Kratom and South African Herbs — Kratom, focus , concentration, pain relief, healing, herbalism

There we go, it is what's involved and we move on to some other guests to chat to right now. One of them I chatted to I think last year and the second one, well, she's joining me for the first time tonight. Who are they? You ask. Well, we've got Jenny Lauterun from Greenvane and she is being joined by Amalia Fispe. Amalia, as I understand it, we'll get you to introduce yourself and tell me all about yourself. First and foremost, hello, ladies. Welcome to the show. Hi, David. Thank you for having us. Hello. Thank you. Here we go. Jenny, are you a little less stressed this time than you were last time? Ever so slightly. Ever so slightly. There we go. So I wondered. Who's Jenny? Where's she from? Well, we spoke to Jenny last, I think it was last year. Was it? Yeah, it was last year and you are from Greenvane and Pratham, South Africa. That's right. Okay. So Jenny, we're talking to you again because I wanted to do a follow-up, but you said that you wanted Amalia to join us. So let's find out a little bit about Amalia. Tell me about Amalia. Who are you? Where do you come from? All of those interesting things. Amalia, let me know. So that's quite a question. So David, I'm a herbalist. So I have a deep passion for plants and also a traditional African healer with an extensive experience in dealing with all kinds of herb, you know, a herb being any part of a plant that has got a therapeutic action.

So it's a deep passion, you know, it comes from personal experience and then it also comes from the phenomenal world that I've been introduced to by studying herbs and what they can actually do for the body. So my drive behind everything is always healing. You know, I also come from other alternative healing studies. So every time, you know, we get back to this phenomenal plant that both Jenny and I love so much, Pratham, which is the main plant we focus on, you know, just seeing how it has changed people's lives and the feedback we get to in the research that is not freely available. So in a nutshell, I am a herb person. I think my blood is green and I have a passion for people and their well-being and alternatives to, you know, we're not against pharmaceuticals, but we definitely understand that there are options in this world that we want to make available to people. So my drive is to educate people on the options that they have and the rights to be free from pain naturally and from emotional stress naturally, you know, I come from a very holistic background as well. We, you know, we understand what happens to the body and we understand that all systems are connected. So that's basically where Jane and I have joined up, you know, her passion for the plants and my passion for the plants.

And yeah, it's just really been one of those great sort of get togethers where we can actually really get the information out to the people who need to understand more about herbs. So, yeah, I hope that answers your question. It does indeed. Thank you. Now, just to recap, when we did speak to Jane, it was I'd come across you guys at the cannabis expo of all places last year and I said, this is fascinating. I didn't know a lot about Kratum at that stage and we had a chat about it. Jenny was kind enough to send me to send me some to try because I have a problem due to my diabetes. I had neuropathy in my feet and I was battling a lot. And I was amazed. It worked. And we got some of the red Kratum and the white Kratum and it was brilliant. And now recently we've called upon Jenny again. But it seems to me that just even in that short space, Jenny, that I've spoken to you before and now that Kratum, there's been more information. I don't know if that's largely to do with you guys, but more information and people seem more accepting of this amazing herb leaf, I don't know what you want to call it, than before. Is this true? Absolutely. The popularity in South Africa over the past couple of months is really, really growing.

There's five million people in the US alone that are currently using Kratum instead of their pharmaceuticals. And in South Africa, we've definitely noticed a huge increase in popularity and as you say, acceptance. Yeah. Because, I mean, initially, and that's what caught my attention is, initially you'd come across Kratum and you were using it to deal with your pain from a back surgery, et cetera, et cetera. And you were able to deal with that pain and not use any of the opiate derived painkillers. Indeed. Okay, so now you've got Amalia involved as well and the herbalist side of it, it fascinates me as well. But can we get a quick rundown? Maybe Amalia, maybe you can help me out here. What is Kratum and where does it come from? And then maybe we can have a look at what we use it for. Oh, wonderful. So, David, Kratum comes from Southeast Asia. It's been traditionally used for many, many years. So, what I believe is, as people have started waking up to plants in the last couple of years, they had a look at what Kratum was doing and they did some extensive tests on Kratum. And what they have found is that the different strains of Kratum has got a different therapeutic action on the body.

