This blog is a recap of Dr. Oliver Grundmann’s and Hamilton Morris’s discussion regarding Dr. Grundmann’s latest kratom survey. When possible, citations have been provided for the topics that they discussed. This is the kratom survey which Hamilton Morris is helping promote.
Dr. Oliver Grundmann
Dr. Oliver Grundmann is one of the most cited kratom researchers in the world. His work regarding kratom ranges from the largest population study of kratom consumers ever conducted, all the way to detailing its neuropharmacology. He has spoken at several American Kratom Association hosted advocacy events, and continues to correct sensationalism with science.
He currently serves as the Director and faculty advisor for the online Master of Science and graduate certificate programs in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Clinical Toxicology at the College of Pharmacy of the University of Florida.
Hamilton Morris
Hamilton Morris is a renowned science and culture journalist. He directed, wrote, and hosted three seasons of the hit television series “Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia,” and his written work has appeared in Harper’s Magazine and Vice Magazine, among others. He researches drug development and pharmacology at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia with long-time colleague Dr. Jason Wallach.
In 2017 he released his widely acclaimed documentary Kratom: The Forbidden Leaf as part of season 2 of his television series. Hamilton Morris has returned to the subject of kratom and kratom surveys through his role as Scientific Advisor to Top Tree Herbs.
What Sets this Survey Apart
This survey is remarkable, according to Dr. Grundmann, because it has a predetermined serving size. This simply controlling for this variable allows the researchers to narrow their field of vision and focus on elucidating the kratom’s specific effects.
While it may seem like this is not a big deal, knowing the amount someone takes is critical for making any claims as to its beneficial or negative effects.
The Metrics
Kratom, unlike any other plant, produces different effects with different serving sizes. On the low end, at around one to two tea bags, people report that kratom can be energizing.
On the other hand, at serving sizes exceeding three or more tea bags, the effect is claimed to be the opposite. Currently, this is all speculative. Nevertheless, this survey will help shine light on the matter.
What’s more, Dr. Grundmann will also be examining what particular reason people drink kratom tea. Some options on his survey are “pain, anxiety, PTSD, and even opioid withdrawal or other prescription or drug symptoms.”
As well as trying to figure out why people drink kratom tea, he will also be looking at general geographic locations to see where tea drinkers are concentrated in the US. Importantly, Dr. Grundmann asserts, he and his team are particularly interested in what benefits people derive from drinking the tea, as well as any possible adverse effects.
Correcting A Mistake – 14 Tea Bags Per Unit
As a quick correction, Soren slipped up when he said that the survey would be included on products that contain 24 tea bags. In fact, the products contain 14 tea bags, with 42 grams of kratom per unit. At the time of this recording, we were in the process of switching our tea bag formulation. Before, we used to have 20 tea bags per pouch, with 2 grams of kratom in it. Now, we have 3 gram tea bags, at 14 per pouch. Now you get two extra grams of kratom at no extra cost!
Since recording the podcast, the internal review board at Dr. Grundmann’s university approved the survey for 1,500 respondents. Therefore, the survey will no longer be constrained to just 1000 units. We will keep a link to the survey open until enough data is collected.
All Can Participate
Hamilton then goes on to ask whether the occasional kratom tea drinker, who uses it for a pre- or post-workout, or as an alternative to alcohol, will be included in the survey. Similarly, many people have reached out to us saying that they first tried kratom because of our tea bags. Like many others, tossing and washing, or taking kratom capsules, was simply too intimidating. To this, Dr. Grundmann assures him that the survey will accommodate every sort of kratom tea drinker.
By accommodating these relatively new users of kratom, he will be able to compare them with long term tea drinkers. Again, one of the benefits of conducting this survey through kratom tea drinkers is that the tea bags are a set serving size. With the added information of how frequently they drink the tea, it will be very easy for him and his team to easily calculate just how much kratom tea they drink over a period of time.
Hamilton Morris is interested in this kratom survey because it combines simplicity with need to know information. As he states in the introduction, the basic information regarding kratom’s userbase is unknown.
Survey Info
Ultimately, this discussion is to promote Dr. Grundmann’s incredibly important population survey of kratom tea drinkers. The data from this survey will be able to further our scientific understanding of this leaf, and its consumption via the traditional preparation.
These are the crucial, final innings in the story of kratom. At the moment, it has drawn the ire of federal regulatory agencies, for whatever reason. Nobody can protect kratom by themselves. Rigorous, scientific analysis of kratom, including it’s potential for both good and bad is necessary. However, given the politics surrounding kratom, the ability for scientists to experiment with it is limited.
You Can Help!
To get around this, we need a grassroots commitment to discovering the truth regarding this leaf. As such, surveys are one of our best options. The current survey that Dr. Grundmann is conducting is one of the most rigorous and controlled population surveys on kratom every conducted. For the results to have any weight, it is up to you to participate.
If we fail to collect adequate data to make any meaningful conclusions, then the enemies of kratom will be able to continue to propagate their ill informed claims. In the grand scheme of things, we know surprisingly little about kratom. That means that both the claims made by advocates and kratom prohibitionists are founded on thin evidence. To collect a meaningful amount of data from this survey would allow for a more scientific discussion to be had. In effect, all those committed to honesty above speculation will want for this survey to be widely responded to.
How To Help
If you would like to participate in this historical research project, you can purchase a discounted bag of our crushed leaf kratom tea bags. From there, it’s as simple, and pleasurable, as drinking tea! After you’ve drunk some of the tea, simply scan the QR code on the bag and fill out the anonymous survey. Or, you can go directly to the survey via https://tinyurl.com/Kratomteasurvey. You can keep tab on Hamilton Morris kratom survey updates via his twitter. You can find Hamilton’s twitter @hamiltonmorris.
To clarify, only our unblended kratom tea bags are associated with the survey.
