Kratom Can Generate Dependency, Jackson Memorial Hospital Doctor Says

Kratom, which is the leaf of a Southeast Asian tree, is sold as a powder to put in a beverage or a pill you can swallow. If taken in low doses it is said to be a stimulant, and in high doses it allegedly can have a relaxing and pain-relieving effect. But the tea can also generate a dependency or addiction, similar to hard drugs like heroin and prescribed drugs like Oxycodone and Vicodin, doctors say. Dr. Evelyn Benitez, a psychologist at Jackson Memorial Hospital, says she believes the leaf can generate dependency.