So, here we have one tree that can offer so much, not just symptomatically. So, Kratum is not just something you take like a panado that sorts out your pain. It's actually got a whole holistic branch to it as well. So, when I say holistic is that when you consume Kratum, it's a diuretic. So, what a diuretic does is it pulls all the toxins out of your body and then it expels of it. So, on a holistic level, it treats you as well. It's got more antioxidants in than green tea. So, yes, it works phenomenally for pain, you know, to the point where many studies have been done by highly qualified doctors who have dedicated their life to Kratum to the point where a doctor suggested to the American authorities that Kratum is suitable to replace the methadone program. Now, that is huge. Okay. Here we have a natural plant that can actually help people who are hooked on very serious narcotics naturally, you know, without having to be hooked on methadone. So, it's a phenomenal plant, not just symptomatically because it really works for pain. So, what it does, it interacts with the receptors in your brain, so the EMEA receptor and the CAPEA receptor. So, it tells your brain that your body is not in pain.

That's how it works symptomatically. How it works holistically is that it actually gives the central nervous system that space that it needs to adapt to the stresses in your life. So, it's also an adaptogen, which is so, so important, you know, we always stick things in our body to feel better, but on a holistic point of view, what we actually need to do for ourselves is allow ourselves the space to heal. So, I'm very excited about this plant, you know, I cannot even, and I can understand why the pharmaceuticals are scared, like I get it, you know, it's phenomenal. So, as a plant that can treat the central nervous system, it can act as a stimulant. So, if you have fatigue syndrome, you can use Kratum. If you have burnout, you can use Kratum. If you suffer from depression, Kratum is known to help you. If you have severe anxiety disorder, it is known to help you. So, it very much works on the central nervous system as, you know, I have seen people get out of hospital being told that they would have to be in a hospital and on benzos for the rest of their lives and actually getting their voice back, being able to handle meetings and cope with their lives without having this heaviness of something is up with me.

So, it gives your brain that space to actually heal while it treats you symptomatically. So, it really is a phenomenal plant. So, yeah, that's a brief breakdown of Kratum. It contains about 40 alkaloids or more, which is anti-inflammatory, which is anti, you know, if your body is tense, it will relax your muscles and then from, like I said, from the holistic point of view, it will help you get rid of stuff that does not serve your body and it will get the oxidant, the antioxidants. It works as phenomenal antioxidant as well. Yeah. Okay. Now, there's different kinds of Kratum. Do the different kinds all come from one tree or are there different varieties of Kratum? And I'm still, after practicing it for so long, I still can't get Kratum, Kratum, Quatum, right? So, just you call it what it needs to be called and I'll make up my own names. Or is it just, you know, is it different trees or leaves at different stages? How does it work? So, the different strains originate from different areas in Southeast Asia. Obviously, these areas have different conditions that the plants grow in, different nutrients. So, that's how we get the variety of strains. Malay comes from Malaysia, Thai comes from Thailand, Bali from Bali.

And then with Inlats, there's also the different harvest times. So, it's an evergreen tree, so they harvest four times a year. When I'm guessing it's spring, the leaves are, the vein inside the leaf is like a whitish color. And a white Kratum is usually the most energetic of that strain. Then, the next harvest, the vein inside the leaf is green. That's where we get our name from, the green vein. And that's also energetic, but probably the most euphoric of any strain. So, they call that one the perfect in-betweener. Then, the next harvest is the late harvest, the leaves are really big, the vein inside the leaf is like a reddish color. And that is the one that is strongest for pain. Also good for anxiety, insomnia, it starts to become more relaxing, sedating, anti-inflammatory. And then the gold vein they select, it's usually the big red vein leaves that they have a special drying and curing process. It's a longer process to maintain more alkaloids. That's usually the strongest of the strain. So, within the, say, barley, the trees that are harvested in barley, you'll have a white barley, a green barley, a red barley and a gold barley. And the same goes for all of the strains. There's so many because they've also, oh, hybrids.

