Even though we are in the midst of an opioid crisis in this country, the government continues it’s pursuit against any natural alternative for opioid and related medications.
One such solution that has become popular in some areas of the country is Kratom. Kratom has become the runner-up to cannabis when it comes to natural plant solutions for pain and other psychological issues such as anxiety, depression, moods disorders, and other related problems.
Those not familiar with Kratom, it is a plant that grows in Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Borneo, an Indonesia and has been used for well over a century. For what can only be seen as political reasons, the FDA since 2016 has been trying classify Kratom as a drug in the opioid family.
Once again the FDA is trying to generate fear regarding Kratom’s safety in an attempt to make it illegal. While Kratom may have some abuse potential, it is far safer than any medication that can be prescribed and thousands depend on it to help live a normal life and not be stuck on dangerous medications.
In this new article from Dr. Mercola, he talks about Kratom and this recent attempt by the government to kill kratom in this country:
“Federal Agency Kills KratomBy Dr. Mercola
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is continuing its crusade to take down kratom (Mitragyna speciosa), a plant in the coffee family that’s earned the reputation for being an alternative to opioids. Native to tropical Southeast Asia, people in the area have used kratom leaves as an herbal remedy for centuries not only to relieve pain but also to increase energy and enhance well-being.
According to the American Kratom Association (AKA), a grassroots advocacy organization that is trying to keep kratom legal, kratom is not a drug, an opiate or a synthetic substance. In fact, they state it’s more like coffee and tea than any other substances. That said, kratom binds to some of the same opioid receptor sites as opioid drugs, which may be why many people find it so effective.
“Chocolate, coffee, exercise and even human breast milk hit these receptor sites in a similar fashion,” AKA notes.1 The FDA, however, in their latest statement against this age-old plant, is using this fact to “underscore its potential for abuse” and otherwise warn people to stop taking the remedy.2
FDA Says Scientific Analysis Provides ‘Even Stronger Evidence’ Against Kratom
In November 2017, the FDA issued a public health advisory regarding risks associated with kratom use, suggesting that its usage could “expand the opioid epidemic.” The FDA claimed at the time that calls to U.S. poison control centers regarding kratom increased tenfold from 2010 to 2015 and said 36 deaths were associated with the use of kratom-containing products.3
They also cited “serious side effects” like seizures, liver damage and withdrawal symptoms associated with its use although, as the Huffington Post noted, “[T]hese potentially deadly symptoms don’t appear in any sort of discernible pattern in the cases the FDA cites, and they’re not well-documented elsewhere.”4 In February 2018, the FDA’s latest warning was released, this time with supposedly “even stronger evidence” of kratom’s potential for abuse.
The agency tested kratom using its Public Health Assessment via Structural Evaluation (PHASE) methodology, a 3-D computer program normally reserved for evaluating the abuse potential of newly identified street drugs. The technology looks at how a substance is structured at a molecular level, how it might behave inside your body and how it may affect your brain.
When testing kratom, the FDA analyzed the 25 most prevalent compounds in the plant, concluding “all of the compounds share the most structural similarities with controlled opioid analgesics, such as morphine derivatives.” They then moved on to determine the plant’s potential targets in the body, predicting that 22 of the 25 compounds bind to mu-opioid receptors and two of the top five most prevalent compounds in kratom activate opioid receptors.
“The new data provides even stronger evidence of kratom compounds’ opioid properties,” the FDA said, noting that some of the compounds may bind to receptors in the brain that impact neurologic and cardiovascular function, which they said could contribute to side effects like seizures and respiratory depression.
In addition, the agency said kratom binds strongly to mu-opioid receptors, “comparable to scheduled opioid drugs.” Taken together, the FDA then decided that kratom should be deemed a drug: “Based on the scientific information in the literature and further supported by our computational modeling and the reports of its adverse effects in humans, we feel confident in calling compounds found in kratom, opioids.”5
Yet, as kratom researcher Andrew Kruegel, a Columbia University chemist, told the Huffington Post, “They don’t have to do this to claim that kratom is an opioid, because it is … But the question is whether it’s an atypical opioid, which is my preferred terminology. Does it have a better side effect profile than the classical opioid drugs like morphine that we use every day? That’s the key question here.”6
Kratom Has Mild Risks Compared to Opioids
In August 2016, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a notice saying it was planning to ban kratom, listing it as a Schedule 1 controlled substance. Massive outrage from kratom users who say opioids are their only alternative followed, including a petition with over 140,000 signatures against it, so the agency reversed its decision.
But the FDA’s latest warning seems to be a clear push to make kratom illegal in the U.S. after all. It’s a sad fact that more than 91 Americans fatally overdose on opioids every day,7 and of the more than 33,000 Americans killed by opioids in 2015, nearly half of them involved a prescription for the drugs.8 Yet, the FDA allows opioids to be dispensed with abandon while now singling out kratom, which many believe to be a safer alternative for those struggling with chronic pain or even opioid addiction.
AKA points out that kratom’s risk profile appears far safer than that of opioids or even other pain relievers like acetaminophen. In November 2016, AKA also released a report by Jack Henningfield, Ph.D., vice president of research, health policy and abuse liability at PinneyAssociates, concluding that there is “insufficient evidence” for the DEA to ban or restrict kratom under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
The report, which includes more than 50 pages of testimonies from responsible kratom users, analyzed the eight factors of the CSA, concluding the DEA had no grounds for CSA scheduling of kratom, let alone a ban:
“Based on all lines of evidence considered in the 8-factor analysis, kratom’s potential for abuse, tolerance, and dependence is lower than that of many schedule IV and V drugs and is well within the range of many nonscheduled drugs and substances (e.g., caffeine, nasal nicotine spray, fluoxetine, bupropion, dextromethorphan).
Although kratom and its primary alkaloids MG and 7-OH-MG share certain characteristics with controlled substances, as do many nonscheduled substances, there does not appear to be a public health risk that would warrant control of kratom products or their alkaloids under the CSA.”9
In fact, AKA noted that according to Henningfield’s analysis, “[K]ratom’s potential for abuse and dependence is no greater than such widely used and unscheduled substances as “nutmeg, hops, St. John’s Wort, chamomile, guarana and kola nut.””
Many cases cited by the FDA regarding kratom related deaths seem to be manufactured attempts at proving it’s danger. But, if you look at these cases, they are very obviously attributed to fake news as well as companies that sell fake kratom with other harmful ingredients.
You can find out more information on these supposed kratom related death, as well as the possible ties of the FDA official’s to the pharmaceutical industry, as well as some common sense information on taking kratom in a responsible manner over on the post at articles.mercola.com.
Photo By TERAHispano