Kratom and the MJ Plant

[boomer2]

Here is an image of me with a Kratom tree in southern Thailand.



A  tall tree. Could be at least fifty fity or more. Not sure.



A closeup of the top of a tall ttree.



A leaf of Kratom with a ruler to show size.



A picture of the leaves and seeds of kratom



Amd finally some leaves which are drying



And now for a treeat, an unedited version of my article, co-authored by Muraco, Ph.D. and which appeared in an edited version in the summer issue of Heads Magazine, partially posted here in another forum.

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Kratom

By
John W. Allen and Muraco Kyashna-Toch
For more than 25 years, I have traveled thousands of miles to the exotic island of Koh Samui, Thailand; a tropical paradise located approximately 710 km south of Bangkok and 105 km off of the southern coast of the Thai mainland in the Gulf of Thailand. It is one of the three main islands in an archipelago comprising 60-80 islands, most of which are relatively small in aerial size and uninhabited. Koh Samui has a human population of about 45,000. and is the second largest island in Thailand  . Mountainous terrain of limestone and granite covers most of Koh Samui, with a maximum elevation of 636 m. Dense vegetation and numerous streams are common. And there are two beautiful waterfalls (Hin Lad and Na Mueng) located off the main road, which encircles the entire island and has many side roads leading into the interior.   It was here that I was first able to partake in the sanctity and freedom of consuming magic mushroom omelettes and smoothies without the fear of police intervention.
The more important economic activities on Koh Samui include tourism, fishing, rice cultivation, and extensive copra production. Coconut palms blanket much of the interior from the hillocks right down to the beaches (approximately 2 million coconuts are shipped each month to Bangkok). The fruits of durian, also called thurian. rambutan, langsat or lansa, and lamyai or longai are also cultivated on Koh Samui.  Bananas are also quite common on the island.
Temperatures on Koh Samui and Koh Pha-ngan range from 25 to 34C. and the psychoactive fungi  (‘gold caps’ and ‘blue meanies’) which I so diligently sought, appear in abundance during the rainy (monsoon) season which occurs between July and October.
During this 20 years of traveling to the far east, I learned of many other plants available on the island which brought about a great state of alter consciousness and those are the plants of which are of interest to me. They include Betel nut (see perspective image), Baby Hawaiian Woodrose Seeds (see perspective image) opium, imported from the north, Ganja and Kratom or Thom as the locals commonly refer it to.
Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa), is a beautiful tree indigenous to Thailand which can be found growing in the rain forests of the central and southern regions of the country, and are the trees are aborescent, often reaching heights of from 60-100 feet with a wing-spread of more than 15 feet wide, while the stems appear erect and branching with beautiful yellow flowers with brilliant glossy green leaves. The genus was named Mitragyna because its stigmas resembled the shape of a bishop's mitre.
Mitragyna species are used medicinally as well as for their fine timber through the areas they grow.

It has been reported in the scientific literature that there are at least 25 known alkaloids that have now been extracted and isolated from kratom. The most common and abundant of the alkaloids found in the kratom plant are three indoles, mitragynine, paynanthine, and speciogynine. The plant also is known to contain alkaloids (corynanthedine) found in Yohimbe bark to which the plant is slightly related. However, as a whole, the alkaloids in kratom appear more closely related to tryptamine-based alkaloids such as psilocine/psilocybine.

Alkaloid content extracted from the leaves of kratom show an indole content of about 0.5%, half of which is mitragynine. An average leaf weighs about 1.7 grams fresh or 0.43 grams dried. Twenty leaves contain approximately 17mg of mitragynine.

The primary method of ingestion is to chew fresh leaves of the kratom plant, also known as thom, ithang and kakuam.  The former epithet thom is used more in the southern region of Thailand towards the Malaysian border.
Chewing the fresh leaves of the plant is the preferred method of ingestion in Thailand and most users prefer to chew the fresh leaves and say it is the best method for extracting the alkaloids into their systems.  Other methods of ingestion include grinding up and eating fresh, dried, or reconstituted dried leaves. Some villagers use the leaves in cooking and often add salt to try and prevent constipation. Drinking fresh warm water usually follows consumption of the leaf and coffee has been mentioned as a substitute for water to bring on the onset of the effects in a faster mode.  Sometimes the leaves are dried, powdered and smoked or consumed in a cup of a tea.   When chewed fresh, the large center vein of the leaf is removed before chewing and discarded by users.