Hybrids as well. Okay. Yes. Sure. All right. So, okay, we are chatting to Janie and Amalia from Green Vein. We're just going to go with Green Vein for now. When we come back, I want to find out a little bit more about this incredible plant. It really does sound fantastic. I've had some firsthand experience as well. We'll talk more about that when we come back. And we're back. Thank you very much, ladies, for joining me from Green Vein. We've got Amalia and Janie on the line with us. Kratum almost, sorry, ladies, Kratum almost sounded, or Kratum almost sounded, to me in the beginning, too good to be true. It's like, you know, and one leaf to heal them all kind of thing. And yet, you know, particularly, you know, in the areas that it's grown, people swear by it. There's been, there's been a kind of, I suppose here in South Africa, people have gone, okay, and only us weird freaky, hippy type people have actually given it a bash, or am I, am I wrong? So, David, quite interestingly, you know, when we do extensive research on who uses Kratum, what we have found is that it's actually people who are between the age of 30 and 60 who have families that function and go to work. And so that's the basic breakdown of the profile that uses Kratum quite interestingly.

So, so I think, you know, just to get back to what is in Kratum. So we've got two alkaloids that is, that makes Kratum quite unique. So we've got metrogenene, and then as the plant dries out and the therapeutic action changes, it changes into seven hydroxy metrogenene. So those two specific ingredients, if I can put it like that, in the leaf, is what makes the leaf so unique. So I think in the last couple of years, specifically since the Leaf of Faith movie has been released on Netflix, people have caught on that, you know, they don't have to be on benzos all the time, you know, I'm not saying it doesn't serve, I'm just saying that a lot of people I'm yet to meet a family where anxiety or addiction or pain is not present. So if you look at it, you know, people have started picking on the education and the information available on Kratum and then just word of mouth, you know, someone who was having to use morphine every day, and then it didn't work for her anymore. She switched to a red vein Kratum and she could get off morphine. So just her experience alone and in telling the people around her, I think that is why it is becoming so popular because, you know, if you can go from someone else's personal experience, and then if you can have the research available from the professors like Mark Swager and Chris McCurdy and Dr. O'Brien, who have really dedicated their lives to Kratum, I think that combination together, if you know how to do research and look for the case studies, I think that is what's created the boom.

You know, people have gone, wow, and yeah, for some people, they still can't get their heads around, you know, it's something that we've been blessed with, it's a gift that's been given to us. So I think, you know, to be skeptical in the beginning, I always say to people, the plant speaks for itself. Once you've tried the plant, you'll understand, you know, so yeah, if that answers your question a little bit. It does. And I mean, as I said, you know, we, Jenny was kind enough to give us some, we had some of the white Kratum and then the red one as well. And certainly in terms of, you know, the white one in terms of that energy, excuse me, the pick me up kind of thing, that definitely worked. The red one also, that sedative effect and the pain relieving effect was quite good. I think it's a plant that you do need to respect, though, I don't think it's something that you can go and get just anywhere and start throwing it down your throat. I think you do need to respect the plant. And you know, David, there's a reason why, okay? So if we look at the family that Kratum belongs to, we'll understand that it's from the same family as the gardenia plant and the coffee plant camp. So we have to understand that we are dealing with something that's got the same profile as coffee.

So if you're going to take large amounts of coffee and suddenly stop, your body is going to want to have that coffee. So we need to understand that's how the plant works, too. You know, it's a phenomenal, phenomenal plant. So we do absolutely need to use it with the utmost respect and responsibly. It is also an anxiety. So as with anything that makes you feel relieved and better, you need to obviously use it responsibly. And that's why we put dosage on our bottles as well, you know, and we keep in touch with the people that we work with, you know, to us, it's not simply, oh, here, take this plant. We actually want to know we want to know about your journey because this is why we do it. You know, this is we are here to help people. So yeah, absolutely. You know, I always say to people there is a profile and it's the same profile as coffee. So if you can get it into your understanding that you're working with a plant that has the same family genetics as coffee, it becomes a lot easier to respect the plant and it becomes a lot easier to understand the plant. So so that is our drive, you know, we don't go around saying, oh, take as much as you want. No, respect it. Look after your body and look after the plant and then together that sort of movement will be very beneficial for you.

