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Kratom is a tree in the coffee family native to Southeast Asia, known as Mitragyna speciosa. It is developed in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The leaves are dried and used to make tea or in capsules sold as a dietary supplement. You can find kratom leaves, powders, and capsules at health food stores, e-cigarette shops, and online speciality stores. Typical uses of kratom for relaxation and sleep include pain relief, depression, and opium addiction. Two of the active compounds found in kratom, mitragynine and 7-hydroxy mitragynine, affect opium receptors but have fewer side effects.
Uses of Kratom:
Kratom has been used as a home remedy in Southeast Asia for hundreds of years. Traditionally, kratom has been used to treat:
- Fatigue
- Pain
- Diarrhea
- Muscle cramps
While modern science supports these and other traditional medical claims to some extent, much more research is needed.
Benefits of Kratom:
There is very little research on the health effects of kratom. To date, kratom is not safe or effective for any use. Below are some of the health benefits that are being studied:
Kratom for Mood Enhancement:
Kratom may have mood-enhancing effects. Some statements indicate that kratom may be an adequate treatment for opioid dependence. Some people use kratom to help relieve morphine and ethanol withdrawal symptoms. Early studies have shown that kratom may have the potential as an antidepressant and appetite suppressant. In one animal study, researchers found that kratom reduced corticosteroid levels in mice. Elevated corticosteroid levels are just one of the brain chemical changes seen in depression.
In another mouse study, kratom supplementation reduced hunger by suppressing the hypothalamus, the part of the brain responsible for appetite and cravings. More human studies are needed to see if kratom has the same effect.
Does Kratom Help You Sleep?
Like many other substances, taking kratom to sleep is a controversial and complex topic. Kratom has been proposed as a way to help people with sleep problems, with many citing its relaxing and sedative effects as evidence. But is this true? Is it safe? Among its numerous side effects, kratom is understood to break sleep, exiting people untrained to fall sleeping and feeling relaxed after resting. The kratom can also affect sleep by preventing it! Insomnia, in particular, is a common withdrawal symptom of kratom, which occurs in people who are addicted to the drug. Although research on kratom for relaxation and sleep is limited, a recent case-control study found that 46% of 170 regular kratom users involved in the study had trouble sleeping during or after discontinuation.
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