Kava and kratom continue to prosper in Florida despite health concerns

Kava and kratom are emerging as an alternative to cocktails and coffee. However, along with their ever-growing popularity, concerns exist about what this product is and does.

Kratom belongs to the coffee family. It grows from a tall Mitragyna Speciosa Korth tree native to Southeast Asia. The leaves of that plant are processed, and that’s what is turned into kratom.

Originally, Kratom was used by farmers who would chew on the leaves for energy. Kratom is commonly brewed into a tea.

Legality

Kratom’s legality varies. Some states require users to be 21 and older; in some, it is illegal. In July, Florida passed a law prohibiting businesses from selling these products to consumers under 21. Kratom is also banned in Sarasota County.

• RELATED: Alchemist Kava set to open this month in East Naples

Kava, legal in all 50 states and not regulated by any law, is part of the pepper family and derived from a kava plant’s root. The root is usually pulverized into a powder form. For consumption, the powder is mixed with water and put into drinks.

Kava is primarily found in Fiji, Hawaii, and other islands in the Pacific. Kava has been used for a very long time in a ceremonial basis with all kinds of different groups as a kind of community beverage to celebrate, dating back to 3,000 years ago.

Benefits

Kratom can give stimulant-like effects, which include alertness, increased energy, and body-like euphoria. Kava can make you feel relaxed and elevate your mood. Consumption of Kava and kratom has been known to ease anxiety and depression and “calm” the user.

The community aspect of kava and kratom carries over to today at kava bars. Kava bars are an alternative to what you might expect at a bar and offer a quiet and serene setting where patrons can study, mingle or partake in weekly games or events.

Kava bars have seen an emergence, especially in Florida. With over 75 existing here, there are more expected to be constructed, as the drink grows in popularity.

Possible Side Effects

However, like any newer product, kava and kratom face concerns, particularly with their side effects. With it being introduced so recently, people wonder if they are completely safe to drink.

“When something’s a plant, usually that means there’s a lot of different pharmacology,” said Dallas Vasquez, owner and CEO of Mitra-9, a Fort Myers-created kava/kratom drink. “There’s different accolades. There are a lot of different things going on, and so people tend to gravitate towards the negative first before they look at the positive, and so my personal opinion is that it’s an unknown, and for some people, an unknown tends to be a little scary.”

According to Dr. Iahn Gonsenhauser, Chief Medical Officer of Lee Health, studies identified that kava is metabolized by the liver, which means the liver is the organ that breaks it down in your body.

“Possibly the most initially concerning impact of the kava product is its potential interference with other medications that other people may be taking,” he said.

Kava is said to have impacts on the liver, but Gonsenhauser emphasizes that it is potential and situational. He said this is because studies haven’t clearly shown that liver dysfunction is caused by kava and could be potentially caused by something else that has been used simultaneously.

Gosenhauser said that medication interactions are the biggest concern for Kava.

“When you take something that either inhibits or speeds up that metabolism process, it can change the way other medications affect you to either affect you more or affect you less,” he said.

Gosenhauser said that for both products, their impact only seems to be when consumed at high and very concentrated doses.

To ensure its safety, testing is very important for kava/kratom products.

Vasquez’s Mitra-9 ensures people are cognizant of what kava and kratom are before they crack open a can. Mitra-9 offers users a discretional guide to kratom and kava on their website. They also link to a third-party site that offers more information.

According to Vasquez, Mitra-9 is very involved with rigorous testing to get the best product out there. They are involved in everything from farming the product in Thailand to the finished product here in the U.S. Vasquez believes educating consumers is very important.

Looking Ahead

Vasquez says this is only the beginning of kava and kratom’s longevity.

They land in a beverage market as an alternative to alcohol, coffee, tea and energy drinks, all of which have the advantage of time.

According to Vasquez, new drinks always endure a reluctant phase.

“If you go back and look at Redbull, some of Redbull’s early challenges were about different types of ingredients they had in their cans,” he said. “As I tell everyone, we’re not reinventing the wheel. We just have to make sure that we educate people.”

But after the reluctant faze…

“I think that kava and kratom are large enough to be an industry,” Vasquez said, “and what I mean by industry is they create jobs and that it creates other things that are dedicated to it.”

Gosenhauer warns those who have liver dysfunction or liver disease of any kind to be cautious of these products. He recommends they consult with a medical professional if they are unsure about how their medications are metabolized.

“For both products, there are strong suggestions that neither children nor pregnant women take the concentrated versions of either product,” he said, “not because they’re known to be unsafe but because we don’t know if they are safe.”

To learn more about Mitra-9, click here.

For a comprehensive list of kratom’s legality, click here.