Natural Herbs & the Modern Youth: A Lifestyle Revolution
Until recently, cannabis used to be the most widely consumed recreational drug worldwide. However, there’s a new kid on the block - a tropical evergreen plant from Southeast Asia known as kratom.
Kratom has become especially popular with the younger generations. But unlike most psychedelic herbs, this plant provides a host of medicinal benefits besides its potential mind-altering properties.
If you’re wondering why millions of young people around the world are jumping onto the kratom bandwagon, this article is for you. Read below as we unpack kratom’s revolutionary role in the modern youth.
More About Kratom
Kratom is the common name for Mitragyna speciosa, a tree in the coffee family that’s native to Southeast Asia. The plant is indigenous to Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia, with widespread habitats in Myanmar and Papua New Guinea.
Although initially from Southeast Asia, kratom has become a common sight in plantations around the world. The herb’s popularity is mostly due to its medicinal properties. However, some people also administer it for its psychoactive effects.
Is Kratom Legal?
As Mitragyna speciosa is a psychoactive substance, it’s understandable why the herb is banned in multiple countries and territories worldwide. So, it pays to familiarise yourself with kratom laws in your jurisdiction before using or distributing it.
The good news is that kratom isn’t banned across the entire North America. You can legally access kratom in Canada and the United States, provided that you meet certain conditions.
In Canada, relevant regulatory bodies, including Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), prohibit the sale of kratom as a consumable. Retailers can only avail the herb in alternative formulations, such as topicals and aromatherapy oils.
However, this regulation doesn’t apply to consumers. Some vendors have also worked out an ingenious way around the restriction by offering kratom edibles as giveaways.
Why Is Kratom Popular With The Modern Youth?
According to statistics on Psychiatrist.com, the majority of kratom users (49.9% - 60.4%) constitute people aged between 18 and 34 years. Below are the common reasons behind the herb’s popularity among the younger demographics;
1. Kratom May Boost Energy Levels
Youthfulness is synonymous with energy and vitality. So, it’s unsurprising that members of this demographic are generally drawn to energizing substances like kratom.
The reason kratom is an especially popular stimulant among the modern youth is that the herb doesn’t only address physical lethargy. It’s also effective against mental slump and low self-drive.
2. Kratom May Relieve Pain and Inflammation
Pain and inflammation among the older generations usually indicate underlying medical conditions. But for the youth, these problems are an inseparable part of their daily endeavors.
The fast-paced lifestyles the modern youth follow make pain and inflammation a staple of their everyday experiences. And that explains why they’re constantly searching for powerful analgesic and anti-inflammatory interventions.
Multiple studies have shown that Mitragyna speciosa may relieve pain through its interactions with specific opioid receptors. The herb particularly activates µ-opioid receptors (MORs), which are the key targets for opioids in both the central and peripheral nervous system.
Kratom is also effective against inflammation. The herb alleviates swelling by inhibiting the release of inflammatory messenger proteins like cytokines.
3. Kratom May Treat Stress and Anxiety
A significant percentage of the modern youth administer kratom for its anxiolytic properties. Certain alkaloids in the herb may combat anxiety by stimulating the release of ‘feel-good’ neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.
One study investigating kratom’s anxiolytic abilities found that those who self-medicated with the herb reported reduced irritability and nervousness. Similar findings suggest that kratom may mediate some of the most troublesome anxiety symptoms, including mood swings and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
4. Kratom May Aid Sleep
Most anti-anxiety medications are generally sedating. Since kratom possesses anxiolytic properties, it makes sense why many young people also use it to improve their sleep quality.
Kratom helps boost sleep among the youth in two major ways.
First, the herb reduces sleep latency - the average duration from complete wakefulness to deep sleep. It then increases sleep duration by addressing common triggers of sleep disruption, including PTSD.
5. Kratom Is Psychoactive
Kratom’s psychoactive nature is another reason it’s all the rage among the youth, particularly recreational users. The herb induces mind-altering effects that are typically characterized by euphoria. Its euphoric effects are nearly similar to those associated with caffeinated drinks.
But unlike most psychedelic drugs, kratom poses incredibly low risks of dependency. That’s due to its partial effects on opioid receptors.
Kratom users don’t have to worry about becoming too intoxicated either, as its psychoactive effects are relatively mild.
6. Kratom May Help Wean Off Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms
The opioid epidemic is a serious scourge among the youthful population. Millions of young people around the world vainly struggle to unchain themselves from the shackles of opioid addiction.
Fortunately, the fact that kratom affects the same opioid receptors as conventional opioid drugs implies that it might help wean off opioid withdrawal.
Opioid withdrawal is an adverse reaction triggered by the dramatic reduction in or sudden stoppage of opioid intake. Symptoms include pain, nausea, anxiety, and insomnia, most of which happen to be the very problems kratom may treat.
Final Word
Kratom’s powerful therapeutic properties and mild psychoactive effects are the reason it’s trending among the youth. But despite all its perceived benefits, this herb isn’t entirely risk-free. Consuming its extracts moderately is the only way to guard against any adverse reactions.
More Lifestyle Articles
