Mitragyna speciosa -- Kratom -- is a leafy tree that grows from 3-15 meters tall. Its leaves contain mitragynine and are chewed as an opiate substitute and stimulant in Thailand and South-East Asia, primarily among the working class. It has a relatively long history of human use. Kratom is a tree native to Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, and elsewhere). Its botanical name is Mitragyna speciosa. Kratom is in the same family as the coffee tree (Rubiaceae). The leaves of kratom have been used as an herbal drug from time immemorial by peoples of Southeast Asia. It is used as a stimulant (in low doses), sedative (in high doses), recreational drug, pain killer, medicine for diarrhea, and treatment for opiate addiction. Bouncing Bear Botanicals has the highest quality Kratom.

Mitragyna speciosa ( Kratom ), a member of the Coffee family, is widely used in its native Thailand where it has been made illegal. Over 25 alkaloids have been isolated from kratom that share some similar activity with yohimbine and opiates. The primary alkaloid, once thought to be matragynine, is 7-hydroxymitragyne and acts as an mu receptor agonist effectively alleviating opiate withdrawal. In Malaysia it has been used to treat opiate addiction since the 1800's. Kratom has been used to prolong sexual intercourse and has immunostimulant activity similiar to cats claw.

Kratom is a complex and unique ethnobotanical that will prove to be of great importance to the future of phytopharmacology.