A Theory about Hair Loss from Kratom

[7ohm]

I know people don't like talking much about this possible side effect.The topic may even have been banned at one point on r/kratom. It's possible that addressing it might help ease this paranoia during a time when we're all scarfing down considerable amounts of green sludge. Or, if you weren't paranoid about it before this, you might be after reading this. One of the most fucked up side effects from Kratom that people have discussed is about alopecia (hair loss). Although people have called bullshit on it, people have also posted pictures and documented their ordeal mainly on r/quittingkratom. The good thing is that it seems to grow back once you quit. Nobody can figure out what's going on exactly and what's causing it, but luckily it does seem to grow back once you quit. It just sucks that you have to quit, right? In looking at a bunch of lab tests recently, I noticed an alarming trend among red kratom (not red vein): mold.

All Red Kratom is essentially bentuangie and virtually all strains have some of it mixed in. They allegedly try to ferment the leaf by putting it in plastic bags and then in then sun until it turns red. Why they do this seems to be nothing more than trying to get a red color. We'll never know because here's a serious disconnect between effect and muslim Indonesian. Please don't say anything about red "vein" kratom because it doesn't exist. Let me clarify: it does exist, but every plant produces it at one point in their life, and there is no scientific evidence that it has a different alkaloid profile.

Even if there were a different alkaloid profile to be found in different vein color, Indonesian farmers are not differentiating between vein colors when harvesting so it's moot to even consider it as factor. Additionally, recent research says that most of the psychoactive effects are caused by mitragynine, and the other alkaloids (with the exception of mitraphyline) are found in too small of amounts to make a significant impact on effect. Mitraphyiine is a strong anti-inflammatory that has shown promise in treating cancer. All "strains" from Indonesia are blends of red and green kratom.

Who cares?

There seems to be an inherent flaw in the way red kratom is made, and this causes it to grow mold. Fermentation isn't really feasible when it comes to kratom as there are no precursors present (sugar, yeast, etc) in a plastic bag filled with leaves and put in the sun. I'm not sure why it is that we think fermentation occurs in this kind of environment. With failed fermentation most likely comes mold growth. How do I know this? I looked at a bunch of lab tests of a bunch of different types of kratom from the same farmer and found that bentuangie is very susceptible to mold. Since it's blended into virtually every strain this could cause problems. Most of the red strains that have this blended in also failed the mold test. Bali, Borneo, etc... I wouldn't be as concerned with toxicity, as I would be with an allergic reaction, especially if you're also asthmatic. Coincidentally, mold allergies can cause hair loss. So, now you have 2 reasons to avoid Bentuangie, especially if it hasn't been lab tested for microbes. For all of those that feel that reds are void of effect, it may be because this drying process severely degrades Mitragynine (some of the levels of Mg were as low as .3%). My assumption is that the longer you leave it in the bag/sun, the more of it is degraded. What we learned from this is that there does appear to be value in reduced levels of Mitragynine. This reduced level of MG could be the reason that reds are perceived to have a more opioid effect.

To validate our theory we just need to find out if hair loss sufferers were allergic to mold along with which strain and how much they were taking. It might also be useful to note that you can easily develop an allergy with repeated exposure. Only need to be concerned really with nausea, diarrhea, vomitting.

Other Symptoms of Mold Allergy

Nausea

GI irritation

Vomitting

Sneezing

Runny or stuffy nose

Cough and postnasal drip

Itchy eyes, nose and throat

Watery eyes

Dry, scaly skin

EDIT: An easy way to kill the mold would be hot water. That would be the safe bet for other microbes as well.

Finally, there is something that needs to be said about moderate (or lower) levels of Mitragynine, which is the most common in consistently popular strains. the average was around 1.5%. Reds averaged .9. Sun dried greens (Supergreen) were EDIT 1.6%. High levels of Mitragynine seem to be void of opioid effect possibly because of the inhibition of the cyp3a4 enzyme in our bodies, preventing conversion of 7ohm. There does appear to be a correlation between levels of MG and opioid effect. But, more on that in another post.

[mivanqua]

Great to have you back around, homeslice! I saw the strain list back up on your website, does this mean you are reopened? Also, great point. This has indeed been a major source of contention for quite some time but one I have no worries about. I will have to worry about a lot of things from my parents genetically as I get older, but baldness isn't one of them. Not a single bald person in my family that's blood related. For this reason, I never put too much thought into this side effect.

[OpiYum]

Hey I appreciate the dedicated write up. My hair line seemed to be slightly receding on daily kratom use. I don't normally take reds but was taking a red frequently during this time. I took a 3 month break and noticed many tiny hairs coming back on my hair line. I have started taking kratom again a green and white strains and my hair seems to fall out more frequently after showering and my hairline is slightly receding again. Do you not buy the overactive immune response as the cause of hair decline as many claim?

[7ohm]

Great to have you back around, homeslice! I saw the strain list back up on your website, does this mean you are reopened? Also, great point. This has indeed been a major source of contention for quite some time but one I have no worries about. I will have to worry about a lot of things from my parents genetically as I get older, but baldness isn't one of them. Not a single bald person in my family that's blood related. For this reason, I never put too much thought into this side effect.

Hey, glad to hear from you. yes, Im back up and running. Just thought I'd spew some shit that crossed my mind. Curious what others think. It's def a shot in the dark. I have never had hair issues either. You're right, some say it's psychosomatic. What's interesting is that this side effect isn't reported in Asia, only here.

