  

While Kratom powders and extracts tend to draw flak from these government agencies, there’s still a large buzz surrounding this product, now more than ever thanks to many claims that it helped them wean off their addiction. However, apart from serving as a relief of sorts for opioid addiction and withdrawal, there has been a growing following for this herbal supplement/recreational drug because of its mood-boosting capabilities.  

With all the mix of information around Kratom, it may be challenging to know exactly what’s what. To shed more light on this product, we’ll be tackling what this really is and why you should explore this herbal plant/recreational drug. Take a look.  

What is Kratom? 

Before anything else, kratom, otherwise known as Mitragyna speciosa, comes from a tree with the same name. Native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and Thailand, its leaves have been used as herbal medicine to treat a variety of conditions. In particular, it has been used to address pain as it attaches to similar nerve cells in your brain to even helping manage sleep and other health conditions.  

Today, it is also being utilized as a recreational drug of sorts and is consumed in a number of ways. The most popular being brewed into a tea, being utilized in cooking, and even being chewed. It is also being smoked or ingested through the use of ground-up pills.  

Why You Should Incorporate Kratom in Your Life 

Provide Pain Relief 

Though the FDA and the DEA claim that kratom has no medical benefits, it has long been used in different parts on the globe, particularly in Asian regions, to treat chronic pain and even opiate-related withdrawal pain.  

Other illnesses and conditions such as diarrhea, diabetes, fever, and hypertension have also found significant results when this is consumed. All of these pain-relieving benefits can be attributed to the alkaloid found within kratom, such as mitragynine which is recognized for its analgesic properties.  

Enhance Mood 

More than physical pain, this herbal drug is also considered a miracle worker as it eases emotional pain by promoting a euphoric feeling, thus inducing a general feeling of contentedness and even happiness. 

Address Sleep Problems 

One of the effects of consuming this is drowsiness. Higher doses of this drug can lead to sleepiness and even induce individuals to be in a dreamlike state. By consuming this plant, you can help treat sleeping problems such as insomnia as it can help lull you into a deep and restful slumber, allowing you to take the next day feeling much more energized. If you wish to address this particular concern, taking a cup of tea might work in your favor. 

Boost Immune System 

For those who wish to feel more energetic and who want to strengthen their immune system, this drug will provide the burst of energy that you need to conquer the day. Moreover, it can also help you to become more relaxed and reduce your stress and anxiety levels, both of which tend to trigger and agitate your immune system.  

The Bottom Line 

Though there are still many studies conducted on kratom, there’s no denying the possible health benefits it can afford individuals. With the guidelines above, you can best gauge how you can incorporate this into your everyday life and why it’s even worth exploring in the first place. If you decide to purchase, there are many places to find kratom for sale online as well as locally in retail shops. 

While many people are learning more about Kratom and its potential, not as many are familiar with its chemical components. Getting a basic understanding of these components is a worthwhile endeavor. After all, the benefits that Kratom consumers report are directly related to its chemical composition! Before you buy Kratom online, it’s important to gain an understanding of how it works.

Studies about Kratom and how it affects the body have been centered around its alkaloids. Kratom alkaloids, which are naturally occurring compounds found in many plants, interact directly with the body, so understanding them gives a better understanding of Kratom in a more general sense.

Many people are familiar with Kratom’s main alkaloid, mitragynine, and maybe even with 7-hydroxymitragynine, which occurs in much smaller concentrations. But there are actually dozens of alkaloids in the Kratom plant. What are these alkaloids, and what do we know about them?

What Is Kratom?
Kratom is a tropical plant that grows in different regions of Southeastern Asia. The leaves from this tree are harvested in Thailand, Borneo, Malaysia, and other countries and then dried. The dried leaves can be used as a natural supplement, and they have been used this way for hundreds of years in these areas.

The leaves can be processed into tea, powder, or liquids for consumption. Kratom enthusiasts around the world use Kratom while seeking relief for a variety of symptoms.

What Are Kratom Alkaloids?
Kratom leaves have many different chemical compounds in them. All of these compounds are structurally different, which means that the effects they have on the body vary. The most well-known effects of Kratom are thought to be caused by mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine.

These two compounds are only two of the many Kratom alkaloids that can be found in Kratom leaves. They are the most prominent because they bind the most readily with the body’s receptors, but that doesn’t mean that the other Kratom alkaloids should be ignored.

Breaking Down Kratom Alkaloids
To understand the potential of Kratom and products derived from it, let’s break down some of the alkaloids found in Kratom.

Mitragynine
One of the two most common alkaloids found in Kratom is mitragynine. Mitragynine is usually the primary alkaloid in Kratom. It accounts for up to 70% of the alkaloid content in Kratom leaves, and it has been studied in isolation for many years. It binds readily with important receptors in the body, which accounts for its reported effects.

7-hydroxymitragynine
This is the other most prominently active alkaloid found in Kratom.
7-hydroxymitragynine chemically similar to mitragynine, so it is often studied in relation for the reasons and in the same contexts. The amount of 7-hydroxymitragynine in Kratom leaves varies much more than that of mitragynine, though. The amount is dependent on the variety, drying procedure, and time of harvest but is always quite small, typically just fractions of a percent.

Paynantheine
Paynantheine is the Kratom alkaloid that makes up the second-highest amount of chemical compounds in the Kratom leaves. It is typically present in higher amounts than 7-hydroxymitragynine, but it is not as active in the human body. More research needs to be done about this alkaloid, but there is some information available at this time.

Speciogynine
The alkaloid with the third-highest concentration in most Kratom leaves is speciogynine, another alkaloid that is thought to have active effects in the human body. More research needs to be done about this substance as well.

