WHAT IS KRATOM?

Mitragyna speciosa is an evergreen tree in the genus Mitragyna that can grow to a height of 25 m.
Its trunk may grow to a 0.9 m (3 ft) diameter. The trunk is generally straight, and the outer bark is smooth and grey.
The leaves are dark green and glossy and can grow to over 14–20 cm (5.5–7.9 in) long and 7–12 cm (2.8–4.7 in) wide
when fully open, are ovate-acuminate in shape, and opposite in growth pattern, with 12–17 pairs of veins.
The flowers, which are deep yellow, grow in clusters of three at the ends of the branches.
The calyx-tube is 2 mm (0.08 in) long and has five lobes; the corolla-tube is 2.5–3 millimetres (0.098–0.12 in) long.

Mitragyna speciosa is indigenous to Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Papua New Guinea.
It was first formally described by the Dutch colonial botanist Pieter Korthals in 1839, who named it Stephegyne speciosa;
it was renamed and reclassified several times before George Darby Haviland provided the final name and classification in 1859.

Kratom is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia. Consumption
of its leaves produces both stimulant effects (in low doses) and
sedative effects (in high doses), and can lead to psychotic symptoms,
and psychological and physiological dependence. Kratom leaves
contain two major psychoactive ingredients (mitragynine and
7-hydroxymytragynine). These leaves are crushed and then smoked,
brewed with tea, or placed into gel capsules. Kratom has a long history
of use in Southeast Asia, where it is commonly known as thang,
kakuam, thom, ketum, and biak. In the U.S., the abuse of kratom has
increased markedly in recent years.