DOSE:		oral	Kratom	(fresh)
		oral	Pharms - Tramadol
		oral	Codeine

BODY WEIGHT:

75 kg

Fresh Leaf Kratom - At the SOURCE (Thailand)

I would like to write a quick report about the current situation in Thailand, concerning the natural plant medicine Kratom. I previously penned an experience report about Kratom powder, in 2012 when I was living in Alaska. This report is not about Kratom powder, but rather it's about fresh leaves. Consuming any substance close to the source is a much better experience than using something that's been shipped halfway around the world - It's similar to drinking fine wine in France.

Thailand is a tropical country in Southeast Asia, where many medicinal plants grow, both in the wild and in farms. In 2019, Thailand legalized medical marijuana at the national level, becoming the first major Asian nation to do so. The hospitals actually give people THC, CBD, and THC/CBD oils for conditions such as chronic pain - If you are a Thai citizen, you can access cannabis through the country's universal healthcare system for a very low cost. For foreigners, it's a bit more expensive and tricky, but it can be done. Unfortunately, the 'street weed' is still very low quality - it's similar to the Mexican brick schwag we used to smoke in high school, when I lived in Pennsylvania, USA. Good strains, including the original Thai Stick genetics, have been listed as "Thai Traditional Medicine" and they are slowly making a comeback. For now, brick weed is still very cheap (perhaps $30 for 100 grams), but it's terrible...

In 2021, the Thai government finally legalized Kratom. It was openly used even when it was illegal, and nobody really cared. I am a university professor at a school in the southern region of the country, where Kratom grows like a weed. My students make a drink called 'Jungle Juice', which is Kratom tea mixed with antihistamine syrup and Coca Cola - something like a natural version of the American drug 'Lean'. They carry it around in bottles and share it with each other. I should note that the mixture 'Jungle Juice' is still illegal here - only the actual plant Kratom is legal. Fresh leaf Kratom can be found for roughly $5 per kilogram at the local markets. Very high quality powder can also be ordered online for a good price.

The shop I go to for my Kratom actually offers discount coupons, and they always throw in an extra handful of the leaves for free. They sell pre-made Kratom tea in plastic bottles for about $2 each, in addition to the fresh leaves. This product is absolutely fresh, very potent (Red Vein variety, great for pain), and enormously popular.

I have suffered from chronic pain due to scoliosis since I was a teenager. The gym teachers in the American public schools I attended would conduct scoliosis tests every year, and those incompetent jerkoffs never noticed the painful curve in my spine. When I was 14, I started to think that maybe one of my legs was growing faster than the other, and my body felt very asymmetrical. I asked my family doctor about it and finally got diagnosed properly. Unfortunately, during my adult life, doctors in America have become extremely arrogant, disrespectful and unsympathetic to chronic pain patients.

In fact, access to painkillers was one of the principle reasons why I left the United States for good. The main reasons were the bad job market, extreme poverty (I was homeless for 3 years, WHILE WORKING - this is unheard of in more responsible cultures), the constant harassment and selfish people, etc - but the chronic pain issue did play a major roll in my decision to move to a better country.

There are a number of countries around the world where doctors are far more professional and responsible than the Americans are. In many of these places, one can easily obtain weak opioids (such as tramadol and codeine) without a prescription. In Thailand, there is a limit to how many 50mg tramadol pills you can buy in the course of a month - but this law is very loosely enforced. It is easy to do a pharmacy run and pick up a large supply of tramadol by visiting the right pharmacies. Not surprisingly, some of the best Thai pharmacies are in the Islamic neighborhoods, where alcohol is not accepted. This is great, because alcohol is a very low-quality painkiller, with a whole variety of negative side effects, and it cannot be used long-term without causing harm to the body. I personally love marijuana, and fully support its legalization around the world - but once again, it just doesn't work well for my pain.

In Thai hospitals, natural medicines and techniques, including acupuncture, massage, and plants, are grouped under the umbrella of 'Traditional Thai Medicine' and they can be prescribed by regular doctors at hospitals and clinics. I easily obtained legitimate prescriptions for low doses of codeine, as well as a prescription for tramadol which allows me to bypass the whole "pharmacy run" hassle and get large amounts directly from the hospital at a very good price. In addition to the pills and the Kratom, I also regularly get very strong Thai massages (the hospital version is far more intense than what tourists experience at a regular massage shop), and I also go for acupuncture treatments once a month, which really do a great job of loosening up the muscles in my back, neck, and shoulders.

