Is Mitragyna Speciosa Addictive?
A common query asked by those just hearing of mitragyna speciosa for the first time is whether or not it is addictive. As with all psychoactive substances, the herb actually does harbour potential as an addictive substance, it must be noted. However, it must also be said that the addictive potential of the herb is rated as extremely low, with most studies revealing it to have far lower addictive potential than marijuana. Furthermore, the withdrawal symptoms for people weaning themselves from the herb have been rated by researchers as being mild, especially when compared to one of the illegal substances for which it is often used as a substitute: morphine.
Indeed, mitragyna speciosa users suffering from withdrawal report no grave symptoms during the taper-off period. Symptoms were usually runny noses, slight lethargy, slight irritability, and dry mouths. Comparing that to the withdrawal symptoms for morphine and opiate addicts puts matters in perspective and reveals why several treatment centers for recovering opiate addicts use mitragyna speciosa as a mitigating drug. Typically, it is used to replace the more dangerous addiction with a far more manageable one, from which addicts can then more safely undergo withdrawal.
Keeping yourself from becoming dependent on the herb is a simple matter of moderation and monitoring. The ideal way to use it is to ensure that at least 2 weeks pass between each instance of use, to ensure that the body does not have time or sufficient regularity of exposure to increase its tolerance to the alkaloids and build up a dependence on them. Some people go with intervals of 1 week, but generally speaking, longer intervals are naturally better.
Another important tip if you are trying to avoid falling into the addiction trap is to ensure that your sources are pure and reliable. The problem for some has been usage of pure alkaloid extracts as opposed to the leaf itself, which means they started off on powerful doses first. Start off with small doses and do not raise the dosage abruptly: if you begin to find that your regular doses no longer take effect, spend a month away from the herb to bring down your tolerance again.
