General

Teenager Attempts Suicide by Swallowing 45 Kratom Capsules

In a 2020 case report, a teenage girl intentionally overdosed on 45 kratom capsules (500mg each = 22.5 grams or 4/5 ounce). After suffering from severe depression, the 15 year old obtained the capsules from her father, and swallowed them in an attempted suicide. On exam, patient complained of dry mouth, dizziness, restlessness, palpitations, nausea, …

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Inteview with Pharmacokineticist and Kratom Researcher Dr. Abhisheak Sharma

For audio of this interview as well as studies cited here see Kratom Science Podcast #45 KratomScience: You have your background in pharmacokinetics. What made you interested in going into that field? Dr. Abhisheak Sharma: So basically I did my PhD in 2015 and I moved to the States to do my post-doctoral studies with …

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Study: 7-hydroxymitragynine Metabolizes into the More Potent ‘Mitragynine Pseudoindoxyl’ in Human Plasma

A study out of University of Florida published in the journal ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science found that the potency of powder kratom may be due not only to the increased level of 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-HMG), but the way the 7-HMG metabolizes in human plasma (Kamble 2020). Fresh kratom consumed traditionally in Southeast Asia has been …

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Levels of Kratom Alkaloid Mitragynine Were Likely Overestimated in Autopsies

A research article in the journal Drug Testing and Analysis uncovered a flaw in previous examinations of kratom’s main alkaloid, mitragynine. The study, lead by University of Florida pharmacutics researcher Dr. Abisheak Sharma, stated: There is a possibility that earlier reported studies did not separate the four mitragynine diastereomers, resulting in over‐quantification of mitragynine in …

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Interview with Dr. Walter Prozialeck, Biomedical Educator and Kratom Researcher

Listen to this interview on Kratom Science Podcast #44 KratomScience: How do you pronounce your last name? Dr. Walter Prozialeck: Proh-jell-eck. It’s an old Ukrainian word that means “really bad golfer”. KS: *laughs* But I see you are a really good rugby player, it says on your Wikipedia page. WP: Well I used to be. …

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Full Text of 2018 HHS Letter to DEA Rescinding Kratom Ban Recommendation

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESOffice of the SecretaryOffice of the Assistant Secretary for HealthWashington, D.C. 20201 AUG 16 2018 [stamped] The Honorable Uttam DhillonActing AdministratorDrug Enforcement AdministrationU.S. Department of Justice8701 Morrissette DriveSpringfield, VA 22152 Dear Mr. Dhillon: Pursuant to the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), 21 U.S.C. § 811, I am rescinding our prior recommendation …

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Federal Research on Kratom Granted for 2021

The United States House Committee on Appropriations has allocated the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) $500,000 towards kratom research for the year of 2021. The AHRQ was given a budget of $338,000,000 in total. “The Committee is aware of the potential promise of kratom-derived compounds for acute and chronic pain patients who seek safer …

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UF Researchers First to Grow Kratom for Published Study

In one of the first formal studies of its kind, if not the very first, a team from University of Florida cultivated 68 kratom trees and fertilized them at different rates, then measured for alkaloid content, chlorophyll, and total biomass. The study, “Effects of Nutrient Fertility on Growth and Alkaloidal Content in Mitragyna speciosa (Kratom)” …

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FDA Head Ranted About Kratom on Twitter a Day After HHS Quietly Withdrew Ban Recommendation

On August 16, 2018, Brett Giroir, Assistant Secretary of Health for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sent a letter to then Acting Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Uttam Dhillon, rescinding a previous HHS recommendation that kratom should be federally outlawed. Pursuant to the Controlled Substances Act…, I am rescinding our …

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