The use of kratom by the Thai peoples can be traced to use among primitive Thai’s, of which the origin of such early use has never been determined, while such use has been reported from nearby Kuala Lumphur in Malaysia. The wide-spread use of this plant with it narcotic-like actions appear to be similar in effect to opium while at the same time it appears to have stimulating properties similar to cocaine, but is less addicting both physically as well as psychologically.  Local Thais use it to cope with the long hours of daily work and stress.  In addition to its use as a narcotic drug by Thais, it is often used as a substitute for opium when such opium is not available during the spring, summer and fall months.
Currently, kratom has very few medicinal uses, although It is sometimes used in Thailand as a folk medicine to treat diarrhea and to prolong sexual intercourse, and can be used as such in combination with ganja (Cannabis).  In Malaysia, it is used in heroin and opium withdrawal programs for addicts because it is considered less addicting than methadone, which some believe is the most addicting drug in the world
Users of kratom tend to be peasants, laborers, and farmers who use the plant to overcome the burdens of their hard work and meager existences. Female users are apparently quite rare.  It appears that Males prefer the leaves of kratom and females prefer to chew betel nut, which is common in Thailand
“In certain regions of southern Thailand, from the south of Surat Thani province to the border of Malaysia, village elders and parents of young brides, often arrange marriage of their daughters to males who chew kratom and avoid males who use ganja. Parents believe that kratom users are hard working, while marijuana users are lazy. This belief is also compounded by the fact that male workers say that the daily use of kratom gives them a strong desire to do work.”

The use, possession and sales or planting of trees was made illegal by the Kratom act of 1943.  Reports indicate that the Thai military often eradicate the trees by burning them down when found. However, the law was found to be not effective, since the tree is indigenous to the country.
In Thailand, kratom is classified along with heroin and cocaine, carrying the same strict penalties. In fact, one ounce of extract is punishable by death.  However, I have seen leaves sold in public on the street in many resort areas of Thailand along the gulf of Thailand and on the Andaman Sea side of Thailand.  And it is quite available.  There is even an eighty foot high tree on the campus of a major university in Bangkok, but when I asked about the plant at the Botany Department of that particular university, I got a cold shoulder from the tenured staff of the plant lab.

Effects of the kratom plant appear to be similar to the euphoric physical effects of opium and the other opiate related derivatives such as morphine, heroin and codeine.  While at the same time, the plant appears to have the stimulating effects of cocaine, which allows the person under its influence to stay awake and work for hours on end.

Some of the lesser effects of the kratom leaf include a reduction in smooth muscle tone, local anesthesia, and central nervous system depression. Acute side effects include dry mouth, increased urination, loss of appetite, and constipation coupled with small, blackish stools. Kratom also causes no nausea or vomiting as with opiate withdrawals, but heavy use can cause severe drowsiness and prol0onged moments of sleep.

Side effects from long-term use may include some signs of anorexia with definite weight loss, insomnia, and ones skin tends to appear darker with prolonged use of the plant, particularly on the cheeks, giving an appearance similar to a hepatic face.

Effects come on within 5-10 after use, often lasting for several hours.  Users often tend to describe their selves as happy, strong, and active, and say that they have a strong desire to do work. And during this work period, they say their minds are calm during their early inebriation.

In 1987, it was reported in the literature that the leaves of kratom might be a cure for opium addiction. In more recent times, as noted above, the leaves are used in Malaysia for opium addiction and published reports indicate it is also used for methadone addiction detox in New Zealand.
 
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.
There appears that while much research is conducted into the pathology of the plant and its active constituents, little research is given to its potential as a substitute for methadone in Heroin maintenance programs.  However, the use of Mitragyna speciosa as an opium substitute as well as a treatment for opium addiction has been reported since the early 19th century and the leaves of kratom are sometimes used in combination with Betel
And as I mentioned above, kratom has been used throughout Thai history dating back to before the first century, while at the same time, Western science has practically totally ignored its existence. What research does exist contains conflicting reports and knowledge of the plant's existence outside of Thailand and such research has been limited to ethnobotanists and a handful of pharmacology researchers. The availability of live plants and dried leaves has been practically non-existent until very recently during the last five years, dozens of internet vendors are now offering the leaves, seeds, cuttings and extracts of this plant world-wide.

My personal experience with kratom begins in the early 1990s when a visiting professor from the University of Auckland in New Zealand presented me with a few dried grams of the leaves.  I attempted to smoke the somewhat old shredded leaves but to no avail did I notice any activity of the plants alleged properties.
In the year 2004, I was collecting specimens of both Psilocybe cubensis Copelandia cyanescens for a university in Bangkok when a friend of mine, Mr. Boon (see images), came to assist me in my endeavor by showing me where they were hiding.

