A Brief History of Kratom: From Southeast Asian Traditional Use to Canadian Research Market

# A Brief History of Kratom: From Southeast Asian Traditional Use to Canadian Research Market Kratom has a documented history stretching back centuries in Southeast Asia and a much shorter but more turbulent history in Western markets. Understanding both helps situate the modern research-product category. ## Traditional Southeast Asian Use *Mitragyna speciosa* grows wild across Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. Leaves have been used by farm and forestry workers in these regions for at least several centuries, primarily as a stimulant for long workdays and, at higher doses, as a pain-management aid. Leaves were chewed fresh, or dried and brewed as tea. Traditional knowledge about strain selection, harvesting timing, and dose management is extensive in origin regions — reflected in the [vein colour classification system](/blog/red-vein-vs-green-vein-kratom) that still guides product differentiation today. ## Colonial-Era Documentation Dutch colonial botanists in Indonesia documented kratom in the early 1800s. *Mitragyna speciosa* was formally described in the scientific literature by Pieter Korthals in 1839. Western research interest remained minimal for the next century. ## Early Alkaloid Chemistry Mitragynine was isolated and characterized in 1921 by E.J. Field. The full alkaloid profile took another sixty years to be mapped properly. [7-hydroxymitragynine](/blog/7oh-vs-mitragynine) was identified as a distinct compound in 1993, though its presence in kratom had been noted in alkaloid surveys earlier. ## Regulatory History Thailand criminalized kratom in 1943 under the Kratom Act — the first country to do so — largely for economic reasons (competition with the opium tax regime at the time). Thailand decriminalized personal kratom use in 2021. Malaysia retains restrictions. Indonesia remains the largest producer. In the United States, kratom has had a fluctuating regulatory status since around 2015. Federal scheduling attempts have not succeeded as of 2026. State-level bans exist in a handful of states. In Canada, kratom has never been scheduled and has been available as a research and botanical product continuously. See [our Canadian legal guide](/blog/kratom-canada-legal-status). ## Modern Western Market Growth Western consumer interest accelerated around 2010-2015, initially as loose leaf powder sold through online retailers. Quality was highly variable; adulteration and mislabeling were common. [Lab testing](/blog/importance-of-lab-testing) became the primary market mechanism for separating reputable vendors from the rest. ## The 7-OH Isolate Era Around 2020-2022, isolated 7-OH products began to appear in the market. This coincided with improvements in chromatographic separation and semi-synthetic production methods. Isolated [7-OH tablets](/product/pure-7oh-labs-blue-raz) brought dose precision to a market that had previously run on gravimetric estimates of whole-leaf alkaloid content. ## The Canadian Market Today As of 2026 the Canadian market supports a modest but active vendor ecosystem. Products range from [traditional whole leaf](/blog/kratom-tablets-vs-powder) through [flavoured shots](/product/bare-kratom-shots-blue-razz) to high-potency power blends. Third-party lab testing is now the industry-standard minimum for reputable vendors. See [our journey from Southeast Asia to Canada](/blog/journey-of-kratom-southeast-asia) for the contemporary supply-chain picture. ## Where the Research Goes Next Active research areas in 2026 include receptor binding kinetics of isolated alkaloids, partial agonism profiles compared to synthetic compounds, metabolic fate of 7-OH, and safety characterization at research doses. Canadian university research on kratom pharmacology remains limited but growing. *Products are sold for research purposes. Not for human consumption.*