Is kratom the new craze?
A new herbal stimulant offers Gainesville residents energy, a social community and an alternative to alcohol — but like the opiates it’s associated with, the supplement faces controversy.
Commonly known as kratom, Mitragyna speciosa is a plant typically grown in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea and is used as a pain reliever and energy stimulant. The plant is normally ingested orally and sold as a tea, a powder or a gel capsule.
The substance is still relatively new in the United States but has become increasingly more popular and controversial in recent years. About two in every 300 people use kratom, according to an American Journal of Preventive Medicine study.
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