“I know a magical tree,” Khun Pean announced with the air of someone about to reveal a great secret. Two minutes later I found myself clinging to the back of his motorbike as we rattled through the countryside of Chiang Mai province in Northern Thailand. Our destination? A kratom adventure — my first, slightly bewildered step into the world of a leaf that has been medicine, mischief, and mild controversy all at once.

I’ve always been curious about different medical practices around the world. But nothing — absolutely nothing — could have prepared me for the Ayurvedic massage I experienced in Pondicherry, India.