Prescription painkillers and heroin are sedative analgesics that are highly addictive. By selectively targeting opioid receptors in the brain, these drugs not only relieve pain by deadening nerve endings but also induce incredible sensations of euphoria, drowsiness and numbness that fuels the addiction. Heroin and painkillers stimulate the reward centers in the brain by increasing hormones that regulate mood, emotion and attention. When taken long enough, opiates create an addiction when the brain comes to depend on euphoric sensations and chemical functioning in the brain becomes severely abnormal.

Kratom (Mitragynia speciosa korth) is a Southeast Asian medicinal herb used by millions of people for relief of chronic pain and to self-manage withdrawal from opioids. Research into Kratom's efficacy for treating a variety of medical conditions--including heroin addiction and withdrawal and pain pill withdrawal--has intensified in the past few years as more and more opiate addicts report the benefits of Kratom in helping them overcome opiate withdrawal.

Scientists have discovered over 20 phytochemicals in Kratom that exhibit beneficial bioactivity in the brain and body. Active chemicals in Kratom include:

• Ajmalicine (Raubasine)--smooth muscle relaxer, antiaggregant and anticonvulsant
• Corynantheidine--an opioid agonist contributing to the relief of withdrawal symptoms associated and prescription pain medication addiction
• Corynoxeine--a calcium channel blocker (treats angina and high blood pressure)
• Epicatechin--offers antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties
• 9-Hydroxycorynantheidine--a partial opioid agonist
• 7-Hydroxymitragynine--promotes pain relief as an analgesic
• Mitragynine--has powerful analgesic and anti-anxiety qualities that may also be effective as an antimalarial.
• Rhynchophylline--a vasodilator with anti-hypertensive and anti-inflammatory properties
• Speciociliatine--another opioid agonist

Within 30 minutes of ingestion, Kratom automatically begins mediating opiate receptor formation responsible for producing opiate withdrawal symptoms such as insomnia, muscle and joint aches, anxiety, nausea, leg cramps and abdominal pain. Cravings are moderated when Kratom's chemicals bind delta receptors responsible for the feelings of reward and pleasure to which the brain becomes addicted.

Research Studies Using Kratom to Treat Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms

In this case, a patient self-managed his chronic pain and opioid withdrawal using Kratom and experienced favorable results. Researchers conducted clinical molecular screenings to establish binding affinity at kappa, delta and mu receptors of mitragynine and concluded that mitragynine may have supplemental receptor affinities that enhance its efficacy at alleviating opioid withdrawal. Research at the School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi found that mitragynine, Kratom's most abundant alkaloid, is actively superior to the ability of methadone to help ease withdrawal symptoms suffered by heroin users. According to one of the research scientists, "Mitragynine blocked all withdrawal symptoms...Kratom may indeed provide an effective treatment for those addicted to heroin, oxycodone or morphine". Over 40 years ago, researchers D. Zacharias, R. Rosenstein, and E. Jeffrey discovered that the structure of mitragynine prevents it from interacting with serotonin receptors in the brain, which indicates it is not a psychoactive drug. In addition, they also found that the mitragynine in Kratom showed a strong bonding affinity to mu-opioid receptors, the same receptors involved in opiate addiction. New Zealand health professionals recently used Kratom to help

Avoiding Opiate Addiction by Using Kratom for Pain and Health Conditions

A major advantage of using on Kratom over prescription painkillers or anti-anxiety medications is the proven existence of secondary substances such as epicatechin, ajmalicine and Uncaria alkaloids. Possessing a variety of medicinal properties, these chemicals provide cardiovascular benefits as well as the ability to strengthen the immune system to fight off bacterial and viral infections. Moreover, when opioid addicts are suffering withdrawal symptoms, their health has generally been compromised by their addiction by this time, making it even harder to resist the urge to take a pain pill or use heroin to ease severe and debilitating withdrawal symptoms. In fact, many Kratom users who originally took prescription opioids for chronic pain report experiencing much greater relief from their pain without the distressing side effects caused by synthetic medications, including the high risk of addiction worsened by extreme fatigue, mental fog and potential for inducing seizures.