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Kratom users in Thailand choose to chew fresh
Mitragyna speciosa leaves once they've removed the central vein. Outside of
Southeast Asia, kratom users sometimes choose to chew the leaves as well, though
the drying process makes for a more bitter taste, and a much tougher, less
pleasurable texture.
As such, kratom users in other parts of the
world have become somewhat creative with their method of ingestion. Some will
mix powdered extract with boiled water, as tea, or with fruit juice or another
sweet substance, such as apple sauce. The sweetness masks the taste of the
powder, making it easier for the kratom user to swallow.
Or, as an alternative, small pellets of kratom
resin can be swallowed whole, thereby eschewing the challenge of bitter taste.
In addition, some kratom users prefer to smoke the powder, though we must be
absolutely clear that we do not endorse either this practice, or any consumption
of the kratom products you find on the internet.
Reports of long-term effects on regular kratom users are contradictory and
largely unsubstantiated. Like most substances with a pleasurable effect, kratom
is potentially habit-forming (though nobody has yet determined whether this
potential habitual risk is physical or psychological in nature). Those who use
it continuously run the risk of experiencing some level of withdrawal should
they cease usage, but this "withdrawal" is far less than the withdrawal symptoms
associated with psychoactive substances such as coffee, which, after just a few
uses, can cause severe headaches.
There are reports out of Southeast Asia from
Ethnological research that point toward the development of slight skin
discoloration among long-time users, though no documentation of this report
exists. Since no formal long-term studies have been conducted, either among
Southeast Asians who chew the leaves, or among those who use kratom extract
incense, any claims to negative side effects are without clinical support.
Specific to Mitragyna speciosa
(Kratom):
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