 Is Kratom tea safe? Well, you're gonna have to walk with me through a minefield of positive and negative testimonials in order to find out. More howdy! This is gonna be tricky. Here we go. I haven't even started. Hold off with the explosions. Very funny. It is most widely pronounced Kratom. But really, I think Kratom, ruler of the universe, would sound a little more impressive, wouldn't it? Kratom. Kratom. Clayton. Kratom is an evergreen tree in the coffee family from Southeast Asia. It goes by a variety of names, and it even comes in red, green, and white varietals. Traditionally, it was used by workers to increase their energy and for its pain relieving effects. Is it done yet? Both of which we're gonna go into more detail shortly, so stay tuned for that. Kratom leaves have over 40 active compounds. But the big daddies you really need to focus on are mitragining and hydroxy mitragining. And these are where the biggest booms or busts of Kratom tea originate. Now unlike most of my videos, I'm gonna start today with the bad news and work up to the good. Just because there are a lot of potentially explosive controversies, we have to walk around before we get to the benefits of Kratom tea. Is it safe? Yes, it's safe. It's very safe, so safe you wouldn't believe it. The FDA is being a little extra itchy about Kratom, mainly because it's been linked to 44 deaths as of 2018. And the CDC linked Kratom to 152 deaths between 2016 and 2017. However, the landmine that blows up this argument is that Kratom by itself was only linked to four of those deaths. And these were attributed to mitragining toxicity between 1999 and 2017. But in all of these deaths, there is nothing conclusive that says other factors weren't involved with these poor people shuffling off their mortal coil. He died? And this is supposed to be a kids movie. The DEA has listed Kratom as a drug of concern and various countries limit Kratom use and possession, which is something we probably should do a little better in the US and UK as well. But the US is being just a little bit psychobilly right now over Kratom. In 2016, the FDA wanted to jump straight to adding Kratom as a schedule one drug. Which is insane, because there still isn't any research that really says Kratom is truly lethal. Luckily, that landmine turned out to be a dud and the idea has been shelved for now. Hopefully, forever. Dr. Walter Prozilek disagrees with the FDA. The FDA has taken the position that since the compounds in Kratom combine to opioid receptors, Kratom is an opioid. But he also made the point that Narcan, which is used to treat opioid poisoning, does the same thing. But nobody calls Narcan an opioid. And from all the research I did, I gotta say I'm in agreement with those who say, Kratom shouldn't be considered a schedule one drug. That's just me. You can let me know in the comments down below if you agree or disagree. Does Kratom have lots of side effects? Yes. There is a monster list of side effects that I'm not gonna even read off. You'll just have to slow the video down or go back if you miss any. And no doubt this monster list is concerning. But research suggests that the bulk of these nasty side effects don't occur until you start heavier doses of more than 5 grams of Kratom at a time and or having at least 100 grams of Kratom per week. And while Kratom T can be used to ease people off more serious drugs, there have been side effects attributed to Kratom withdrawal as well, such as rage, hostility, or irritability. And once again, the list keeps going on and on, which is not good. Of these problems, the National Poison Data System says that the most common symptoms were agitation, rapid heartbeat, and drowsiness. The upside of Kratom T is that there are less reports of it having side effects compared to other forms of Kratom, though even with the T, there is research saying that if you have it over time, you can still have lots of these side effects. Sorry. And as you might expect, Kratom T doesn't play well with others. Many, if not all of the symptoms and problems that occur with Kratom, often occur when mixed with other drugs or prescriptions. So if you're taking anything else at all, you'll want to be especially careful when having Kratom T. But after all of this mayhem and landmines, the real problem here is regulation. Oh, Hayden Griffith said that it is the wild west out there when it comes to some types of Kratom and Kratom related products. Kratom is operated in a gray area of the law, and since there are no regulations for sellers of the drug, it's hard to tell which sellers of Kratom are reputable and which are not. So all those potential side effects, what am I, 14 in puberty? Well then should I just be avoiding Kratom T altogether? Many will, and that's perfectly okay. But there are also lots of people out there that say Kratom has helped them an immense amount. In fact, in 2016 alone, the FDA and DEA received over 20,000 testimonials from people saying that Kratom works just fine for them. In order to make the benefits work for you, you're gonna need to make sure you're using the right dose. As I briefly mentioned, anything over 5 grams is considered a strong dose. So especially if you're starting out, you're gonna want to aim for less than that. Generally between 1 to 5 grams is where Kratom acts as a stimulant. So if those are the properties you're looking for, awesome, you're in great shape. If you want the pain and anti-anxiety benefits, you're gonna need to look at the 5 to 15 gram per dose range. Keep in mind it is recommended not to go over 15 grams per serving. Definitely not recommended there. As over that is where people come into the more serious problems, like, you know, losing consciousness. So yeah, probably best if you can avoid that. Most people will notice the effects of Kratom between 5 to 10 minutes, with the effects normally lasting about 2 to 5 hours. And with that, we leave the minefield of- Damn. It's also worth noting that not all Kratom leaves are equal. That also important ingredient, Mitrogenine, tends to come in a much lower concentration in Malaysian Kratom compared to say Thai Kratom leaves. And