Scientists from a group of US universities and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) have published new research illustrating the subgroups of Kratom users predominant in the US.

The study, which took place between July and November 2022, saw 395 candidates share their motivations for taking Kratom, a Southeast Asian herbal leaf containing more than 40 active pharmacalogical alkaloids and reputed to provide a range of health and wellbeing benefits. Those surveyed were regular Kratom users (3-4 times per week), invited to participate in the survey from a sample of 1,152 eligible individuals.

Te results of the survey pointed to a "breadth of motivations for Kratom use" which "suggests that Kratom consumers are a heterogenous population in terms of health and substance-use history". In other words, respondents' reasons for consuming Kratom were wide-ranging and diverse.

Results of the survey categorized users into four distinct areas:

• use of Kratom for chronic pain (Class 1) - 32.4%
• use of Kratom for recreational purposes (Class 3) - 24.8%
• use of Kratom for anxiety management (Class 4) - 23.5%
• use of Kratom to replace other subtances (Class 2) - 19.2%

The largest class (Class 1) was characterized by "the use of Kratom for the almost exclusive purpose of long-term management of sever, chronic pain" while the smallest (Class 2) used Kratom to aid withdrawal from or to manage a Subtance Use Disorder (SUD). The other two classes were more similar in their motivations, both citing recreational reasons for taking Kratom, but one class (Class 4) to also manage the symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Interestingly, all four classes cited that they were "highly likely" to use Kratom for performance purposes, i.e. to improve focus at work or enhance physical ability. This echoes a traditional belief that certain strains of Mitragyna speciosa (Kratom) can enhance physical and mental performance when taken in optimal quantities.

This study, the first of its kind, was "designed to explore how people who consume Kratom may be grouped into specific subpopulations based on their Kratom-use motivations". Whilst it can be said that the survey was successful inuncovering individuals' motivations for taking the herbal substance it is not a substitute for "individualized assessment in a clinical practice".

Researchers concluded that: "At the Kratom-consumer population level, however, we can say that US-based Kratom use continues to be largely, but not singularly, driven by self-treatment. As products and brands proliferate to target new consumer demographic groups, the motivations for and possible consequences of Kratom use will likely only become more diverse".

You can read about the study in more detail here.