Here is my personal recipe:

1/4 to 1/2 a kilogram of very fresh Kratom leaves (usually Red Vein, sometimes Green Vein).

50 grams of Turmeric powder (an anti-inflammatory spice)

50 grams of Lingzhi (called Reishi in America, it's a mushroom with immune-boosting effects, it helps with sleep and somewhat with pain as well - it grows wild in Thailand)

First, I put the leaves in the freezer overnight. There is a theory that since water expands when it turns to ice, freezing plant material can effectively "bust through" the cell walls and thus release more of the alkaloids contained within. When I freeze Kratom, I do feel a more potent effect, but this may easily be a placebo.

In the morning, I take out the frozen Kratom and break it into small pieces (this is easy to do when it's frozen solid, if it's not frozen I can just use a pair of scissors). Then put it into a blender and reduce it to a powder. I use the entire leaf, including the beautiful red stems. Then, I dump the powder into a very large pot of water, along with the Turmeric and the Lingzhi. I bring to a boil, but only very briefly - using a kitchen thermometer - then simmer at roughly 90 degrees Celsius, below the boiling point, for at least an hour. The longer it simmers, the more bitter the brew will be. I personally enjoy the taste of Kratom, so I tend to simmer it for around two hours to bring out the full flavor. At about the 45-minute mark, I'll take a cup of the simmering mixture and drink it. When the cooking is finished, I just filter the tea through a wire-mesh kitchen utensil, use a funnel to put it into 1-liter bottles, and stack them in the refrigerator.

Kratom tea can be mixed with other plant medicines, such as matcha green tea, for even more health benefits. I use a little organic, locally produced honey, for sweetness and just drink it until I am satisfied with the effect. I have a tolerance, so I can drink Kratom juice all day long without getting sick to my stomach. The "buzz" only lasts for the first few uses, so I enjoy it while I can. But after the "high" stops working, due to tolerance, the painkilling and energizing effects continue to work just fine .

I seek to use as little material as possible in order to avoid building a huge tolerance. The medicine does not get me high, but rather it helps me get through the day in a more positive state of mind. This is not only beneficial for the user, but also for everybody who the user comes into contact with during the day - chronic pain makes people irritable and moody (who would have guessed?), and responsible use of medicine helps chronic pain sufferers to simply be a lot more friendly and pleasant to deal with. As a university-level teacher, I find Tramadol, Codeine, and Kratom to be an absolute Godsend. It helps me do my job much more effectively, it helps me be more compassionate towards my students, and it helps me to be more clear-headed as the constant pain is no longer nagging at me and making it difficult to concentrate.

Thailand is one of the major producers of raw Opium, which is used to make extremely pure "China White" heroin. In Thailand, we do not have a fentanyl problem like they do in the United States - this is probably because excellent quality Heroin is available to those who wish to use it. I've tried it a few times, and it is the real-deal. I deliberately chose not to try Heroin until I was in my early 30s, as I had abused drugs irresponsibly as a youth and I didn't want to abuse such a strong, addictive drug. I once tried Mexican Black Tar Heroin, in Colorado, USA and it was garbage. The off-white Heroin sold in Southeast Asia is in an entirely different league. With that said, I only tried it a few times. It felt great, but not great enough to do all the time, and certainly not good enough to throw my life away and become an addict.

Kratom has helped me significantly lower my alcohol consumption, which was also a very welcome side-effect. I had a bad alcohol problem throughout my 20s, but I got it under control. I don't believe for a second that "addiction is a disease" - people abuse drugs because drugs work, period. As the great Paul Stanley, lead singer and rhythm guitarist from the band Kiss once said: "Life is too short to drink bad wine. Fortunately, I can afford good wine." I keep some very high-quality Cognac, Armagnac, and Scotch whisky in my home studio and have a drink from time to time, while practicing piano and guitar - but I do not drink every day, like I did when I was miserable, living in America.

Exp Year: 2021	ExpID: 116016
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: 37
Published: Jan 14, 2022	Views: 906
[ View PDF (to print) ] [ View LaTeX (for geeks) ] [ Swap Dark/Light ]
Kratom (203) : Various (28), Therapeutic Intent or Outcome (49), Preparation / Recipes (30), Retrospective / Summary (11), General (1)