I had first met this elderly and very pleasantly friendly Samui cattle tender a few years before while picking blue meanies at the buffalo arena in Na Muang near his home.  He came from out of nowhere towards me with a long machete in his hand, beckoning to me to follow him and with his machete cutting away the tall grasses, he showed me where there where many cubes hiding in such grasses previously overlaid with heaps of buffalo dung a month or so before.

On this particular day I was escorting a middle-aged shroomer from Taipei who joined my shroom foray on Samui a few days before.

We were taking shade in a lean to when an elderly lady came over and sat down with us and a few other Chao Samui (Samui folk).  Her lips were a reddish-black color, indicating to me that she was chewing betel nut.  The Boon came over to us and offered us each a leaf of kratom.  I noticed that the other two men had pulled the main vein form the leaf, folded the leaf up and stuck it into his gums and tightly closed his mouth.  So did my traveling companion and I.

Within five minutes I felt a slight numbness in my mouth along the gums. And I felt a kinda warm glow embrace the aura of my body.  I begin to talk rapidly to my friend since no one else there spoke English.  Within a few more minutes of chewing I noticed that the others soon begin to spit out their leaves, so I did the same.  Then the woman on betel nut reached over towards me, offering me the community bowl of water to rinse my mouth out.  Although I had a somewhat bitter taste in my mouth, I could not stop talking. It felt as if I had just drank a couple quarts of chocolate milk.

I kinda laughed out load and said, “God do I feel good.”

The next thing I knew was I could hear an uproar of noise emanating from a group of frantic chickens and roosters cackling around the area.  Mr. Book took a machete to a fallen coconut and the instance the blade cracked the coconut and the milk began to seep out, about a dozen or more chickens and roosters flocked to the coconut in a mad frenzy to get some of the coconut meat.  That was an awesome act of nature. I had no idea about this relationship between fowls and coconuts.  They were like cats playing and getting off with catnip. The coconuts drove them mad with a desire to not let the other chickens and roosters get in front of them in their quest to taste the milk and meat of the coconut fruit.

Thus I enjoyed my first real high on kratom.  Later, my traveling companion ask me how come I could not stop talking and he said I needed to ‘time out.’

Research of this plant is from personal observation and the scientific published papers of Karl L. R. Jansen, Murple and data from http://www.erowid.org website.

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Sorry but this is missing the photo images of the actual article.  Maybe someoen can post the imags here in this thread from the magazine.

One more thing.  The above was a first draft of the article and not the completed one which was sent to the magazine. They also re-edited my paper to so uit their reading audience.

have a shroomy day,  boomer2

[Avery L. Breath]

Thats some fine work John.

Thanks for the preview of your article.  A rare treat.

[OBODAOUR]

Superb ... your article inspires me! Sounds like your journeys are unforgettable! I must aquire a kratom treelet. Thanks for the great post!!!

Peace & Blessings
OBODAOUR

[boomer2]

Hi,

I have a lot more cool photos of the Kratom trees from several areas of Thailand.  I can post more but u not until i return form Thailand.

I will be out of touch maybe for 6 weeks at least until mid October.

heading to Angkor Wat, Thailand and maybe Bali.

have a shroomy ay,

AS I noted elsewhere. Later I will do a pictorial on local Thai tobaccom.  Similar to Bugller.  Not sure about the spelling of that laster one.

boomer2

[Stonehenge]

Kratom is an interesting plant. I have 2 trees about 4' tall in 15 gallon pots. Kratom likes lots of water and frequent fertilizing. If you grow one, it has to come in during the cold months. It can do fine by a window. It can't take freezing at all and even under 40f makes the leaves turn red. It's fairly fast growing and produces and drops a lot of leaves. These are the things I noticed while growing it. I never got into using the leaves, I just grow it.

[rhodopsin]

...

[boomer2]

The otaining of seeds is kinda hard because of the weather comditions. One needs to know when the plant is in heat to produce the seeds for propagation.

Each tree is planted at different times and like the shrooms grow, the trees probably have different seasons of their producing seeds.

The last ones I brought home were no good.

I will see if I can get some but I need a translator at my friends to ask them about the seeds.

boomer.

Will look

[rhodopsin]

...

[Avery L. Breath]

With a little more experimentation with this stuff under my belt, I've found I really have no desire to try it anymore.  My body has firmly decided it doesn't like it.  Particularly with tobacco thrown in the mix.  That particular combo makes me break out in a clammy sweat all over and then hurl my guts out.