Mitraphylline
Typically accounting for less than 1% of Kratom leaves, this alkaloid may act in many unique way on human physiology. Mitraphylline is believed to have a great deal of potential and it is an exciting candidate for additional studies.

Ajmalicine
Ajmalicine was one of the first alkaloids found in Kratom when studied in the 1970s in Southeastern Asia. This alkaloid is a receptor antagonist that may interact with parts of the body that regulate various functions.

Many, Many More
There are so many alkaloids found in Kratom leaves, and there are likely even more that have yet to be discovered. While those with the highest concentrations have the most direct effects through Kratom, even those with lower quantities can act in symbiosis with other alkaloids. More studies will need to be done to see if the alkaloids function with each other.
It will be very interesting to find out how much that is the case. In the case of CBD and cannabis products, it has been found that many chemical components of cannabis actually work together to have more profound effects on the body, sometimes called the entourage effect. Whether or not the same can be said about Kratom components is yet to be seen.

Studying Kratom Alkaloids
As you worked through the list of some of the 40+ alkaloids found in Kratom above, you likely noticed that many of the alkaloids have not been thoroughly researched.

Because the amounts of alkaloids in leaves vary so greatly, studying them individually needs to be done sooner rather than later. Alkaloid content in leaves varies based on geographic location, harvest time, technique, and much more.

If science makes it so that we have a better understanding of individual alkaloids and their effects on the body, we would be better able to diversify and understand different Kratom strains. We already know that the leaves’ strain color, for example, can possibly be linked to alkaloid content breakdown.

According to a study from the 1970s, the alkaloids found most frequently in one area were:
Mitragynine
Speciogynine
Speciociliatine
Paynantheine
Ajmalicine
C9 methoxy-oxindoles

When looking at other strains and other geographic locations, however, this breakdown varied tremendously. Many studies that did not analyze the alkaloid breakdown of Kratom may not equally apply to all strains, and that is a problem.

As we move forward with Kratom studies, we know how important it will be for individual alkaloids to be analyzed. There is a diverse world of alkaloids in the leaves of Kratom, and there may be great benefits hidden in those alkaloids.

Looking Forward With Kratom Alkaloids
While mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine remain the most prominent and well-studied components of Kratom, there are many other alkaloids that may provide some real benefits. As we move forward, we can expect to see more research done about those components. Not only will they be useful in Kratom as a whole, natural substances, but those alkaloids could be developed into additional substances as well.

Only time and additional research will be able to show the true potential of Kratom alkaloids!

Kraken Kratom is a premier online vendor of high-quality Kratom products. They offer a wide variety of the most popular Kratom strains including Bali, Maeng Da, Gold Reserve, and others.

In a time when natural alternatives such as cannabis are gaining mainstream popularity, more and more people are becoming curious about similar options. This is why kratom is slowly being looked into by cannabis consumers and even those who are simply into such options. At this time, there is not a lot of kratom education sites out there, so getting accurate information on kratom is not always easy.

Don’t get us wrong, though. Many people use kratom even before the legislative progress achieved by the cannabis community. In fact, it has been easy to purchase kratom through the internet.

What makes this plant a popular pick, you ask? The simple answer is this: its alkaloids. There are 28 alkaloids found by researchers in this plant. Each strain has a particular degree of alkaloid content that can affect its properties. If you are looking for the one that has the most alkaloids, here’s what you need to know:

Common Alkaloids Contained by Kratom

• Mitragynine

Mitragynine is one of the most common chemical compound abundant in many strains. In fact, the plant is known to have a more than 60% concentration of this substance. It is an indole that can act as an analgesic, antitussive, antimalarial and antidiarrheal. It is also being observed as a possible psychedelic antagonist.

Because it is the most major component of the plant, many believe that it is compound largely responsible for the plant’s medicinal effects.

• 7-hydroxymitraginine

This compound is considered a great analgesic and potential mu-opioid agonist. It also offers antitussive and antidiarrheal properties. Like mitragynine, it is thought to be one of the chemicals that give kratom its medicinal potentials.

Oddly enough, these are relatively rare as it composes only around 2% of the alkaloids in a lead, with some even have undetectable amounts. Despite this, it is highly potent. It is ruled as the psychoactive compound in the plant.

• Paynantheine

This compound is known as the second most abundant content in the plant, occupying around 6.6% to 7%. It is a muscle relaxer. However, more research about this alkaloid is needed to fully understand its capabilities.

• Rhynchophylline

Another notable content of the plant is rhynchophylline, which is known to reduce fever, regular heartbeat and anti-inflammatory. Studies show that it is a non-competitive NMDA antagonist. Some even found that it can have effects on dopamine and the 5-HT receptors. However, leaves only have less than 1% of this.

• Ajmalicine (Raubasine)

This muscle relaxer and a sedative are known for its hypotensive effects. This means that it can cause low blood pressure. However, it is present in leaves in extremely small amounts, even lower than rhynchophylline.

So, What Kratom Strain Has the Most Alkaloids?

The thing about the alkaloid content of kratom strains that most of them are present in different varieties but they come in various amounts. This is why some alkaloids’ effects are more apparent when consumed compared to others. So, if you are looking for a type that can best address your concern, make sure to find one that is known to have such effects.

For example, if you are looking for energizing effects such as those offered by mitragynine, then you should look into getting the Bali strain. The same goes if you need pain-relieving, relaxing or stimulating effects. There are lots of strain to consider, which means that you should find out how each type can affect you to make sure that you get the desired outcome.

The Bottom Line

Seeing that there is a wide variety of kratom that offers different effects, the best kratom strain is one that caters to the effects you want to attain. This way, you can regulate your expectations and achieve the results that you are looking for.