now we're out of the minefield. I hope. While not all Kratom leaves are created equal, you can get pain relief from red, white, or green types of Kratom. Though some say the most effective varietal is the Bali or Red Kratom. Oh boy, let's see if we can do this. The biggest way that Kratom tea can help pain is via Hydroxymitrogenine. Hydroxymitrogenine. Why do they make these things so tough? Come on, Hydroxymitrogenine. See, I still can't say it, Mitrogenine. Sounds a lot easier. Why can't I call it Mitrogenine? Mitrogenine? I've heard it said like three different ways. It's via that alkaloid that I'm showing on the screen right now because I can't say the damn thing apparently. Which according to some research is 13 times more potent than morphine. In some research on rats, Mitrogenine was found to reduce pain. Though some other studies have affirmed that Mitrogenine alone wasn't enough. The other alkaloids and properties of Kratom were needed to get the full effect. Kratom can be effective for all types of pain, but it is thought to be most effective for neuropathic pains like cancer, MS, and arthritis. Out of the anecdotal evidence we have on it, there are people with various types of chronic pain that say that Kratom is the only thing they found that works for them. Kratom is also a great anti-inflammatory, as inflammation is the cause of many pains in your body. Well, you probably already knew that part, right? Yeah, I thought so. You're smart. And it's these two great compounds that are primarily responsible for this. They not only help with inflammation, but they're also great antivirals, anti-hypertensive, and can also help things from mutating into cancer. Innovation! Just a boy! Oh, great. I probably spoke too soon about being out of the minefield, didn't I? This techie subject does have lots of anecdotal success stories, though. There have also been some small studies that say regular use of Kratom can reduce withdrawal symptoms and the use of other drugs. True, the FDA and DEA aren't on board with this yet. They suggest that Kratom can be just as addictive. And to be fair, there have been some people who said they got addicted to Kratom. But so far, evidence does say that Kratom doesn't produce physical dependence and does decrease withdrawal symptoms. So it's believed that people dependent on Kratom are those predominantly predisposed to becoming addicted to substances. I'm just saying what I found through my research. If you've had another experience, please let me know in the comments down below. Many things claim to be good at boosting your sex drive. But Kratom tea might just top them all. According to a study in the Journal of Herbal Medicine, 99% 99% of the people who used Kratom to enhance sexual performance reported an enhanced libido and better sexual performance. Though in addition to this, Kratom is also supposed to enhance fertility. So if you don't want any younglings yet, then best to break out the protection when using Kratom. For sex. Kratom has also been shown to control insulin and glucose levels, helping it to prevent those sudden jumps in blood sugar levels. Kratom interacts with hypothalamus receptors that curb your appetite, especially for triggering foods like sugar and chocolate. Another popular use of Kratom is its ability to lower corticosterone levels, one of the big links to depression. It's also been shown to be a great relaxant, which helps with stress and anxiety levels. Not only does it help you relax, but it's also believed to release endorphins, which helps you feel happier and better able to deal with life's challenges. Kratom is supposed to be such a good energy booster that it's even recommended to help with chronic fatigue syndrome. The only caveat here is that lower doses of Kratom are supposed to help with energy, while slightly higher doses are supposed to help with mood and relaxation. It of course depends on your own individual body chemistry, but these are the results we know about so far. The alkaloids in Kratom help to release acetylcholine, to help clear the mind of those distracting thoughts like, I should probably take the trash out, and do I really need to sew that hole in my sock, or should I just ignore it until my toe pops out and I buy a new pair? Kratom tea is also great at helping you keep more alert and focused, which is why surveys have shown it's popular with college students trying to deal with those stressful things like midterm papers. There is even evidence that says Kratom tea can help with neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and dementia. One of the oldest uses of Kratom tea is actually for treating that unpleasant condition, diarrhea. For this and things like constipation, bloating, and cramps, Kratom tea is thought to be more effective than capsules. Granted, as I discussed earlier, Kratom tea can cause digestive problems at the wrong dosage. So I would definitely say this is one of the harder benefits to take advantage of, especially if you can't find your right dosage level. According to many users, the benefit of using Kratom tea over pills is that they tend to experience a faster onset of the desired effects. Also depending on the type of benefit you're looking for, Kratom tea can be better than other forms of Kratom. In general, people have found Kratom tea to be particularly effective when seeking the mood enhancing or stimulating benefits. In order to make Kratom tea, the first thing to talk about is dosage, which we already have talked about. Beyond that, there are two main things to be aware of. First, you'll want to steep it in water that is less than boiling. And second, much like poppy seed tea, it's a little bit bitter, little baby bitter. So you probably want to add something like some honey or lemon to help spruce it up a little bit. In actuality, adding a little acidic substance into the tea can help release and enhance some of the tea's effects. To learn about a very similar and controversial tea, watch this video next. Please be kind, take care of each other, and hopefully this video has given you a clear map to help guide you through that minefield of Kratom tea.