FDA Tries Again To Ban Natural Pain Herb

Originally shared by Before It's News

FDA Tries Again To Ban Natural Pain Herb

Last year, I wrote about the Food and Drug Administration’s campaign to ban the Asian herb Kratom, a non-opiate option for those with chronic pain, anxiety, and drug dependency issues.

As someone interested in medical strategies for disaster or remote settings, I was considering the herb as an option in circumstances when modern medicine isn’t available. The FDA, however, set a date for late 2016 to rule Kratom a Schedule I drug (the same category as heroin) and eliminate its access to the average citizen.

Then an extraordinary thing happened: A public outcry from tens of thousands of citizens that also included dozens of members of Congress. In response to the pressure, the proposed ban was cancelled. Now, a persistent FDA is once again pushing to prevent the sale and use of Kratom in the U.S.

Kratom (scientific name Mitragyna speciosa) has long been used in Southeast Asia for various medicinal purposes, including pain, anxiety, and depression. The chemical compounds in Kratom, (scientific name Mitragyna speciosa) are mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine. These substances act on opioid receptors in the brain, just like heroin and morphine do, to eliminate pain. Despite this, Kratom is not an opioid; It’s actually a member of the coffee family. Therefore, using it doesn’t cause respiratory depression, which is how most opioid overdoses die.

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