Eko Adi Prasetyanto is a researcher at The Indonesian Center for Drugs Research and a faculty in the Pharmacy Department, School of Medicine and Health Sciences at Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia.

Background: The diversity of Indonesian flora creates a very wide opportunity for the development of herbal medicine. Plants' secondary metabolic effects on the body system could help create better availability of medicine and disease treatment. Secondary metabolites in some species of plants could also have a psychological impact when consumed. Several plants from Indonesia are known to have psychoactivity, such as Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa K.), Kecubung (Datura metel), Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans), and Palm Nut (Areca catechu) .
Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa K.) is a tropical plant native to Southeast Asia, including Indonesia. As the demand for safer alternatives to traditional painkillers grows, mitragynine, a natural alkaloid found in Mitragyna speciosa (kratom), has emerged as a promising option. Known for its action on opioid receptors, mitragynine offers potent pain relief with a reduced risk of respiratory depression and tolerance compared to conventional opioids.

Method: This research use combination of literature and laboratory research to understand mechanism of analgesic action from Mitragyna speciosa. To comprehensively assess the extract's analgesic effects, we employ two different tests: the writhing test to evaluate peripheral pain inhibition and the hotplate test to assess central pain inhibition.

Findings: The analgesic potential of kratom extracts was evaluated using in vivo models. The results revealed significant dose-dependent pain relief, with the highest dose outperforming Tramadol in the writhing test. The calculated effective dose (ED50) was 86.61 mg/kgBW for the writhing test and 39.76 mg/kgBW for the hot plate test, suggesting that kratom primarily targets nociceptive pain through central mechanisms, rather than peripheral inflammation.
These findings emphasize kratom’s potential as a viable alternative to opioids for pain management. However, further research is needed to explore long-term safety, optimal dosing, and the role of other active compounds in kratom’s analgesic effects, marking a potential shift in pain management approaches.