[onespeedstop]

"mainly on r/quittingkratom"

^ Not to overly generalize, but my first thought is - we should look into how much these people are using per day. Short of allergic reactions, it just makes sense that (any) side effects would kick in with excessive use. That goes for almost any substance. I dunno, that's just the numbers I would want to see first.

[pray4peace4]

I'm someone who was skeptical of the hair loss thing, especially the reports of testosterone decline since testosterone loss doesn't cause hair loss, it helps keep your hair. But I knew a couple good folks who started losing their hair, used kratom, & they were reliable folks. Then I bought some Red Bali from a certain very famous huge supplier in the USA. I immediately started losing big chunks of hair when I combed it. I knew it had to be that Red Bali. I immediately stopped using it & in a month my hair started to return. I've changed my mind - kratom can cause hair loss.

[IndelibleDotInk]

Would you feel comfortable naming the vendor, and your dosage? Also was this limited to the red Bali, or have you taken other strains from them?

[WeAllFloatHere7]

I'm someone who was skeptical of the hair loss thing, especially the reports of testosterone decline since testosterone loss doesn't cause hair loss, it helps keep your hair. But I knew a couple good folks who started losing their hair, used kratom, & they were reliable folks. Then I bought some Red Bali from a certain very famous huge supplier in the USA. I immediately started losing big chunks of hair when I combed it. I knew it had to be that Red Bali. I immediately stopped using it & in a month my hair started to return. I've changed my mind - kratom can cause hair loss.

Actually higher testosterone levels will lead to hair loss. Testosterone converts to DHT which can build up in the scalp and DHT kills hair follicles (that's why propecia (finasteride) works so well, it blocks the conversion of test to DHT). I've been on testosterone replacement for a few years, and was on and off of steroids for years prior to that. Those hormones started my hair loss, and now I'm 23 with a strong receding hairline. I have always read about this issue with kratom, but have always chalked it up to my usage of hormones. However I will say that my hairline, while already receding, got much worse upon starting kratom (I have always pretty much only used reds and greens. The first year of my usage I only used reds). Maybe there is something to this...however with me being on TRT, there are too many confounding variables to use me in the sample.

[GrannyJ62]

Thank you for sharing it makes me want to stay away from bents for sure.I have hypothyroidism and have had major hair loss until diagnosed and put on meds,I also use moringa daily and biotin and haven't noticed hair loss since,I m wondering if bents could contribute to yeast infection or if this is just my bodies weird reaction,I do love some bents,but not that much ,again thank you .

[Jaredsurf]

I never had hair loss after 3 years of use. I took a 3 week break. Started using 6 grams 2 times a day. I was feeling out of it from the break i took. Thought maybe i had low testosterone. Got a couple booster shots over a 2 month period. My hair thinned and started noticing it stuck to my hands when i rub my head. I think its from the t shots.

[IndelibleDotInk]

I never had hair loss after 3 years of use. I took a 3 week break. Started using 6 grams 2 times a day. I was feeling out of it from the break i took. Thought maybe i had low testosterone. Got a couple booster shots over a 2 month period. My hair thinned and started noticing it stuck to my hands when i rub my head. I think its from the t shots.

Aside from the hair loss, how did the T therapy work? I hear ads on the radio advertising testosterone replacement, and I would love to have an increase in energy and increase muscle growth.

How much did it cost in Nicaragua; it's pretty affordable here on Oahu.

[terrilynp53]

I have never had any issues with thinning or losing hair. I am a female. i started using kratom and with absolutely no other changes or additions. i started losing hair. it is a big issue now, though i havent even considered stopping the use of kratom. I have a choice, have a life sans pain and energy replaced that is sapped out of me, or have hair. Am i ok with it? hell no!! it has hurt my self esteem and sense of self. but the alternative is much much worse. I take biotin, moringa and other things to keep baldness at bay. n not losing anymore, but at the same time I'm not growing any more. I take only greens and just started taking reds at night. so that is a new addition. I take approx 6gr. every 3-5 hours for the entire time I'm awake. 4-5am to 9pm up to six or seven doses maybe.

[IndelibleDotInk]

I have never had any issues with thinning or losing hair. I am a female. i started using kratom and with absolutely no other changes or additions. i started losing hair. it is a big issue now, though i havent even considered stopping the use of kratom. I have a choice, have a life sans pain and energy replaced that is sapped out of me, or have hair. Am i ok with it? hell no!! it has hurt my self esteem and sense of self. but the alternative is much much worse. I take biotin, moringa and other things to keep baldness at bay. n not losing anymore, but at the same time I'm not growing any more. I take only greens and just started taking reds at night. so that is a new addition. I take approx 6gr. every 3-5 hours for the entire time I'm awake. 4-5am to 9pm up to six or seven doses maybe.

My grandma's cousin had total hair loss (head) and was so self conscious about it, always covered it up, but she met a quality man who didn't know at first, but when he found out, it didn't matter to him; she was shocked. They eventually got married and she was so happy. I've only met them a few times, but really like her, she is such a positive person.

Although I think hair is sexy, it's not a dealbreaker at all. There may be hormonal treatments, there is monoxidil (?).

[pray4peace4]

Indelible.... SoCal Red Bali.