A Brief History of Kratom: Traditional Use to Modern Markets

Where did kratom originate and how was it traditionally used?

Mitragyna speciosa is a tropical evergreen tree in the coffee family (Rubiaceae) native to Southeast Asia, particularly the regions that now make up Thailand, Malaysia, and parts of Indonesia (Borneo, Sumatra). It grows naturally in humid lowland rainforests and along river banks, thriving at elevations below 500 meters.^[1]

Traditional use centered on fresh leaves, either chewed directly or brewed into simple tea. Farmers and manual laborers in Thailand and Malaysia used kratom during long workdays to sustain energy, manage physical fatigue, and work through periods of physical discomfort. In some rural areas, it also had social functions — offered to guests as a hospitality item, similar to betel nut in other parts of the region.^[2]

Key characteristics of traditional use that differ from modern consumption:

• Whole fresh leaf only — no powders, extracts, or concentrates
• No standardization of dose — determined by individual judgment and experience
• No strain naming system — strain names (Maeng Da, Bali, Borneo, etc.) are modern commercial inventions
• Culturally embedded — not viewed as a drug or supplement, but as an everyday plant
• Regionally variable — practices differed significantly between Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesian communities

When did Western science first document kratom?

Kratom entered the scientific literature in 1839, when Dutch botanist Pieter Willem Korthals formally described and named the species Stephegyne speciosa Korth. while working for the East India Company in Borneo. The genus designation was later revised to Mitragyna by British botanist George Daniel Haviland in the 1850s, who grouped kratom with related species based on morphological characteristics — the name referring to the mitre-shaped stigmas of the plant’s flowers.^[1]

Early European documentation primarily treated kratom through a colonial-administrative and botanical lens: cataloguing economically relevant plants, noting local uses, and classifying the species within known botanical frameworks. The cultural context of kratom use — its integration into labor routines, its social role, its place in traditional medicine — was often described incompletely or filtered through colonial assumptions about indigenous plant use.

Alkaloid isolation came later: in 1921, researchers isolated the first kratom alkaloid, subsequently named mitragynine, with more systematic alkaloid characterization following in the 1960s–1980s as analytical chemistry advanced. The 7-hydroxymitragynine alkaloid — which proves to have greater opioid receptor potency than mitragynine itself — was not fully characterized until the 1990s.^[3]

Why was kratom banned in Thailand in 1943?

Thailand’s Kratom Plant Act (the Kratom Act, B.E. 2486) was passed in 1943 during the administration of Prime Minister Phibun Songkhram. Understanding why it was passed requires understanding the political economy of drug policy in wartime Thailand.^[2]

At the time, Thailand operated a legal government opium monopoly — taxing the sale and use of opium was a significant revenue source. Kratom, which could provide some similar functional effects to opioids (pain relief, energy management for withdrawal symptoms) at no cost to rural users, competed with the government’s opium market. Parliamentary records from the period include the explicit observation that reducing kratom use would increase revenue from the opium and heroin market.^[2]

The ban was not driven by scientific evidence of harm. The 1943 act reflected economic and political logic more than public health concerns — a pattern that would reappear in how other countries approached kratom regulation decades later. Enforcement was inconsistent and irregular throughout the remainder of the 20th century.

Thailand’s relationship with kratom continued to evolve: Malaysia restricted mitragynine under the Poisons Act of 1976, while Indonesia (the world’s largest kratom exporter) has maintained a complex, often ambiguous regulatory status. In 2021, Thailand significantly reversed course — decriminalizing kratom and removing it from the Category 5 Narcotics list, explicitly recognizing its economic and cultural value.

How did kratom reach Western markets?

Kratom’s introduction to Western countries was a product of the internet age, not traditional trade routes. The first meaningful Western presence dates to the late 1990s and early 2000s, primarily through:^[3]

• Online ethnobotanical suppliers — websites selling obscure botanical products to researchers and hobbyists
• Forums and communities — early adopters sharing information and experience reports on forums like Erowid, Bluelight, and later Reddit
• Harm reduction communities — kratom began appearing in opioid recovery discussions, with users reporting it helped manage withdrawal symptoms
• Academic interest — a small number of pharmacologists began studying kratom’s alkaloid profile and receptor interactions in the early 2000s

During this period, kratom was essentially unregulated in most Western countries, legally ambiguous in many, and entirely unknown to most consumers and regulators. Products were inconsistent in quality — raw leaf material or crude powders with no standardization or testing.

