How did we happen to know about Kratom anyway?
Let us state it clear and simple: mankind has always liked drugs – no matter, in which culture or in which period of time. Even higher developed animals like monkeys or elephants are avid drug users when and where they can freely roam in the wilderness. So it is little wonder that Kratom has been used in its native regions for ages unknown.
In many areas of South East Asia the Mitragyna speciosa tree is a common sight and does not require any cultivation, so Kratom has always been readily available for everybody. And it was used readily to achieve the effects already described: stimulating, euphorizing, painkilling and sedating. In folk and shamanic medicine it was also used against diarrhea and to reduce the painful effects of opium withdrawal – it was (and in certain areas still is) an effective opium and heroin substitute for those suffering from withdrawals.
The obvious and omnipresent does not warrant further comment, so it is not surprising that we find little mention in historical sources. The first detailed and accurate reports that we have about Kratom are indeed not earlier than the 19th century and come from western explorers, researches and adventurers who found the widespread Kratom use at least “exotic” enough to be mentioned in their records.
