A Study of Kratom Eaters in Thailand: Foundational 1975 Research

Why it matters

This 1975 study is one of the earliest scientific investigations of kratom use patterns, addiction, and effects in Thai users — foundational research that still informs modern kratom science and policy debates.

The big picture

Decades before kratom became a Western health trend, Thai laborers had long used the plant for work endurance. Understanding this cultural baseline is essential context for modern regulatory debates about kratom's risks and benefits.

Key findings

• • 30 kratom users (29 male, 1 female) from Nondhaburi and Bangkok were studied using interviews and physical/psychiatric examination
• • Users were predominantly agricultural workers who used kratom to cope with hard labor — most consumed 10-30 leaves daily, 3-10 times per day
• • Long-term users developed dark skin hyperpigmentation on the cheeks — an early observation of what modern research now confirms
• • Five cases of kratom-associated psychosis were examined at Srithunya Psychiatric Hospital
• • Kratom had been illegal in Thailand since 1943 (Kratom Act), yet use persisted widely among rural laborers

Bottom line

Observational study with interviews and medical examination of 30 kratom addicts in Thailand; conducted by Sangun Suwanlert; published in Bulletin on Narcotics (1975).