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| A study of Kratom - Mitragyna speciosa; and Snake Root - Rauvolfia serpentina | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Aug 16 2015, 02:36 PM (652 Views) | |
| yass | Aug 16 2015, 02:36 PM Post #1 |
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Mitragyna speciosa Young M. speciosa tree Mitragyna speciosa (ketum, kratom or kratum, Thai: กระท่อม) is a tropical deciduous and evergreen tree in the coffee family (Rubiaceae) native to Southeast Asia in the Indochina and Malesia floristic regions. Its leaves are used for medicinal properties. It is psychoactive, and leaves are chewed to uplift mood and to treat health problems. M. speciosa is indigenous to Thailand and, despite growing naturally in the country, has been outlawed for 70 years and was originally banned because it was reducing the Thai government's tax revenue from opium distribution. Kratom behaves as a mu-opioid receptor agonist like morphine and is used in the management of chronic pain, as well as recreationally. Kratom use is not detected by typical drug screening tests, but its metabolites can be detected by more specialized testing. The pharmacological effects of kratom on humans, including its efficacy and safety, are not well-studied. Most side effects of kratom are thought to be mild, although isolated adverse effects such as psychosis, convulsions, hallucinations, sweating, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, dizziness and confusion have been reported, albeit rarely. There has been a reported case in which chronic use of M. speciosa was associated with bowel obstruction, as well as reports stating that the plant carries the potential for addiction and can lead to withdrawal symptoms. Taxonomy and etymology  Kratom leaves  Bishops of the Armenian Catholic Church in Jerusalem wearing mitres. It was first formally described by the Dutch colonial botanist Pieter Korthals. The genus was named Mitragyna by Korthals because the stigmas in the first species he examined resembled the shape of a bishop's mitre. It is botanically related to the genera Corynanthe and Uncaria and shares some similar biochemistry. Chemistry There are more than 40 compounds in M. speciosa leaves, including many alkaloids such as mitragynine (once thought to be the primary active constituent), mitraphylline, and 7-hydroxymitragynine (which is currently the most likely candidate for the primary active chemical in the plant), and mitragynine pseudoindoxyl. Other active chemicals in M. speciosa include raubasine (best known from Rauwolfia serpentina) and some yohimbe alkaloids such as corynantheidine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitragyna_speciosa |
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| yass | Aug 16 2015, 03:00 PM Post #2 |
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Rauvolfia serpentina This plant has some beautiful, symmetrical, feminine attributes
(Note - the root is said to resemble a snake, hence serpentina/snakeroot) Rauvolfia serpentina, or Indian snakeroot or sarpagandha, is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae. It is native to the Indian Subcontinent and East Asia (from India to Indonesia). Common English names : Devil-pepper, Snake-root. Medicinal uses The plant is known for curing various disorders because of the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, flavonoids,glycosides, phlobatannins, phenols, resins, saponins , tannins and terpenes. The extract of the plant has also been used for millennia in India – Alexander the Great administered this plant to cure his general Ptolemy I Soter of a poisoned arrow. It was reported that Mahatma Gandhi took it as a tranquilizer during his lifetime. It has been used for millennia to treat insect stings and the bites of venomous reptiles. A compound which it contains called reserpine, was used in an attempt to treat high blood pressure and mental disorders including schizophrenia, and had a brief period of popularity for that purpose in the West from 1954 to 1957. R. serpentina is also known for its antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, antidiuretic and anticholinergic activities. Recent research has proved that Rauwolfia serpentina exhibits profound activity toward drug-resistant tumor cells. It is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it has the name shégēn mù (Chinese: 蛇根木) or yìndù shémù (Chinese: 印度蛇木). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rauvolfia_serpentina Screen shots:    I looked for a picture of the root. This one looked good n' snakey.  Indian snake root plant (img source) |
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