What Is Speciociliatine?
Speciociliatine is an alkaloid, a word used to describe a type of molecule that contains at least one nitrogen atom. Speciociliantine is a naturally occurring alkaloid found in kratom with opioid-like pharmacological activity.
Many kratom users are familiar with mitragynine, the most abundant alkaloid in kratom.
Speciociliatine is a diastereoisomer of mitragynine, which means it is a chemically and structurally similar molecule. It’s thought to offer similar effects, but more research is needed to understand this compound in more detail.
Where Does Speciociliatine Come From?
Speciociliatine is the second most abundant alkaloid in the kratom tree’s leaves (Mitragyna speciosa) behind mitragynine. It’s naturally produced by kratom plants, although little is known about its role in the kratom plants’ life cycle.
Scientists know less about speciociliatine than mitragynine because it is difficult to isolate speciociliatine, but most preliminary research suggests it serves a similar function.
Speciociliatine is less psychoactive than mitragynine, making it more difficult to detect its effects on the human body in clinical studies.
Other primary kratom alkaloids include:
Which Kratom Strains Are Highest in Speciociliatine?
Since speciociliatine is hard to study on its own due to its tight coupling with mitragynine, scientists must resort to indirect methods to determine which strains contain the most speciociliatine.
Since the consensus is that speciociliatine is an analgesic, red-vein strains — which tend to be the best for relieving pain — likely have the highest concentrations of speciociliatine.
Additionally, the more potent pain relief a strain provides, the better the likelihood of containing a high concentration of speciociliatine.
Based on that logic, Red Maeng Da kratom, Red Borneo kratom, and Red Kali kratom are likely the strains with the most significant volume of speciociliatine.
What Does Speciociliatine Do?
Even though not known about speciociliatine, researchers have identified it as an opioid receptor antagonist. Below are the most likely effects that speciociliatine offers.
1. Pain Relief
Speciociliatine blocks pain signals traveling in the central nervous system and provides pain relief via a similar mechanism to opioids. It is unclear whether speciociliatine’s pain-relieving action works by itself or in conjunction with the other alkaloids in kratom to provide the overall pain-relieving capacity experienced by users.
Related: What’s the Best Kratom Strain for Pain-Relief?
2. Relaxant & Sleep-Supportive
Many kratom strains have relaxing qualities that help users relieve muscle tension and anxiety and sleep more readily. Speciociliatine likely plays some role in this process, although it is difficult to say with certainty how significant it is.
Related: What’s The Best Kratom Strain for Sleep?
3. Mild Stimulant
Kratom is stimulating in low doses, making it probable that speciociliatine is as well. Mitragynine and 7-hydroxy mitragynine are both more stimulating in small amounts and speciociliatine functions through very similar mechanisms.
Related: What’s The Best Kratom Strain For Energy & Focus?
Is Speciociliatine an Opiate?
Many people incorrectly assume that anything that interacts with the body’s opioid receptors is an opiate, but that isn’t true.
Despite having similar effects to opiates, speciociliatine is not classified as one. However, its chemical and pharmacological similarity to some opiates makes it useful for treating pain and opiate withdrawal symptoms.
Is Speciociliatine Safe?
Speciociliatine is considered relatively safe to take as long as it is used responsibly. Since it is impossible to take speciociliatine by itself, most people take it via kratom powder, capsules, or tinctures.
Using kratom responsibly means limiting weekly intake to four or five days each week and taking a week off from kratom every one to two months. Kratom can be addicting, so taking breaks is of utmost importance.
Regularly taking kratom without giving your body a break can lead to dependence as well as reduce the risk of adrenal fatigue and other potential issues, so it’s better to limit your intake from the beginning than attempt to wean yourself off later.
Side Effects of Speciociliatine
Kratom — and therefore speciociliatine — can cause side effects in some users, especially when larger doses are taken.
The most commonly reported side effects of kratom are mental fog, memory impairment, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, and anxiety.
The easiest way to avoid these side effects is to limit your doses and remember to take breaks regularly.
Also see: How Long Should I Wait Between Kratom Doses?
How Much Speciociliatine Should I Take?
No one takes speciociliatine alone, as it’s not practical to extract this single alkaloid from kratom leaves. As such, anyone interested in experiencing its effects takes kratom. Dosing kratom can be tricky since everyone reacts differently, and many factors determine its effects.
Low doses of kratom, between 1 and 3 grams, are best for mild stimulation. All kratom strains are more stimulating at low doses, although how much stimulation they provide depends on the specific strain in most cases. Taking small amounts of white-vein kratom is a common recommendation for people seeking extra energy, concentration, and productivity.
From 3 to 5 grams, kratom is more relaxing with just a hint of energy. Many people say that moderate doses of kratom offer smoother energy than low doses, providing more relaxation and mild euphoria.
Most kratom users consider anything from 6 to 10 grams a high dose. Higher doses provide intense relaxation without any stimulating effects, making them great for sleep and pain relief but not so great for anything else.
Many kratom users also say that larger doses are more likely to cause unwanted side effects, so consider taking less if you’re concerned about experiencing side effects.
How Long Do the Effects of Speciociliatine Last?
Speciociliatine’s effects last anywhere from one hour to several hours, although it is difficult to know which effects come directly from speciociliatine and which come from kratom’s other alkaloids.
How long kratom’s effects last depends on the strain, dose, and users’ metabolism, but 1 to 5 hours covers most cases.
Wrapping Up: Final Thoughts On Speciociliatine
Despite being the second most abundant alkaloid in kratom, little is known about speciociliatine since it is less psychoactive than mitragynine and 7-hydroxy mitragynine.
Still, researchers are beginning to understand its role in kratom’s effects profile, and it seems as though it may be a powerful analgesic.
Taking speciociliatine on its own isn’t currently practical, but many people take it via kratom to help ease chronic pain and treat insomnia. Speciociliatine is an opioid receptor antagonist with similar effects to certain opioids, but it is not an opiate. This makes it especially useful as a treatment for opiate withdrawal symptoms and moderate-to-severe pain.
Speciociliatine is probably safe to use via kratom if you follow responsible use guidelines. The most important thing to remember is to listen to your body and take breaks if you experience prolonged lethargy, dependency, or other unwanted side effects.