The US opioid crisis, which intensified through the late 2000s and 2010s, significantly accelerated kratom’s Western adoption. Many people seeking to reduce or discontinue opioid use reported using kratom as a self-managed aid — a pattern documented in multiple surveys, including Boyer et al. (2007), one of the earliest published Western clinical reports on kratom self-use for opioid withdrawal.^[4]

How did the modern kratom industry develop?

The commercialization of kratom in the US grew rapidly through the 2010s. What began as niche ethnobotanical supply evolved into a significant consumer product category with:^[3]

• Retail distribution — kratom moved from online-only to gas stations, smoke shops, and specialty stores
• Product diversification — powder and capsule formats gave way to liquid shots, tablets, gummies, and standardized extract products
• Strain naming conventions — the modern strain name system (Maeng Da, Red Bali, Green Malay, etc.) was largely created by commercial vendors as marketing language, not based on botanical subspecies distinctions
• Industry self-regulation — the American Kratom Association (AKA), founded in 2014, developed a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification program that became the de facto quality standard for the industry

What has happened with kratom regulation in the United States?

The US regulatory history of kratom is characterized by a pattern of agency attempts at restriction followed by pushback — from the public, from Congress, and from international bodies.

Kratom regulatory approaches by US state

FDA Import Alerts (2012–present)

The FDA began seizing kratom shipments in 2012 under import alert authority, arguing kratom was being marketed as a drug without approval. This action had no direct effect on the legal status of kratom already in the US but disrupted import supply chains and set the tone for FDA’s adversarial posture toward kratom.^[3]

The 2016 DEA Reversal

In August 2016, the DEA announced plans to emergency-schedule mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine as Schedule I substances — the same category as heroin, with “no accepted medical use.” The announcement was met with immediate, unprecedented public opposition: bipartisan congressional letters signed by over 50 legislators, approximately 140,000 public comments to the DEA, and organized advocacy from kratom users and researchers. In October 2016 — 51 days after the announcement — the DEA withdrew the emergency scheduling notice, the first time in DEA history that such a notice had been reversed due to public pressure.

WHO ECDD 2021 Decision

In 2021, the World Health Organization’s Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) conducted a formal review of kratom and recommended against international scheduling under the 1961 or 1971 drug conventions — concluding there was “insufficient evidence” of harm to warrant scheduling. This decision is significant because it removed the primary international pressure that might have led to US federal scheduling.^[3]

State-Level Kratom Consumer Protection Acts

In the absence of federal action, the AKA has pursued state-by-state Kratom Consumer Protection Acts (KCPAs) that establish age restrictions (typically 21+), labeling requirements, and testing standards without banning kratom. By 2024, multiple states had passed KCPA legislation. A small number of states and municipalities have banned kratom outright. The US kratom user base has been estimated at 10–15 million adults — a figure that reflects both the scale of adoption and the urgency of coherent regulatory frameworks.^[5]

How does kratom history explain today’s landscape?

Many confusing features of the modern kratom market become intelligible against this historical backdrop:

• Strain name confusion — “Maeng Da,” “Bali,” “Borneo” are not botanical subspecies but commercial marketing categories invented by modern vendors. There is no standardized botanical definition of any kratom strain name.
• No FDA approval for any use — kratom has never been through the FDA drug approval process. Its status as a supplement is contested; its use continues in a regulatory gray zone.
• Variable product quality — the rapid commercialization without regulatory framework produced a market of wildly varying quality. AKA GMP certification is the best available proxy for quality assurance but is not government-mandated.
• Research gaps — most clinical research on kratom is very recent (post-2015). The absence of FDA approval means no pharmaceutical company has invested in clinical trials. The research landscape is composed of surveys, case reports, animal studies, and a small number of human pharmacokinetic studies.
• Polarized public discourse — the combination of FDA adversarial positioning and a large vocal user community has produced an environment where nuanced evidence-based discussion is difficult to find.

