Feds prepare for a new war on Kratom, an herbal … many swear by
Although the FDA’s statement does nothing to officially change kratom’s legal status, it suggests that the federal government could once again be thinking about prohibition … At least one pharmaceutical company is currently working to develop a medication that targets pain with a semi-synthetic compound derived from kratom.
Last year, researchers at Columbia University published a study on mitragynine finding that it activates opioid receptors without triggering respiratory depression, the side effect of narcotic painkillers that is typically responsible for fatal overdoses … The FDA did not immediately release additional information to HuffPost on the 36 kratom deaths that Gottlieb cited on Tuesday. Andrew Kruegel, a Columbia University chemist who was involved in the mitragynine study, was skeptical of the number, but wouldn’t rule out the potential of harmful interactions involving raw kratom powder. “What we research is primarily pure isolated compounds and their effects, but what people are taking is this plant that has variable composition,” he said. “I’m pretty comfortable saying that mitragynine itself is a promising lead for new analgesics, but I’m not sure what I can say about raw kratom powder. A logical extension is that it would also have promising properties and would probably be even safer than the pure compounds because it’s a lower concentration, but you never know what else is in the plant.”
Original Article (Huffpost):
Feds Prepare For A New War On Kratom, An Herbal Drug Many Swear By
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