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What is Kratom?

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is a tree from the coffee family native to Indonesia, Thailand, and other countries of Southeast Asia. Its leaves are used to make preparations that have stimulating, pain-relieving, and sedating effects.

Kratom is also used to relieve anxiety, depression, and other health issues, help with opioid withdrawal, and for recreational effects.

Kratom has been used in Southeast Asia for hundreds of years and is treated in a similar way to coffee.

Recently, it’s been growing popular in the U.S. and Europe, particularly as a natural alternative to prescription and illicit opioid drugs.

How Does Kratom Work?

Kratom leaves contain active ingredients called alkaloids. The two main alkaloids in kratom are mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine.

They can interact with the body’s opioid receptors similarly to opioids and have shown pain-relieving, antidepressant, and other effects in early studies. ¹ ²

That’s why kratom produces similar effects to opioids: pain relief and sedation. However, it’s unique for also acting as an energy-boosting stimulant when taken in small doses.

Uses and Potential Benefits of Kratom

According to kratom user reports and early research, kratom can relieve pain, anxiety, depression, muscle spasms, and diarrhea, and has euphoric, antipyretic (fever-reducing), anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, and muscle-relaxing effects. ³

It’s also been reported to enhance libido, mood, focus, motivation, sociability, and empathy, and ease opioid withdrawal.

In the U.S., kratom is mainly used to relieve pain, alleviate mental conditions, boost energy and focus, and help reduce opioid use or alleviate opioid withdrawal. ⁴

Kratom Strains

There’s a widespread belief that there are three main strains of kratom (white, red, and green) with different effects.

For example, you might hear that red is the best kratom for pain and sleep, while white or green is the best kratom for anxiety. ⁵

Additionally, there are regional strains that are believed to originate from specific places, such as Maeng Da, Malay, or Bali kratom.

However, the reality is that kratom strain names are mostly a made-up marketing gimmick. Most kratom is sourced from the same part of Indonesia, and the three different color strains are simply the result of a different leaf drying process.

What’s the Right Kratom Dosage?

There’s no established dosage for kratom because it’s not approved by the FDA and has seen little clinical research. Generally speaking, doses of 1-5 grams are considered low, whereas 5-15 grams is medium-to-high. ⁶

Similar to CBD, beginners should follow the start low, go slow approach. Take no more than 1-2 grams of kratom powder and wait at least an hour to see how it affects you.

If it’s not enough, you can try taking an additional 0.5-1 grams. If you still don’t notice any effects, try a bigger dose (e.g. 3 grams) the next day. Use this method to find the kratom dosage that works best for you.

Our Criteria for Kratom

The kratom industry is unregulated, which means you have to be diligent if you want to find safe and effective products. Here are the criteria we use to identify reliable kratom vendors:

• Third-party testing – Reputable vendors send every batch of their kratom to an accredited laboratory for independent testing. These tests check the potency, which means checking the levels of mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, the two main active compounds in kratom. Meanwhile, the purity tests look for the presence of mold, yeast, bacteria, pathogens, heavy metals, and other contaminants. It’s even better if the vendor makes the test results available via QR codes or online.
• AKA GMP program – The American Kratom Association (AKA) runs a special good manufacturing practices (GMP) standards program. Qualifying vendors are annually audited by the AKA to make sure they meet strict kratom manufacturing and processing standards to ensure safe products. All of the brands we recommend participate in this program.
• Product variety – We also consider the types of products and strains offered by the vendor, as well as the weight options for kratom powder to help people save by buying in bulk.
• Pricing – We look for vendors that offer affordable products without sacrificing quality.
• Transparency – we prefer vendors that are open about how they source their kratom, processing and testing procedures and other information that builds trust.

Potential Side Effects of Kratom

Kratom hasn’t seen too much research and most of what we know comes from user reports.

The most common side effects of kratom are: ⁷

• Nausea
• Constipation
• Dizziness or drowsiness

Kratom can also cause short-lasting tongue numbness and headaches, whereas long-term use may cause dry or darkened skin, dry mouth, weight loss, and dehydration.

There have also been reports of more serious side effects, including agitation, vomiting, fast heartbeat, confusion, seizures, hallucinations, and hypoventilation. ⁸ However, these effects are rare.

Kratom can also cause withdrawal symptoms if you use it for a long time and suddenly stop. These include muscle aches, difficulty sleeping, fever, runny nose, emotional changes, and irritability. ⁹

Additionally, kratom may interact with some medications. ¹⁰ However, more research is needed.

As a whole, users report that kratom’s side effects are similar to but milder than opioids.