Key takeaways:
- Kratom is an herbal remedy derived from an evergreen tree in Southeast Asia.
- Data demonstrating the risks and benefits of kratom in rheumatology are lacking.
SAN ANTONIO — The herbal remedy known as kratom, which comes from a tree that grows primarily in Southeast Asia, has gained popularity among patients with chronic conditions despite little data supporting its use, according to a presenter.
“Its reported benefits include pain relief — it mitigates opiate withdrawal symptoms, it lifts mood and is energy boosting,” said J. Nicholas Manwaring, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, a nurse practitioner in the division of rheumatology at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, in Anchorage, and a commander in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps at the Indian Health Service. “The caveat is that there is not a lot of research available.”
Speaking at the 2025 Rheumatology Nurses Society annual conference, Manwaring said kratom is an herbal extract that derives from the Mitragyna speciosa, an evergreen tree. Users will chew or eat the leaves dry, add the extract to a liquid or brew it like a tea.
Manwaring compared the substance to other medicinal treatments that originated from the natural world, including the willow bark used to make aspirin and the poppy seeds used to make opioids…