So yeah, so it is a miracle plant, but it does come with the profile the same as coffee. And this is something I feel very strongly about. You know, and I must be honest, this is probably one of the best ways I've heard Kratum described is that it's got the same kind of profile as coffee. So you know, the same way you wouldn't drink 17 cups of coffee a day. Don't do that much Kratum and I like the fact that you guys do say that you keep in touch with people and you see how it's going. But now when I last spoke to Janie and that's why I'm quite interested that Amalia, you've joined her now because she said to me she had some plans for Kratum and she wanted to take it forward and she believed that there was some synergies there. When we come back, can we talk about those synergies with Kratum that you have? Because I believe you're launching some other product loans, you're working on some other bits and pieces, that's the exciting part I want to talk about. Absolutely. Fantastic, more from Amalia and Janie, when we come back. And we're back. It is what's involved. My special guest from Greenvein. It is Janie Lautering and Amalia Crisp and Amalia is a herbalist. Janie is somebody who imports the Kratum.

And as I understand it, the highest quality that we get in this country Janie comes from you guys. Definitely. Absolutely. Yeah. I like that. I like that. Just definitely. We're done. We have to use it as well so we, you know, we look after ourselves too. Yeah, women have few words. Now Janie, as I said just before the break, when we last spoke, you had some big dreams for where you wanted to go with Kratum, what you wanted to do. You said that you believe that in terms of the herbal and plant medicine world, there were other herbs that had synergies with Kratum. Can we talk a bit about that? Have you gone much further with that? Yes, we have. One of the products we've introduced recently is CBD and Kratum Blend. So they work really well together and they're pretty much a dream team. We know all about CBD so you know how effective that is and then it really, really works well. We also work with Skeletium Canam which is also it's an adaptogen, so however your body responds to stress, the adaptogens combat that. Everybody reacts to stress in a different way and adaptogens will combat however. If you suffer with fatigue due to stress, then it'll give you energy, if you suffer with anxiety, it'll combat that.

However your body, if you suffer with insomnia due to stress, it combats that, it just balances everything out nicely. Our new product line, we're introducing some currently a very powerful antiviral due to the coronavirus although Kratum in itself is a powerful immune booster especially because it works holistically. Stress also can lower your immune system, in fact in Thailand, I mean sorry Indonesia, they put on the front page of one of their newspapers for the people to use Kratum as a preventative measure for coronavirus. That's how powerful an immune booster it is. Wow and I think this and because we are in the middle of this COVID-19 thing, this is something, just be aware okay, it is an immune booster, nobody says it will cure because you know what, we hear so many times people take things out of context, like I know, but so and so said this will cure that and I mean I've heard some pretty weird things in terms of immune boosting but and this has now just struck me, Amalia, immune boosting, there's certain African herbs that are actually very well known, are you going to mix some of those with the Kratum? So David what we've done, I just have to say that Kratum is a nutraceutical, so whatever we you know, so it hasn't just, it's a nutraceutical so people also need to understand that it is a nutraceutical and what we've done with the African medicine and this is where my passion really comes through, in Africa we have some phenomenal plants, you know to the point where we are having a meeting with the president, it's a women's group and we're having a meeting with someone who is involved with the president of Madagascar to talk about Africa and why this virus hasn't spread like wildfire in Africa, with the understanding that 85% of the population still seek traditional African medicine, so what we're really getting our head around here is that some of the plants that we work with, one of the strains or sorry one of the products that we've developed is called virus free, so we use in people which is a phenomenal antimicrobial antiviral, it is used by people who have got HIV and immune disorders to keep them healthy, I'm not saying don't use the other medication, you've got to use it in conjunction with it, but for years and years and years Africans have used in people to keep themselves healthy and to keep their immune systems up and then we have another phenomenal plant called pepperbok, so pepperbok is used by people who have got severe TB, so when we look at the virus and where it attacks the body, so it goes for the chest area, so we've incorporated pepperbok so that the chest area can be clear, you know at this stage we don't want any mucus around the chest because that's where the virus goes and sits, so our intention behind the mixture is to get all the unnecessary phlegm and product off the chest so that we can breathe easily and be free together within people to give our immune systems a boost. So this has been used for years and years and years in Africa, so that is one of the plants, two of the plants that we work with and we've combined them, some of the other plants that we are looking at is pinata, pinna which is phenomenal anti-anxiety as well, so we are surrounded in this beautiful country, we are really surrounded by phenomenal plants that the ancient people have used for years to the point where 85% of the population still uses them, so we are quite excited to bring the African plants and other plants into it as well, but at this point we just feel that there is something in Africa and their plants to the point where other African countries are now getting together to discuss plants that they use because they have seen how it's been beneficial to the people, so it's actually really huge and you know this is where the passion as a traditional African healer comes through that finally people are returning to their roots and they are realising that they can use plants that are easily and readily available to people, you know we don't have to go through all of these hectic things that we have to go through to have a healthy body, you know we can look at earth, where most medicine comes from if you look at chemotherapy and the aspect of chemotherapy is from a plant, if you look at disparate, an aspect of disparate is from a plant, so that's from the willow tree isn't it? Yeah, white willow, yeah, so we are feel that we are at this point we are really returning to our roots and we are trying to find what's best for our bodies with the understanding that we have one body, so it's quite great, people are sort of wanting to step into that right now and not just put anything into their bodies and be more natural, so yeah, listen I'm right there with you guys and I believe it's an absolutely fascinating world and particularly the world of African herbs and you know how those can then impact on our health and if you combine it with things like the Kratow, when we come back I want to find out a little bit more about some of these other herbs that you guys are talking about, Janie you glossed over the CBD, I want to chat a bit about that as well, it is what's involved, my special guests with me Janie Lachung and Amalia Crisp, we're talking Kratum and we're talking African healing herbs, we'll be back in just a bit. Wonderful, thank you David. Right and we're back ladies, one of the things that does concern me, I mean okay obviously Kratum has been used in the barley and the laks for many many many hundreds of years. South African herbs, I remember when the HIV pandemic was a massive thing in South Africa and in the news etc etc, at that time I was staying and living in the low felt and the African potato came up as something that has good antiviral properties and that plant almost went extinct. Are we doing anything in terms of cultivating these plants of ours? Yeah so David it's quite scary, you know a few of the plants that really work, people need to understand how to harvest them as well. So when you train as a herbalist you get that extensive knowledge of how to actually be aware of how you harvest. Unfortunately when something works so well we don't think of that we want more of it, so I think that problem actually just comes down to harvesting.

