Kratom in Malaysia: Ketum History, Culture, and Current Law

In Malaysia, kratom is widely known as ketum or biak-biak. Research from northern Peninsular Malaysia describes a living practice centered on fresh leaves and water preparations, especially in Kedah and Penang. The same plant also sits inside a strict national legal framework.

Ketum and biak-biak

The botanical is Mitragyna speciosa, a tropical tree in the coffee family. Ketum and biak-biak are Malay names recorded in community, clinical, and policy literature. They connect the plant to Malaysian language and social history.

In villages where the tree grows, people have harvested fresh leaves, chewed them, or simmered them in water. Accounts describe alertness and endurance during physical work, relief from fatigue or pain, relaxation, social use, and attempts to manage opioid withdrawal.

What Malaysian studies have found

A 2012 study of 136 active users in northern Malaysia described long-term ketum consumption, reported benefits, and difficulty stopping among some participants. Research in Kedah and Penang has documented informal use of ketum preparations among people attempting to reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms.

A study of 293 regular users reported dependence, withdrawal symptoms, and craving. In a 2022 cross-sectional study at Hospital Taiping, 106 of 215 people enrolled in methadone maintenance reported ketum use. Higher opioid-withdrawal scores and use of other illicit drugs were associated with ketum use in that clinical group.

Together, these studies form a mixed picture. Participants describe valued effects and practical reasons for use, while researchers also document intoxication, dependence, withdrawal, and other adverse experiences.

Fresh leaf, brewed liquid, and commercial products

Much of the Malaysian community research concerns fresh leaf or brewed ketum liquid. Dried powder, capsules, gummies, tablets, and concentrated extracts have different ingredients and concentrations. When comparing research with a product, check the actual form and amount studied.

Current Malaysian law

Malaysia regulates mitragynine under the Poisons Act 1952 and the current Poisons List. The Act controls the importation, possession, manufacture, storage, transport, sale, and use of listed poisons. Legal requirements can change, so anyone dealing with ketum in Malaysia should read the current Ministry of Health documents and obtain qualified local legal advice.

The official sources linked below include the Poisons Act incorporating the 2022 amendments, the Ministry of Health Poisons List, and the Ministry's commencement information. A 2025 amendment bill should be read together with any enacted text and commencement date before drawing a current legal conclusion.

A history still being written

Ketum has moved through village practice, colonial and national regulation, clinical research, public-health debate, and international commerce. The most accurate account keeps Malaysian people and preparations at the center while treating current law as a separate, date-sensitive question.

For a wider regional view, read Kratom Before Ecommerce and our kratom ethnobotany guide.

Sources and further reading

• Malaysia Ministry of Health Pharmaceutical Services Programme: current Poisons Act and schedules
• Malaysia Poisons Act 1952 incorporating the Poisons (Amendment) Act 2022
• Malaysia Ministry of Health: current Poisons List and mitragynine classification
• Malaysia Ministry of Health: Poisons (Amendment) Act 2022 and commencement record
• Parliament of Malaysia: Poisons (Amendment) Bill 2025 and commencement clause
• Ahmad and Aziz (2012): ketum patterns, reported effects, and difficulty stopping in northern Malaysia
• Vicknasingam et al. (2010): informal ketum use for opioid withdrawal in Kedah and Penang
• Singh et al. (2014): dependence, withdrawal symptoms, and craving in 293 regular users
• Choo et al. (2022): ketum use among adults in methadone maintenance at Hospital Taiping
• Singh et al. (2018): blood and clinical-chemistry measures in regular Malaysian users
• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: accepted identity and native range of Mitragyna speciosa
• “Langkawi Malaysia Rice-Paddy-01”
• CC BY-SA 3.0