For a drug that has gained massive popularity around the world in the last few decades, detailed and comprehensive information on the exact way Kratom gets the user high is still lacking. The general question going around is what it’s like to actually be high on Kratom. To gain comprehensive knowledge of the question, it is imperative to understand what Kratom High is.
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Kratom is the common name of the botanical substance that is derived from the plant Mitragyna speciosa. This is an evergreen tree-like plant native to parts of South East Asia, Papua New Guinea, and certain parts of Africa. It also belongs to the same family of plants as coffee and gardenias. Although the use of this plant dates back more than a thousand years, it was only able to gain popularity in the recent few years.
Traditionally, people in Thailand and Malaysia did not use Kratom for the purpose of getting high. Kratom leaves were chewed on or brewed into a tea for purposes of boosting energy and as a herbal remedy for combating fatigue, muscle aches, and chronic pain. Although most people did develop a type of reliance on the habit-forming Kratom, it was not because it resulted in a high.
Is Kratom High The Reason For Popularity?
One of the major reasons why Kratom has been able to gain popularity, especially in European countries and North America is because of its ability to help with curbing addiction to other opiates. Over the years, Kratom has been seen as an opiate substance and a substitute for cannabis and cocaine. Lack of adequate research and studies to prove this drug as a non-opiate leaf the claim in a gray area.
Most countries have actually listed Kratom as a controlled or illegal substance, with legal actions taken on those who possess or consume Kratom. In Thailand alone, Kratom is the third most abused drug, making it a high-risk drug. It has also been noted, from users and other medical practitioners, that Kratom does actually produce effects that are very similar to those of other opiates. These effects are usually with less intensity but are still the same.
Although the use of Kratom has gone on for centuries in parts of South East Asia, the drug is a relatively new concept to the rest of the world. Most of the information available on whether Kratom does create a euphoric high or not is majorly derived from users who share reports of their experiences with the online drug forms.
One of the most popular of those online forums is the website Erowid.org, an “online encyclopedia of psychoactive substances”. Drug users usually share information for the first time and subsequent experiences from all types of drugs, after which the information is used for researches and by drug users who want first-hand information on substances.
Kratom is a drug that is mostly compared to other opiates is considered to cause a high to users. However, it is only by understanding a number of dynamics surrounding this mysterious drug that can we comprehensively conclude that Kratom does actually provide a euphoric high to users.
Can Kratom Cause a High?
Before we can dive into answering the above question, it is vital to clarify that the majority of the users nowadays are not consuming Kratom as a recreational drug to elicit a “high” in the traditional sense of the word; like other opiates. Rather, most Kratom users have turned to the drug as a natural and safe alternative to other pharmaceutical medications. In simpler terms, Kratom is being used by people who want to combat body aches, muscle pains, low energy levels, and unbalanced moods using natural remedies.
Just like other opiates such as marijuana, Kratom is known to work well in relieving these symptoms. However, to understand if, and exactly how, Kratom can get the user high, it is best to first understand its interactions with the human body at different levels of ingestion.
Kratom is normally ingested either as a tea, powder mixed with water, capsule or even chewing on the leaves. Generally, at low doses of about 1 to 5 grams, Kratom is known to induce stimulant-like effects; like some supercharged coffee (caffeine). Increasing the dosage to mid-range, i.e. about 5 to 10 grams, the induced effect can become a little overwhelming to the body and can actually result in a feeling of euphoria.
However, this feeling of euphoria or high is not like that of marijuana or cocaine; it is more of an energized euphoria or a rush. At higher doses of between 10 to 15 grams or more, the induced effects escalate to mimic those of other opiates and can lead to lowered pain reception, sedation, and social detachment.
It is also important to note that the effects induced by Kratom also vary from one type to the other. There are many strains of Kratom that are well known and available in the market, and each has different effects on the body. But in the general sense, all Kratom does interact with the human body in the same way through interaction with the opioid receptors. However, it does not bind to the receptors in a similar way to other opiates. Therefore the results are less intense although similar.
It is with this information that, therefore; we can actually say that Kratom does result in a high when abused. The high may not be as prominent as that of other drugs or even alcohol, but it is still there. Kratom has been known to produce the desired effects, from sexual enhancement, to what is considered by users a “safe” and “legal” high.
Having successfully concluded that Kratom can result in a less intense “high” compared to other opiates, it is also to understand exactly what a user may feel when they are high on Kratom. With all these said, below are a number of things that a person will feel to know that they have actually achieved the high.