So you know obviously like with pepper bark as well it's difficult to get the right kind of pepper bark because it works so well, so people go out and they're harvested. So you know with us as well at Green Vane you know obviously our dream is to have a little herbal set up and to grow those herbs ourselves, which is also something that we are working on so that we can harvest them correctly and make sure that there is no shortage of it. So I think it comes down to harvesting. Okay because interestingly enough you say this because I've been kicking that idea around for a while myself and a while ago I spoke to a gentleman by the name of Gigi Elcock who wrote a book called Carcenomics, it's all about the township economy. And he was saying to me in terms of traditional medicine that is where people need to focus and what they need to start doing is on actually growing and harvesting those traditional medicines because not a lot of thought has been given to that and we are actually going to run out of some of them. So I think you guys are on the right track there and I find it absolutely fascinating. I'd love to chat to you more about actually growing and cultivating some of those herbs because I think it's a phenomenal thing that we are doing. One of the products that you guys have just done though if I may get back to some of the products that you currently have is one, is it called Focus?

Yes, it's called Focus. Tell me about that, Taney. For the Focus we've included some Jinko and I think it's Ashwagandha which are also adaptogens that help people with focus and concentration. Those have been used for a very long time for those things. So you can even give the Ashwagandha and the Jinko to your children if they suffer with ADHD. Obviously not mixed with the Kraton, we prefer to keep the Kraton farm for people 18 and over but we've added those herbs to kind of increase the potency of the Kraton. Okay, so that actually makes it more effective. Okay, you mentioned ADHD and this is something that is becoming sort of more closer and closer to my heart, ADHD, adult ADHD. Is this something that can work particularly in adults? I mean Kraton because I know that one of the trends these days and it's probably my generation because we didn't know that we could say we had ADHD but is to stop giving adults Ritalin which on the one hand I'm going okay it might not be a bad idea, on the other hand I'm going that is a very bad idea. Kraton, natural way to do this? Definitely. We've seen tremendous results with adults ADHD that's why we brought up the focus blend. It's actually a white vein that we mixed with the Jinko and the Ashwagandha, a calming vein. So the strain itself is quite a calming strain but it's the white so to give you the stamina and the motivation and you know if you've got tight deadlines if you need to work late it will help with that as well as keeping you calm and focused. Okay, now if somebody's listening and they're wanting to maybe now with children going back to school etc etc to get the children to be calm about this back to school thing and you would give them the focus for the youngsters. You would give them the focus with without the Kratom in it, am I correct? Yes, that's right. We are working on a kiddies range at the moment so that will definitely be one of our products coming out soon. And then obviously if you're older than that over the age of 18 you can get the focus that has got the Kratom as well. Are you finding business people are using this? Definitely. High pressure jobs? Yes, absolutely. Especially people that have to work late you know meet tight deadlines and as you say suffer with ADHD. There was somebody here yesterday that was just raving about how it's changed his life. How he would get home from work and he still had his admin to do and he could never, you know by then he was tired and he just couldn't sit down and focus on the admin and now he's been using Kratom. He said he can work till 10 o'clock at night you know not feeling extra pressure or extra stress that doesn't you know it helps him to just zone in without the exhaustion or the fatigue and he's getting a lot more done. Well I think and specifically in today's times that is one of those very very very important things. Ladies before I let you guys go if somebody wants to find out more about Kratom, Kratom and what you know whether it might be able to help them might not be able to help them. What is the best place to go to? How do they get in touch with you?

