Introduction
We’re thrilled to introduce the kratom tea survey! As many of you know, there’s a huge shortage of kratom research today. We know the basics, but there are a lot of unanswered questions. When you consider the fact that millions of us use kratom every day, it’s easy to see the issue.
As the first kratom tea bag company, we want to help change that. One of our goals is to help kratom normalization, and today we have an opportunity to lay the foundation for exactly that. And yes, it involves drinking tea, lots of tea.
We’re thrilled to announce our collaboration with Dr. Oliver Grundmann, of the University of Florida, on a new population survey of kratom tea drinkers. As the largest kratom tea survey ever done, we hope it will give researchers new insights about kratom. And with your participation, it will.
Taking Action
In our view, it’s kind of a chicken vs. egg situation. Kratom research is being stalled for the same reason it’s drastically needed: consumer safety. Meanwhile, millions of people continue using it every day, many purchasing from kratom vendors that view the lack of regulation as a loophole rather than problem.
Top Tree is not one to quietly sit on the sideline and complain about the lack of science without ever taking our hands out of our pockets. So we’ve rolled up our sleeves and aligned ourselves with the cutting edge of kratom research.
Enter Dr. Grundmann. Over the past few years, his kratom research has helped us understand why and how US consumers use kratom. In 2017, for example, he conducted an 8000 person population study of kratom users in the United States. This is by far the largest study yet and complicates the hysterical narrative of some federal regulatory bodies and the fear mongering by the media.
Study Specifics
This study is novel because it is the first to have a standardized route of administration, i.e. kratom drank as a tea. (How it should be consumed!)
In science, the more variables that you can isolate, the more meaningful the data becomes. In previous surveys, where people reported widely varying effects and lifestyle influences, there was no reference of how the kratom was taken. Nor where it was sourced. Nor the dosage.
With kratom tea bags, there is a set serving size and a recommended brew time. This makes for a more unified analysis since there is consistency in preparation. In past studies people reported taking wildly different amounts. How much kratom one takes dictates what kratom does. To further complicate matters, people took their kratom as extracts, capsules, and homemade slurries. There were simply too many variables to make specific claims.
The benefits of our survey is that the brewing process is fairly standard. We recommend using a little lemon juice when steeping your kratom tea, and steeping it all for at least 20 minutes in boiling hot water, simply because that is how you get the best effects.
What Sets this Survey Apart
When it comes to science, the modus operandi is to eliminate as much noise as possible. The intention is to discern a distinct, very small, natural phenomenon. Compounding processes or subjective influence makes “science” little better than hyperbole and speculation. Our study is not perfect, but it will be the most rigorous study of the kratom tea drinkers among us.
If we want to protect the future of kratom, the community must rally together and support science where necessary. The lack of scientific research into kratom is the most effective weapon in the arsenal of those who wish to see kratom made illegal and disappear. As simple, easy to understand papers are published, it will be easier to engage the more egregious claims made against kratom.
The survey is currently being approved by the Internal Review Board of Dr. Grundmann’s University, and is to begin collecting responses in the next week or two.
Where to Learn More?
As we start to push for survey responses, we’ll be releasing exclusive content to get the message out there. Stay tuned, we have some great podcasts with super intelligent researchers, like Hamilton Morris and the esteemed Dr. Grundmann, coming soon!
