Kratom tea is tea made from Kratom leaves.
Kratom leaves contain two major psychoactive ingredients (mitragynine and 7-hydroxymytragynine).
These leaves are crushed and then smoked, brewed with tea, or placed into gel capsules.
Kratom has a long history of use in Southeast Asia, where it is commonly known as thang, kakuam, thom, ketum, and biak.
People who use kratom report that at low doses, kratom acts as an upper, called a stimulant.
That means it makes them more alert and gives them more energy.
At higher doses, people who use it report that it reduces pain and makes them feel calm and less anxious, also called a sedative.
Users of kratom report multiple motivations for use, with the most commonly endorsed reasons being treatment of anxiety or depression, pain relief, treatment of fatigue or low energy, and treatment of chronic pain.
Kratom was shown to have muscle relaxant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anorectic, and morphine-like effects in preclinical studies, but human data are sparse.
It's stimulant effects are reported at lower doses (1–5 g), with sedative and pain-relieving activities at higher doses (5–15 g).