As holistic medicine becomes more & more popular in the U.S., new, natural substances are making waves. Things like Kava Kava tea that used to be almost unheard of are now found quite easily- but it can be hard to keep up! One product in particular, kratom, is quickly rising in popularity for a multitude of reasons.
But what is kratom? In this article, we’ll delve into this interesting plant & tell you all there is to know about it.
What is Kratom?
Kratom is a tree-like plant that grows in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia and Borneo, to name a few countries) and has been used there in traditional medicine for centuries. Kratom, aka Mitragyna speciosa, is a relative of the coffee plant. The leaves of kratom plants were traditionally chewed in order to feel their effects. Nowadays, kratom leaves are ground into a powder that is either kept as-is or is put into capsules for easy use. The powder or capsules are used for a variety of reasons, and the many potential benefits of kratom are why the plant has spread so quickly across the U.S. despite being almost completely unknown just years ago.