The Feeling of Kratom High
People use kratom in powder form in capsules or they make kratom tea to consume it. The Kratom doses usually range between small doses of about 1-5g of raw kratom leaves and high doses of about 5-15g for the effect the user is after, either sedative or stimulant. Normally kratom high effects occur very fast after 5-10 mins of consuming kratom. These high effects can last from 2-5 hours however it depends on the doses.
Things You May Feel When High on Kratom
1. Euphoria
One of the most reported effects of Kratom users is the sudden or progressive wave of euphoria they experience after consuming Kratom. Although it is established that Kratom is not actually an opiate, it normally behaves similarly to the substances. It usually causes the release of dopamine in the brain, which is the pleasure or “feel good” chemicals in the body. As this chemical is released, there is a sudden feeling of joy, happiness, and euphoria that is experienced by the user. For this reason alone, more people are turning to Kratom for the management of unbalanced moods.
2. An increase in energy
Since the very beginning, Kratom has been used as an energy boost to increase productivity. Kratom has actually become an interesting herbal supplement that still holds a mystery in its versatile nature. Certain strains of Kratom are known to increase energy than others when the user achieves a high. At lower doses, Kratom becomes a stimulant, greatly boosting the energy, alertness, and productivity of the user.
More people are actually turning to Kratom instead of taking coffee in the morning. This is because Kratom is able to induce similar energy lifting effects as coffee without the unpleasant downside including coffee jitters. Once someone is high on Kratom, it is normal to feel more energized, focused, and productive. It is for this reason that farmers and laborers in Thailand used to chew on the herb during work hours in the fields.
3. Relaxation
It is a normal routine for everyone in the world to look for something that helps them relax. Users of Kratom have reported that Kratom does actually help in achieving relaxation after a long day of tedious work. However, this feeling is only achievable with low doses of Kratom especially when taken in tea form. After about 30 minutes of consuming Kratom tea, users have reported getting a calm, dreamlike mental state that is very relaxing, is able to relieve pains and stress.
It is also important to note that, at mid-range or high doses, Kratom can have the side effect of irritability, uneasiness, and agitation. This can be very unpleasant especially for first-time users.
4. Pain relief
Like most opioids, Kratom is commonly known due to its ability to relieve pain and body aches. This is because Kratom contains two alkaloids known as mitragynine and 7-hydoxymitragynine that bind to opioid receptors; therefore, reducing the rate of pain perception in the brain.
Although other opioids do function in the same way, a major downside is that they result in addiction and reliance. Kratom has the potential to cause addiction too, although the subject remains in a gray area.
More and more people are turning to Kratom to help in pain relief as they feel that it is more natural and safe to use. Kratom is a partial opioid agonist; it has the ability to target the same opioid receptors without resulting in the downside effects of reliance and addiction. Certain strains of Kratom are able to achieve pain relief effects faster than others once the person has consumed enough to feel high.
5. Increased Sociability
Although not entirely similar to other opiates, Kratom surprisingly has the effect of increasing a user’s sociability. This is a widespread effect with most mind-altering drugs, including alcohol and marijuana. Increased sociability usually goes hand-in-hand with the feeling of high, euphoria, and relaxation.
Kratom is actually able to induce this effect when taken in low doses of about 1 to 5 grams, as higher doses may result in agitation and violence. It usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes for the feeling of Kratom high to be achieved once someone consumes the low dose. It is after this that the user feels their mood-brightening which results in them being chatty with other people.
Kratom is actually being used more and more by people attending social gatherings to aid in their sociability, as opposed to alcohol. This is because it does this without resulting in the downside effects of alcohol such as crippling hangovers.
The Downside of a Kratom High
For most of the other substances consumed in order to elicit a feeling of high, reports show that the negative effects and experiences do outweigh the positive. Kratom is not left behind, although it does not have a very high ratio of bad-to-good experiences.
Kratom is mostly known for its numerous benefits to the human body without causing the downside effects related to other substances. However, being a psychoactive substance, a Kratom high does have a number of drawbacks which include:
- Irritability, aggression, and agitation
- Nausea and vomiting
- Lingering headaches
- Stomach cramps
- Drowsiness
- Fatigue
- Loss of consciousness, in extremely rare cases
Conclusion
Consuming the right dose of Kratom daily is very crucial to achieving the desired effect and getting the most benefits from this botanical substance. Most of the above negative effects are normally brought about by taking more than what is actually recommended of this mysterious herb.
Since it is possible to get a euphoric high from Kratom, it is important to follow the recommended dosage.