For the most current legal status by US state, see our kratom legality guide. For a deeper look at the science of kratom’s active compounds, see kratom alkaloids.

FAQ

How long has kratom been used?

Kratom has been documented in ethnobotanical records since at least 1839, and traditional use in Southeast Asia predates that documentation by an unknown period — likely centuries. The plant was deeply embedded in the labor practices and daily life of rural communities in what is now Thailand, Malaysia, and parts of Indonesia long before it had a Western scientific name.^[1]

Why did Thailand ban kratom?

Thailand’s 1943 Kratom Act was driven primarily by economic rather than public health concerns. Kratom competed with the government’s legal opium market by providing a cheaper, freely available alternative for managing labor fatigue and pain. Parliamentary records from the time indicate the ban was expected to increase opium revenue. It was not based on scientific evidence of harm.^[2]

When did kratom become popular in the US?

Kratom reached Western online communities in the late 1990s and early 2000s through ethnobotanical suppliers and harm reduction forums. Its US market grew significantly through the 2010s, accelerated by the opioid crisis and increasing consumer awareness of botanical alternatives. By the mid-2010s, kratom was available in most US states from thousands of retail outlets and online vendors.^[3]

What happened with the DEA’s 2016 attempt to ban kratom?

In August 2016, the DEA announced emergency scheduling intent for mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine as Schedule I substances. The announcement triggered unprecedented opposition: over 140,000 public comments, bipartisan congressional pressure, and organized advocacy. The DEA withdrew the notice 51 days later — the first time in DEA history that an emergency scheduling notice was reversed due to public opposition.

Is kratom legal in the United States?

Kratom is federally legal in the US — not a controlled substance under federal law. However, legal status varies by state and municipality. A small number of states and some cities have banned kratom; a growing number have passed Kratom Consumer Protection Acts establishing regulatory standards without prohibition. For current status by state, see our kratom legality guide.

What is the American Kratom Association?

The American Kratom Association (AKA) is a consumer advocacy and industry organization founded in 2014. It developed the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification program — a voluntary quality standard for kratom vendors covering testing, labeling, and manufacturing protocols. The AKA has also driven legislative strategy, developing the model Kratom Consumer Protection Act (KCPA) that has been adopted by multiple states.

What did the WHO say about kratom in 2021?

The World Health Organization’s Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) conducted a formal review of kratom in 2021 and recommended against international scheduling, finding “insufficient evidence” that kratom poses sufficient public health risk to warrant placement under the 1961 or 1971 UN drug control conventions. This was a significant decision that removed primary international pressure toward federal US scheduling.^[3]

What are kratom strain names and where did they come from?

Kratom strain names — Maeng Da, Bali, Borneo, Green Malay, Red Hulu, etc. — are commercial marketing categories invented by modern vendors, not botanical subspecies or scientifically validated classifications. They emerged in the 2000s–2010s as the US kratom market grew, and they reflect vendor branding choices more than distinct alkaloid profiles. No strain name corresponds to a standardized, regulated alkaloid specification.

References

1. Brown PN, Lund JA, Murch SJ (2017). A botanical, phytochemical and ethnomedicinal review of the genus Mitragyna korth: Implications for products sold as kratom. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 202, 302-325. [PubMed]
2. Tanguay P. Kratom in Thailand: Decriminalisation and Community Control? Series on Legislative Reform of Drug Policies. Transnational Institute. 2011;13.
3. Prozialeck WC, Jivan JK, Andurkar SV (2012). Pharmacology of kratom: an emerging botanical agent with stimulant, analgesic and opioid-like effects. The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, 112(12), 792-9. [PubMed]
4. Boyer EW, Babu KM, Adkins JE, McCurdy CR, Halpern JH. Self-treatment of opioid withdrawal using kratom (Mitragynia speciosa korth). Addiction. 2008;103(6):1048–50. PubMed 18482427
5. Grundmann O (2017). Patterns of Kratom use and health impact in the US-Results from an online survey. Drug and alcohol dependence, 176, 63-70. [PubMed]