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| The sweltering backwaters of Indonesian Borneo have become the unlikely ground zero for the global production and export of Kratom, a tree leaf hailed by some as a miracle cure for everything from opioid addiction to anxiety. |
Part of the coffee family, the leaf has been used for centuries in Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea for its pain-relieving and mildly stimulating effects but it is now sold in powder form and exported worldwide -- alarming some health regulators who have raised concerns about safety.
Kratom
stimulates the same brain receptors as morphine, although it produces much
milder effects.
"I
take Kratom and have had no problems. Every strain has its benefits – some help
you relax, others can treat insomnia or treat drug addiction. Some help
increase stamina," grower Faisal Perdana told AFP.
Fellow
farmer Gusti Prabu, who now exports 10 tonnes of the drug a month, agreed.
"Our
ancestors used Kratom and there were no negative side effects. It can help
eliminate drug addiction and help people detox," he explained.
But its
popularity is causing concern -- the drug is unregulated, and has had little
clinical testing to assess its safety or side effects.
Kratom is
already banned for domestic consumption in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand,
though the former allows its export in unprocessed form.
Health
authorities in the United States -- now the drug's top importer -- have linked
consumption of the plant and its derivatives to dozens of deaths, warning it
could aggravate a deadly opioid epidemic gripping parts of the country.
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Kratom is
already banned for domestic consumption though it allows its
export in
unprocessed form
|
Compounds
found in Kratom are opioids, which expose users to the same risks of addiction
and death as illicit opiates, according to the US Food and Drug Administration.
But for
farmers in Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan -- the centre of production -- demand
for Kratom is such that they have moved away from traditional commodities such
as rubber and palm oil to start growing the tree, turning it into a major cash
crop.
And at the
main post office in Pontianak, the key trading post for this part of Indonesian
Borneo, it's clear the health warnings have done little to dampen interest.
"Around
90 percent of our shipments from West Kalimantan province are Kratom that's
been sold to the United States," post office head Zaenal Hamid said.
As many as
five million Americans use the drug and that number is growing, according to
the American Kratom Association.
Data from
2016 showed that the region was shipping some 400 tonnes abroad every month --
worth about $130 million annually at current global prices of some $30 a
kilogramme.
Most Kratom
customers are reached through online platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and
Chinese e-marketplace Alibaba.
The trend
for alternative medicine has been credited with increasing interest in Kratom
from Europe and America, where it is usually consumed as a tea or in capsules.
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As many as
five million Americans use kratom and that number is growing,
according to the
American Kratom Association
|
Opioid
epidemic
The US is
struggling with an opioid epidemic, fueled by addiction to prescription
painkillers as well as street drugs like heroin and synthetic versions such as
fentanyl.
Kratom is
legal in 43 states, but the FDA is pushing for greater restrictions and has
already put an import alert on it, which means shipments entering the US can be
confiscated.
In a
statement, the organisation warned consumers not to use the drug and said it
was "concerned that Kratom appears to have properties that expose users to
the risks of addiction, abuse, and dependence."
Scientists
say that while Kratom may have positive attributes, very little research has
been done into the drug.
"It
has great potential as a remedy for pain and opioid addiction given its
pharmacology and its potential accessibility," Michael White, head of the
department of pharmacy practice at the University of Connecticut, told AFP.
"It is
promising and not proven," he added.
Advocates
insist it's a safe alternative to prescription drugs and can actually help
opioid addicts.
 |
Health
authorities in the United States -- now the kratom's top importer -- have
linked consumption of the plant and its derivatives to dozens of deaths,
warning
it could aggravate a deadly opioid epidemic gripping parts of the
country
|
"Of
the 44 deaths on record involving Kratom, they all involve poly-drug use,"
said Ryan Leung, a spokesman from kratom lobby group Botanical Education
Alliance (BEA).
"The
FDA health warnings...(have) proven to be misguided by multiple experts,"
he added.
For now,
Indonesian producers are waiting to see how the regulatory battle in the US
unfolds.
And while
bad weather and a salmonella scare dented exports in 2017, provisional data
showed Kratom shipments bounced back strongly last year.
Kratom
farmer Prabu insisted: "The Kratom market has been very good over the past
decade and it still has potential in the years ahead."
He added:
"People will see its usefulness, sooner or later."
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