alternative medicine LEAFMAGAZINES.COM
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KRATO
It was an unseasonably cold February night in 2018 when I found myself in one of Alaska’s roughest neighborhoods. Indistinct shouting and blaring police sirens cut through my anxiety as I approached a wooden lean-to lit by only a neon green sign that read “Smoke Shop.” When I opened the creaky front door, I was greeted by dim fluorescent lights and a slew of unsavory characters who were probably just as confused by my presence as I was. But we were all there for the same thing: kratom.
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erived from the Mitragyna speciosa tree that is native to Southeast Asia, kratom has been consumed for centuries. An herbal cure-all of sorts, kratom is said to treat everything from impotence to stomach bugs, as well as ease pain and anxiety. While the plant has a rich history in Eastern medicine, it is relatively new to the Western consciousness. First introduced to Europe in the early 19th century by Dutch botanist Pieter Korthals, the plant has yet to gain wide acceptance in the United States, in part, because of misinformation. So, why has this humble plant become so demonized in the United States? According to Mac Haddow, a Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the American Kratom Association, the answer is relatively straightforward. “It’s probably an outgrowth of the [FDA] bias against all-natural products. They hate homeopathic products, and they hate plants and anything that doesn’t require a ‘New Drug Application,’” says Haddow.
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The problem, Haddow believes, is akin to the FDA’s response to vitamin supplements in the ‘90s. In 1991, the Nutrition Advertising Coordination Act was introduced, in which the FDA would have the power to tighten the regulations regarding supplement labeling. The Act was shot down and replaced by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) in 1994 during the Clinton Administration. Under the DSHEA, a dietary supplement cannot be approved or authorized for investigation as a new drug, antibiotic, or biologic unless it was marketed as a food or dietary supplement before such approval or authorization. This distinction becomes important when it comes to the ability of kratom producers to market or advertise their product as being able to treat illness. More importantly, it stifles one major sector of kratom consumers: those trying to beat their opioid addiction.
STORY by O’HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS/ALASKA LEAF
