Kratom: Natural painkiller or addictive drug?

Kratom is banned in six states. The Drug Enforcement Administration says there is "no legitimate medical use in the U.S." There are concerns that it could be addictive and have other risks that aren't well-known.

But the opioid-like substance is still sought out by users to boost energy and manage pain.

Native to Southeast Asia, the kratom tree's leaves have been used for centuries as an herbal drug by laborers and farmers. Today, kratom leaves are ground into pills and powders, and sold as a dietary supplement. It can be found in head shops and online. It's even made into drinks in some bars. But, because it is classified as a supplement, it is very loosely regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.

When taken at low dosages, kratom can act like a stimulant, heightening alertness. At higher doses, kratom is a sedative, producing opioid-like effects that dull pain.

It has this effect because mitragynine -- the active ingredient in kratom -- binds to the opioid receptors in our body, said Dr. Ed Boyer, a professor of emergency medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, who has done a handful of studies on the substance. It's several times more potent than morphine, Boyer said, and "dulls pain very well. ... You can have very, very good analgesia."

But unlike opioid drugs such as hydrocodone or heroin, kratom doesn't appear to slow breathing, Boyer said.

An alternative for pain relief

A growing number of people in the United States are turning to kratom for its pain-relieving quality. One of them is Leonard Rodda, who owns a store in Atlanta that sells the herb. He began using the supplement about two years ago, after having side effects from the narcotics he was prescribed after a car accident.

"Before I changed over to kratom, my life was almost suicidal. I couldn't drive. I was sleeping all the time. If I went to a movie, I was asleep within a little while. It wasn't a way to live. I've always been active. I always worked out," Rodda said.

"When I started taking kratom, I noticed some of my old self come back: work out in the yard, ride a bike, you know, that kind of thing. Quality of life is a big thing, and I think kratom has been great for me."

Rodda takes two doses of kratom in the morning and says his pain has disappeared and his life has completely changed. He says that many of his kratom customers are like him: middle-aged or older, looking for pain relief.

"It does give you a little euphoria," Rodda said. "Sometimes, it makes you concentrate better. There are some strains that give you a little lift."

Online, there are instructions and testimonials about how to use kratom to withdraw from opioid addiction. It's an increasingly popular use for the supplement, Boyer said.

"One of the benefits of it is, it treats opioid withdrawal, helps individuals with problematic opioid use, eliminates some of the stigmas," he said.

Typical treatments for opioid addiction, such as methadone and buprenorphine, often require frequent visits to doctors and counselors and dealing with insurance. But kratom does not. You simply can buy it online or at a store.

But Boyer pointed out that the "quick fix" that kratom can appear to be is not a solution for opioid addiction.

"Providing something that you can just walk into a head shop and purchase ... you eliminate getting true professional help," he said.

And there is the risk of becoming addicted to kratom, Boyer said.

According to the DEA (PDF), long-term withdrawal symptoms from kratom can include hostility, aggression, emotional changes, runny nose, achy muscles and bones, and jerky movement of the limbs. In some cases, users may experience hallucinations and delusions. However, this is based on a 1975 Thai study of kratom users, some of whom also had a history of opium or heroin use.

Overall, the effects of the plant aren't well understood. There have been a handful of reports of seizures related to kratom use. "It appears in certain individuals ... but it's clearly an uncommon event; otherwise, you would find a lot of reports of it. That's not being seen. It's very sporadic," Boyer said.

And while there have been several deaths related to kratom use, in all those cases, other drugs were also involved.

In addition, because of the loose regulation of kratom, it's hard to determine whether the supplement may have other additives that might contribute to its toxicity. As one study cautioned, "the protean blends of herbal products, and potential for contamination with synthetic chemicals, make the risk for opioid-related death a real and unpredictable possibility."

According to the American Kratom Organization, six states have banned the supplement: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Tennessee, Vermont and Wisconsin. New York has introduced legislation to ban it.

In addition, in 2014, the FDA issued an import alert that allowed U.S. customs agents to detain kratom without a physical examination. "We have identified kratom as a botanical substance that could pose a risk to public health and have the potential for abuse," said Melinda Plaisier, the FDA's associate commissioner for regulatory affairs.

Though kratom is not scheduled under the federal controlled substances act, the DEA considers it a "drug of concern" and says there is "no legitimate medical use for kratom in the U.S." (PDF)

But Boyer says there simply isn't enough known to draw any real conclusions about the drug.

"So, are they banning a substance that has potential clinical utility? Possibly. Are they banning a substance that has profound risk to people? Possibly. I think what I would prefer is to see somebody not ban it but at least do some research to see how bad the risk is or how good the benefit is."