Kratom and cannabidiol enjoy a solid reputation for their immense therapeutic properties. The two natural substances deliver powerful analgesic effects, which make them effective against pain. You can also use them to treat a wide range of other medical conditions, including stress, anxiety, inflammation, and insomnia.
One of the primary reasons medical experts recommend kratom and CBD is because, unlike many conventional medications, these substances come with minimal or no side effects. But if you’re new to these herbal extracts, you may be at a loss as to which one is more beneficial to you. Read on for a side-by-side comparison of kratom and CBD.
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Kratom vs. CBD
1. Origin
Kratom, also known as Mitragyna speciosa, is a species of an evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia, in countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. The tree belongs in the coffee family and is renowned for its powerful stimulant properties and opioid-like effects. Kratom is available in several strains, including Maeng Da, White Vein kratom, Green Sunda, to mention but a few.
Cannabidiol is one of the extracts obtained from the Cannabis Sativa plant, which has gained widespread recognition for its therapeutic effects. It’s important to note that cannabis contains more than 400 compounds. About 120 of these compounds are cannabinoids, a group that includes CBD. The other compounds that comprise cannabis are mainly terpenoids or flavonoids.
In addition to CBD, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is another popular extract of the cannabis plant. The fundamental difference between tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol is that THC is both psychoactive and intoxicating, whereas CBD is not.
2. How They Work
Kratom contains two main active ingredients – mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine (7HMG). These compounds interact with the body’s opioid receptors in a near-similar manner as opioid drugs.
According to research, mitragynine accounts for Kratom’s medicinal properties, whereas 7-hydroxy mitragynine is responsible for its psychoactive effects. On the other hand, cannabidiol interacts with the body through the endocannabinoid system. The ECS refers to a complex cell-signaling system, which plays a significant role in regulating the body’s homeostatic balance. It consists of endogenous cannabinoids like anandamide, endocannabinoid receptors like CB1 and CB2 receptors, and various hormones.
CBD impacts the endocannabinoid system in various ways, such as improving the body’s signaling of anandamide. It can also alter specific receptors’ chemical structure, allowing the body’s endocannabinoids to bind more easily to these receptors.
3. Conditions They Can Treat
As you shall find, the health benefits of Kratom are nearly similar to those of CBD. Both substances can help with pain management, anxiety relief, fatigue, and several other conditions.
To understand which of the two substances is best for you, you’ll need to establish how they work against specific medical conditions.
● Pain
Kratom can relieve pain by binding to opioid receptors, spread across the body, from the central nervous system to the peripheral organs. That makes it more effective against neuropathic pains.
CBD pills fight pain by interacting with the endocannabinoid receptors in a manner that changes the chemical structure of these receptors. As a result, the body’s endocannabinoids like anandamide can bind more effectively to these receptors, resulting in faster rain relief. CBD is useful for both nociceptive and neuropathic pain.
● Anxiety
As we’ve already indicated, kratom interacts with opioid receptors in the brain, producing effects similar to conventional opioid drugs like codeine, heroin, and morphine. It’s those same effects that contribute to anxiety relief.
On its part, CBD can fight anxiety by boosting the brain’s signaling of ‘feel-good’ neurotransmitters like serotonin. By increasing serotonin levels, CBD can help suppress the effects of stress-inducing hormones like cortisol.
● Insomnia
Kratom is a powerful sedative, mostly when consumed in high doses. Those sedative effects can enhance relaxation and allow you to drift off to sleep by shortening your sleep latency. But as far as treating insomnia goes, cannabidiol does you one better.
Besides improving sleep latency, CBD can also treat various causes of insomnia, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. It has also been shown to eliminate the rapid eye movement (REM) phase of sleep, which is the stage during sleep where you experience the most dreams. The elimination of REM sleep means that you won’t dream much, which translates to more restful sleep. What’s more – CBD is effective against REM sleep behavior disorder, a condition characterized by acting out your dreams.
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● Poor mental focus
Both kratom and cannabidiol can help to improve your mental focus. However, the substances work in different ways. Kratom can boost your mental focus by triggering the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. The herb can also increase dopamine and serotonin release, all of which are linked to increased focus and concentration.
On the other hand, cannabidiol can improve your focus by eliminating mental slump and activating the thought process. CBD may also promote damaged brain cells’ regeneration, which reduces memory decline while improving other brain functions. CBD’s anxiolytic effects can also help to banish racing thoughts, allowing you to focus on what matters.
In addition to the above medical conditions, kratom and CBD can also help with;
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Inflammatory conditions
- Weight loss
4. Mode of administration
Generally, there are similar ways to consume kratom and CBD. You can consider oral tinctures or edibles. You can also smoke or vape e-liquids that are infused by either product.
However, kratom seems to have an edge in terms of raw consumption. Unlike CBD, you don’t need to heat kratom to activate its compounds.
5. Psychoactive properties
Since kratom affects the brain the same way other opioid drugs do, it’s logical to conclude that it induces euphoria. But unlike conventional opioids, kratom doesn’t interact fully with your brain’s receptors. Therefore, its psychoactive effects are milder. And since it doesn’t bind completely to your brain’s receptors, kratom doesn’t present severe risks of addiction either.
CBD is neither psychoactive nor addictive. However, note that specific CBD products, such as full-spectrum CBD, often contain the mind-altering THC. When THC is involved, CBD will indeed induce euphoria.
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Conclusion
Both kratom and CBD come with remarkable medicinal effects. However, kratom seems to be the better herb in terms of therapeutic and psychoactive properties. CBD is mostly famous as a medicinal herb. It’s also worth noting that CBD enjoys a wider legal recognition to kratom, making it generally more available.
FAQ
How does kratom help with pain?
Kratom can relieve pain by binding to opioid receptors, spread across the body, from the central nervous system to the peripheral organs. That makes it more effective against neuropathic pains.
What is kratom?
Kratom, also known as Mitragyna speciosa, is a species of an evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia, in countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. The tree belongs in the coffee family and is renowned for its powerful stimulant properties and opioid-like effects. Kratom is available in several strains, including Maeng Da, White Vein kratom, Green Sunda, to mention but a few.
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