Green Malay Kratom

While kratom (mitragyna speciosa) only just recently gained popularity in the Western world, kratom has long been used throughout Southeast Asia, including Malaysia where many strains of kratom tree grow in the wild.

In fact, Malaysian culture has been using kratom as a natural medicine for thousands of years, whereas it only gained attention outside of Asia in the early 1800s, when botanist Pieter Willem Korthals first described the kratom tree in his literature in 1936. The kratom tree is a member of the rubiaceae coffee tree family which, as Korthals mentioned, had been used as a natural medicine by native Malaysian people.

Historically, Malaysian people have used kratom to treat many different ailments, including aches and pains, diarrhea, anxiety, insomnia, fever and more. It is most often called by a different name in Malaysia – “ketum”

Malaysian’s thick, lush forests are spread throughout the island nation and so is the kratom tree. All three kratom strains – red vein, green vein and white vein – grow in the wilds of Malaysia. It is still cultivated and exported from Malaysia too. Most often, Malaysian kratom is called “Malay kratom”.

Just like in Thailand, Malaysian kratom users have traditionally been laborers and workers, who used kratom as a natural, non-addictive way to ease the pain of manual labor, while providing a bit of a mood boost and energy boost.

In Malaysia, the most common form of kratom has long been “air ketum” which translates into “kratom water”. It is essentially a diluted form of kratom tea that is made by brewing fresh kratom leaves for approximately 30 minutes. This method has been used for countless generations and it is a practice that is continued even today.

While it may seem a bit unappealing to Westerners, Malaysian ketum users have long enjoyed kratom in another way Ð by mixing it with a blend of tobacco and dried cow dung, which is then smoked. It has long been said that this unique method enhances kratom’s pain relieving benefits.

Native Malaysian cultures have also been known to enjoy ketum with dried coconut flakes, chocolate powder and toasted sesame seeds. Ketum tea is often blended with ginger, orange juice, lime juice or lemon juice. Modern research has revealed that the citric acid promotes alkaloid extraction, thereby enhancing its effects.

In Malaysia, kratom is considered a controlled substance. One of kratom’s primary alkaloids mitragynine was made illegal in Malaysia in 2003. In August 2004, the ban was expanded to include kratom leaves.

Kratom was originally classified by the Malaysian government as a “poisonous substance” and was regulated via the Poisons Act of 1952. But later, it was re-classified as a “dangerous drug” under Malaysia’s Dangerous Drugs Act of 1952. Under this legislation, the penalty for possessing or processing kratom includes a fine up to $450 USD.

But a 2012 study conducted in Northern Malaysia indicated that 88 percent of those surveyed used kratom on a daily basis. More recently, the Malaysian AIDS Council is just one prominent organization that has come out in favor of kratom, saying that the push to maintain kratom as a “dangerous drug” causes more harm than benefit.

In 2015, a move to criminalize kratom in Malaysia was actually “shelved” citing evidence about the medicinal value of kratom, combined with the social harms associated with criminalization.

While kratom is technically illegal in Malaysia, it’s said that “air ketum” vendors are commonplace. While prices before the ketum ban averaged 1 ringgit per cup, today’s price averages 2 ringgits per cup. Prior to the kratom ban, one kilogram of kratom leaves averaged 10 ringgits, while today, the average is anywhere from 16 to 25 ringgits depending upon the location and the vendor’s reputation.