Kratom's Origin - A Brief History

By Author: Betsy Young
Total Articles: 24
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Kratom, which is also known by the scientific name of “mitragyna speciosa”, has an interesting history. Aside from its powerful capabilities and cryptic healing properties, it has also an odd story to tell. Let us talk about the brief history of kratom.

Kratom is a tree that is mostly found growing in the South East Asian Countries, such as Thailand, Myanmar and Indonesia. The first person to have documented kratom was Pieter Willem Korthals, which was a Dutch colonial botanist. He is the one that gave the scientific name “mitragyna speciosa” to kratom because their leaf looks like a bishop’s miter.

It was primarily used as a stimulant by the native Thai field workers to increase their capability to do heavy work without easily getting tired. They also use it as a recreational tea, to rejuvenate their lost energy after an exhausting day at the work field.

Before the entrance of the 1930s, kratom was solely used by the Thai natives as a recreational herb. With the introduction of opium by the Chinese to the majority of Asia, many people began to get addicted to the plant. The Thai government saw ...
... it as a huge potential for income so they levied heavy taxes on it. With this, the price of opium greatly increased, and people looked for an alternative to support their opiate withdrawal symptoms, and that’s where kratom began to get attention.

With the increasing popularity of kratom and its abundance in Thailand, the opium trade began to fall harshly. Unfortunately, the Thai government faces the East Asian war and they badly need funds to support their fleet. With the fall of opium trade, the Thai economy was greatly affected. Therefore, they have no choice but to make kratom, its possession, selling, buying, harvesting and using a severe crime. Worst, they even ordered the elimination of all kratom trees in the premises of Thailand. However, because kratom was a native tree in Thailand, they cannot force the elimination of the tree. So they put it under category 5 of dangerous drugs instead and anyone caught possessing it will face severe criminal penalties.

With the rise of the internet in 1990s, kratom began to gain attention to the global audience. Its ability to eliminate extreme pain and treat addiction became so popular. However, until today, kratom remains illegal in Thailand, but not in its neighboring countries, which are the main source of today’s kratom internationally.

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