TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2015//
TI  - Following "the roots" of kratom (Mitragyna speciosa): the evolution of an enhancer from a traditional use to increase work and productivity in southeast Asia to a recreational psychoactive drug in western countries
JO  - BioMed research international
A1  - Cinosi, Eduardo
A1  - Martinotti, Giovanni
A1  - Simonato, Pierluigi
A1  - Singh, Darshan
A1  - Demetrovics, Zsolt
A1  - Roman-Urrestarazu, Andres
A1  - Bersani, Francesco Saverio
A1  - Vicknasingam, Balasingam
A1  - Piazzon, Giulia
A1  - Li, Jih-Heng
A1  - Yu, Wen-Jing
A1  - Kapitány-Fövény, Máté
A1  - Farkas, Judit
A1  - di Giannantonio, Massimo
A1  - Corazza, Ornella
SP  - e968786
EP  - e968786
VL  - 2015
IS  - 
N2  - The use of substances to enhance human abilities is a constant and cross-cultural feature in the evolution of humanity. Although much has changed over time, the availability on the Internet, often supported by misleading marketing strategies, has made their use even more likely and risky. This paper will explore the case of Mitragyna speciosa Korth. (kratom), a tropical tree used traditionally to combat fatigue and improve work productivity among farm populations in Southeast Asia, which has recently become popular as novel psychoactive substance in Western countries. Specifically, it (i) reviews the state of the art on kratom pharmacology and identification; (ii) provides a comprehensive overview of kratom use cross-culturally; (iii) explores the subjective experiences of users; (iv) identifies potential risks and side-effects related to its consumption. Finally, it concludes that the use of kratom is not negligible, especially for self-medication, and more clinical, pharmacological, and socioanthropological studies as well as a better international collaboration are needed to tackle this marginally explored phenomenon.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 2314-6133
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/968786
ID  - ref1
ER  -