Probably our website or they could give us a call. Like we said we like to work one-on-one with people. We are also going to be offering consultations soon but yeah as I said the best place is our website www.biacratom.co.za or to give me a call. I don't know if I should give you my number. I think numbers are a bit confusing at the moment so it's biacratom.co.za. If anybody's listening to this whether it be via the radio on the podcast and you haven't got that address you can get hold of me and I will happily pass on the details. Ladies one of the things that I've introduced to the show and I just I feel it adds a little bit to the show and brings us a little closer together is I like to ask my guests to share one thing about themselves that other people may not know. So give us give us something about you Janie that other people may not know. So I suffer due to the surgeries that I had in all the medicine that I was on before I found Kritam. I suffer with severe anxiety disorder and that is one of the things that I use Kritam for. It really is phenomenal. It definitely works better than any of the anti-anxiety meds that are being prescribed and if you do research on anti-anxiety medication you'll see how dangerous and it's probably the most addictive thing in the world and to get off benzos is an absolute nightmare for a lot of people. You know you have to it's a really slow process and a very uncomfortable process. So Kritam is definitely a better replacement for that and even people who are trying to get off benzos and anti-anxiety medication Kritam will help absolutely take away any discomfort or withdrawal symptoms that they might be experiencing.

Fantastic, okay so you have an anxiety problem. Amalia, one thing about you that people may not know. So David I got diagnosed with adult ADHD. I didn't actually realise how much it affected my life so I was told that for me to sit through and watch a movie can sometimes be excruciating. So I was placed on statera and drizzle and all of those things but what it did to me is it actually made me feel a bit like a zombie. I couldn't express myself emotionally so for me to actually sit through something and really concentrate. Bearing in mind with studying in the last couple of years you know it was so stressful because you have to concentrate but it's so easy for your brain to get distracted to the point where I actually thought maybe I need to isolate myself. But then I started using focus and you know honestly I can certain I can read a book now and I think people who suffer from ADHD can understand what a gift that is. I don't have to use ritalin or statera. I'm not saying that they don't serve, they certainly do. But for me to wake up in the morning and know that I'm going to be able to concentrate today and get through what I need to get through because I use focus, I use white kratom. It's really just a blessing. It's given me my life back. So yeah I'm the one that fiddles. That's why I'm a woman. You know sometimes I'll talk too much because I've got adult ADHD. I never knew that growing up. If it was diagnosed earlier things might have been a little bit easier but I can honestly say for me to sit and concentrate is hard.

So yeah it's changed my life. I can get through and actually feel normal because I have the ability to focus on what's going on. So yeah that's something not a lot of people know. But yeah that's my thing. Cool. Well ladies thank you so much. I wish you only the best and that you go from strength to strength. I'm a huge advocate of natural remedies and using nature to heal. I believe the answers are in nature to a large, large proportion of our problems. And you guys keep on fighting the good fight. My special guest is Jenny Lautering and Amalia Crisp. And the website once again is by KratumSouthAfrica.co.za. Am I correct? Yes. That's right. Yeah. Kratum for South Africans on Facebook. Yeah. Kratum for South Africans on Facebook. That is wonderful stuff. We wish you all the best. Thank you for taking the time out and having a chat with us. Awesome. Thank you David. Thanks for having us. Have a beautiful day. Thank you.