Kratom – The Guide

Kratom (Mitragynine) – The Newbies guide to Kratom

Kratom has fast become the buzzword in health and wellness circles.

People are touting it to be ‘THE’ miracle herb that you always knew existed, but never knew where to find.

Anxiety, pain relief, mood enhancement, motivation, social freedom, name it and you’ve got it in Kratom’s ever increasing repertoire.

How much of it is actually true?

Is Kratom really the natural opioid alternative as it is touted to be?

Here’s a brief primer to Kratom for first timers looking to delve into this amazing herbal remedy.

What is Kratom?

Kratom is a tropical tree that grows primarily in Southeast Asian countries. The botanical name is Mitragyna Speciosa and it has leaves with mild to moderate psychotropic effects.

It is also known as Ketum, Thom or Biak-Biak, depending on the country of origin.

What’s amazing is that despite the known mild-altering effects of the leaves, the plant is not a controlled substance, nor is it illegal to buy or possess.

This means that a supplier is just a quick Google search away. A reputed one though is a rarity.

You can find Kratom in powder form, as pills, as capsules and even as extracts, which are a more concentrated form of the herb.

How to consume Kratom

The easiest way to consume Kratom is to chew the leaves, or to brew it into a herbal tea.

However, a lot of people complain that the leaves have a bitter taste and a strong smell which makes it unpalatable.

That’s subjective though. We have personally chewed the leaves as well as tasted the tea multiple times. We didn’t find it disgusting.

Having said that, there are users who add the powdered leaves to beverages or food items. Some people even smoke the dried leaves.

What to expect after using Kratom

There are two alkaloids in the leaves of the tree that are associated with the opioid-like effects that it causes.

• Mitragynine
• 7-α-hydroxymitragynine

Both these compounds interact with opioid receptors in the brain and subsequently produce a series of effects, like reduction of pain, sedation, enhanced mood and pleasure.

However, these effects are only experienced when large doses of the plant are consumed.

In mild doses, the effects are entirely stimulatory with most users experiencing enhanced sociability, a boost in concentration, increased focus, productivity, motivation, clarity, energy and mental alertness.

Some people also report a general feeling of euphoria, which has led to the incredible popularity of the plant in very short time.

How soon do the effects kick in?

The effects of Kratom typically take 30 minutes to an hour to kick in. For best results, most people recommend using the herb on an empty stomach.

If you use it with a meal or when you have already eaten something, the absorption of the herb slows down and the effects seem to be diluted.

If you take a mild dose as a stimulant, it should easily last for up to 6 hours.

The different strains of Kratom

When you set out to buy Kratom for the first time, you will be greeted with strange names that are the combination of a color and a place.

For example, White Sumatra.

This refers to a particular strain of the plant followed by its place of origin.

In this case, White Sumatra stands for white veins on the leaves harvested from Sumatra. The strain is best known for its energy boosting and stimulatory effects. Or so it is advertised.

However, it has been largely agreed to by veteran Kratom users that this is nothing more than a marketing gimmick aimed at boosting sales.

Almost 99.9% of Kratom is red-veined. The difference in vein colors and its effects if any, haven’t been documented in detail.

And there is rarely any truth to the place of origin that is added to the color. So Red Bali may in fact be harvested in Kalimantan or Borneo.

Ditto with Malay, Vietnam and Bali, which might all have been harvested in Sumatra.

So don’t fall for gimmicks.

Which strain will be best for you?

That depends on multiple factors. Sometimes, the same batch of Kratom can have varied effects. Some can be sedating, others can be stimulatory.

So, it is recommended that you try out small samples of different strains being offered by a reputed supplier.

Use it in small doses to see how it affects you, before narrowing down on one particular strain that best suits your intended needs.

Oh, almost forgot to mention that you must never mix strains lest you wish to spend the night with your face in the toilet and puking your guts out.

What is the right starting dose for Kratom?

Most people looking for stimulatory effects start with 1-2 grams.

That’s a reasonably mild dose, yet potent enough to produce the more pleasurable effects of the plant.

If you tolerate this dose well with very little side effects, then you can increase the dose to 3-4 grams in your subsequent uses.

On the other hand, if you are looking for the sedative or the analgesic effects of the plant, then you can dose from 5-6 grams. Maybe even more.

But it is recommended that you do not dose more than 8 grams unless you have gained some expertise with the plant.

Anything above 8 grams is extremely strong and might cause severe unpleasant side effects.

What are the side effects of Kratom?

Kratom is generally tolerated very well in mild doses.

Side effects if any, are usually mild and can be managed easily.

• Nausea: Usually occurs in the initial days of using the drug. Stick to low doses to avoid this.
• Dehydration: Drink lots of water when you use the herb
• Sedative effects: Do not use more than what’s needed and you should be able to avoid this.
• Harder/Delayed Orgasms: That’s a side effect that most men can live with.
• Tolerance: It is very important to take a few days off while using the drug. Some users also recommend rotating strains to avoid building a tolerance to it. As you build a tolerance to the drug, you will need a stronger dose to get the same stimulatory effect.

Closing thoughts

Just like SARMS and steroids, the quality of the Kratom that you get depends mostly on the supplier.

If you have just bought it randomly off the internet and are not feeling any of the effects, then mostly, your product is bunk.

Here’s a trusted supplier that we source our Kratom from.