Various Kratom plants: origins and becoming one of Jokowi's goals

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) is still waiting for factory management regulations Kratom. This plant is said to contain narcotics, but has great export potential due to its health benefits.

As a result, President Joko Widodo aka Jokowi held a limited meeting (ratas) to discuss issues regarding governance, business systems and legality of kratom plants. The meeting was held in the presence of a number of relevant ministers at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, Thursday, June 20, 2024.

“We talked about kratom earlier. “From an agricultural point of view, at the moment it is focused on forest crops, but our suggestion is that later, when the regulations have been regulated, we may be able to grow them, so that the economic value and quality will increase,” said Minister of Agriculture (Mentan) Andi Amran Sulaiman.

Kratom itself is a plant that has become part of the culture and lives of the indigenous people of Southeast Asia. People have used kratom for centuries as a natural medicine to treat various health conditions. Why is that? The following is a complete explanation.

Discover kratom

Kratom has the Latin name Mitragyna Speciosa. This plant grows in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea. In Indonesia, kratom is an endemic plant that grows in several regions of Kalimantan. Kratom grows in areas with slightly moist soil.

Based on the presentation of Ratna Puspitasari, the first expert drug instructor on the official website South Sumatra BNN, Kratom appears in the form of a shrub with a height of approximately 15 m, has a straight, branched stem, and has yellow flowers in round clusters. Kratom leaves are dark green and shiny, smooth and have a pointed oval shape.

Since the early 19th century, kratom leaves have been widely used by the local people of Kalimantan as a traditional medicine to treat various hereditary health conditions. People typically consume kratom leaves by chewing them like “whiting,” brewing them like tea, and smoking them like cigarettes.

Kratom leaves are believed to increase enthusiasm for work and increase the body's endurance. Apart from this, kratom leaf infusion is also believed to relieve diarrhea, fatigue, muscle pain, cough, reduce high blood pressure, increase energy, relieve pain, treat sleep disorders , anxiety and depression, is antidiabetic and antimalarial.

In 1863, kratom was first used as an opium substitute by a Malay (Malaysia). Since then, kratom has been used as a substitute for opium addiction, which is a problem in Asia. The active compound mitragynine in kratom is what allows kratom to replace opium addiction. Routine use of kratom in certain doses can be used to increase tolerance to the effects of opioids or replace treatment for opioid addiction.

This series of benefits makes kratom widely exported to the United States and European countries. Kratom is also considered a promising export product in Kalimantan. However, behind the benefits often felt, kratom has negative effects that are dangerous for your health. This plant can cause addiction and even death

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A psychoactive substance researcher, Swogger and colleagues said a number of people who used kratom experienced effects in the form of feelings of relaxation and comfort, as well as euphoria if kratom was used in high doses. . This effect is caused by the compound mitragynine, the main compound contained in kratom leaves.

Kratom may also cause side effects on the nervous system and mind, like those caused by many other types of narcotics, such as dizziness, drowsiness, hallucinations and delusions, depression, shortness of breath, convulsions and coma. Other side effects may include dry mouth, body chills, nausea and vomiting, weight loss, problems urinating and defecating, liver damage, and muscle pain.

People who use kratom for a long time may also show signs of addiction if kratom is stopped. Symptoms include irritability, nausea, diarrhea, high blood pressure, insomnia, muscle spasms and pain, watery eyes, fever and decreased appetite. The psychological symptoms experienced are agitation, tension, anger, sadness and nervousness.

Consumption of kratom is also said to disrupt the body's motor coordination, much like a drunk person would. The consequences of kratom abuse range from overdose, seizures, coma, loss of consciousness, and even death. This is proven by the discovery of several cases of kratom abuse in kratom exporting countries.

Kratom abuse, which is often mixed with other ingredients, has more dangerous effects on the body. Poisoning effects can occur if kratom is mixed with medications that act on the same brain receptors as stimulants and have opiate effects.

In 2013, UNODC, the United Nations drug agency, included kratom in the NPS category of plant-based substances. NPS is a new type of psychoactive substance discovered but whose regulation is unclear or still in progress. With the inclusion of kratom as a type of NPS, management of kratom abuse should be a concern.

BNN also designated kratom as NPS in Indonesia and recommended that kratom be included as Class I narcotics in Law Number 35 of 2009 regarding Narcotics. This classification is based on the effects of kratom which can potentially cause dependence and is very dangerous to your health. BNN claims that the effects of kratom are 13 times more dangerous than those of morphine.

BPOM RI also has its own rules for handling kratom. By the Decree of the Head of BPOM number HK.00.05.23.3644 of 2004 concerning basic provisions for the supervision of dietary supplements, kratom leaves mentioned as a prohibited ingredient in food supplements. BPOM also prohibits it kratom used in traditional medicine, standardized herbal medicine and phytopharmaceuticals.

Editors Choice: Kratom cultivation potential, Minister of Agriculture: Wait for regulatory certainty