Uploaded July 2023 | Updated September 2026, 7 hours ago
Today we have the world’s foremost authority on kratom returning to STEM-Talk after five years to give us an update on his research. Shortly after his 2018 interview on episode 61, Dr. Christopher McCurdy and his lab at the University of Florida received two major grants from the National Institute of Drug Abuse to investigate the medical efficacy of kratom and its alkaloids, which we discuss in today’s show.
For more than 25 years, McCurdy has studied the design, synthesis, and development of drugs to treat pain, anxiety, and substance-abuse disorders. For the past 15 years, he and his lab have turned a lot of their attention toward kratom and its chemical components to better understand its potential to treat a multitude of conditions.
McCurdy is a professor in the Medicinal Chemistry Department in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Florida. He also is director of the of school’s Translational Drug Development Core and an Associate Dean for Faculty Development. In today’s interview, we talk about:
-- The numerous studies he has been able to conduct thanks to his lab’s two grants from the National Institute of Drug Abuse.
-- The disparity between the traditional use of kratom and the new often highly concentrated manufactured products sold in the U.S.
-- His lab’s study examining the effects of lyophilized kratom tea and its ability to alleviate withdrawal symptoms of opioid-dependence.
-- The potential of kratom alkaloids to serve as treatment of various substance abuse disorders.
-- The benefits and risks associated with CBD usage.
Shownotes: ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-155
Today we have the world’s foremost authority on kratom returning to STEM-Talk after five years to give us an update on his research. Shortly after his 2018 interview on episode 61, Dr. Christopher McCurdy and his lab at the University of Florida received two major grants from the National Institute of Drug Abuse to investigate the medical efficacy of kratom and its alkaloids, which we discuss in today’s show.
For more than 25 years, McCurdy has studied the design, synthesis, and development of drugs to treat pain, anxiety, and substance-abuse disorders. For the past 15 years, he and his lab have turned a lot of their attention toward kratom and its chemical components to better understand its potential to treat a multitude of conditions.
McCurdy is a professor in the Medicinal Chemistry Department in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Florida. He also is director of the of school’s Translational Drug Development Core and an Associate Dean for Faculty Development. In today’s interview, we talk about:
-- The numerous studies he has been able to conduct thanks to his lab’s two grants from the National Institute of Drug Abuse.
-- The disparity between the traditional use of kratom and the new often highly concentrated manufactured products sold in the U.S.
-- His lab’s study examining the effects of lyophilized kratom tea and its ability to alleviate withdrawal symptoms of opioid-dependence.
-- The potential of kratom alkaloids to serve as treatment of various substance abuse disorders.
-- The benefits and risks associated with CBD usage.
Shownotes: ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-155
