All About Kratom: Varieties, Safety, Vendors & More in 2024

Thought we were overdue for a good kratom article, so here's my attempt at a very basic informative article on Mitragyna speciosa, a plant almost as widespread and diverse in effects as cannabis.  Once thought to only grow in parts of Thailand & Borneo, kratom is now harvested from places as far-flung as Papua New Guinea, Vietnam & Bali.  While these areas may have similar climates that support the plant's growth, they each have unique soil compositions, ecosystems & other variances that can affect the end product.

But let's start with strain color (not "vein color" as previously thought), as this has the most impact on a strain's effects.  Just like with the tea plant (Camelia sinensis aka "white/green/black tea"), the age of the leaves at harvest and the drying method determine the overall potency & effect of a given kratom sample.  It is these factors that give kratom its different colors, not the central vein running through the leaves.  And with these colors come varying levels of active alkaloids--namely mitragynine, 7-hydroxymitragynine ("7-OHM") & other lesser active compounds (speciociliatine, paynantheine, speciogynine & mitraciliatine to name a few).  

White kratom - High mitragynine, low 7-OHM.  Young leaves.  Effects similar to coffee.  Increases energy, focus, motivation & mental clarity.

Green kratom - High mitragynine; medium 7-OHM.  Medium-age leaves.  Stimulating in low doses; relaxing/analgesic in higher doses.  Boosts mood & helps ease stress/anxiety.  Neither as energizing as white kratom nor as sedating as some red strains.

Red kratom - High mitragynine; high 7-OHM.  Mature leaves. Warm, analgesic & relaxing-to-sedating.  Effects most similar to opioids.  

("Strains" like bentuangie, pink & yellow are either mixtures of 2+ other strains or created by using certain fermenting techniques so they're not technically "colors" like the Big 3).

Regions

Most modern kratom strains originate in Thailand, Malaysia & Indonesia. 

Kratom comes from three main countries in SE Asia:  Thailand, Malaysia & Indonesia.  As with cannabis from around the world, a given kratom strain may not be grown in the place it's named after.  The vast majority of kratom today is grown in Indonesia regardless of where the strain originated.  Malaysia's strict anti-kratom laws make growing the plant there illegal, though the climate certainly favors its natural growth.  Thailand only recently legalized kratom in 2018, thus Indonesia's been home to kratom exports for most of its recent history.

Thailand's most well-known strains include the "Thai" and "Maeng Da" varieties, of which white varieties are very popular.  Malaysian strains are generally sold as "Malay," with Green Malay being most popular.  Indonesia is home to a wide variety of stains, some of which include Ketapang, Sunda, Indo, Hulu Kapuas, Kali, Sumatra & of course Bali & Borneo--two of the most popular red strains.  Place name used to have more meaning in the beginning of kratom's Western reign than it does these days--now it's mostly used to mark different batches of red, white or green strains from a given vendor.  In fact most vendors & kratom experts agree these names have virtually no meaning nowadays, sadly.  

When choosing a strain, focus on color first and foremost.   

 


Enhanced Blends, Extracts & Other Products

Parents who lost their son to a kratom extract - no other drugs were in his system

For the safest and most predictable kratom experience, avoid these products.  As the Tampa Bay Times article found, they can vary dramatically in alkaloid content & thus potency, putting users at risk of overdose.  The vast majority of deaths in the related Tampa Bay Times expose involving kratom were caused by these powerful extracts & enhanced blends.  If you want to get the most bang for your buck consistently without raising your tolerance, stick to plain ground leaf.  While it's certainly possible to OD on plain kratom leaf, you'd need to ingest a lot more of it than the more concentrated concoctions, plus you never know what's actually in them. 

In a world of research chemicals, tianeptine, fentanyl & other dangerous adulterants, you're better off sticking to the basics.  It's uncommon to find adulterated kratom but not unheard of.  In the 2000s a rash of deaths in Sweden were caused by an enhanced kratom blend called "Krypton" that contained a research chemical called o-desmethyltramadol.  Plain kratom leaf has not been processed with solvents & other potentially dangerous additives like these extracts & enhanced products and, while none of it is regulated by the FDA, you're better off all around with the un-enhanced leaf.




Kratom's Effects, Side Effects & Interactions

This is only a brief summary--please do your due diligence before using kratom if you take multiple medications or have a chronic health condition.  Kratom acts on a number of receptors in the brain, the primary of which is the mu-opioid receptor.  But unlike true opioids, it doesn't depress breathing even in high doses.  This makes it a promising substitute for drugs like Suboxone, methadone, heroin & other opioid pain relievers that kill hundreds of thousands of Americans per year.  However, this does NOT mean it's impossible to overdose on kratom, as it can cause death in a number of other nasty ways--perhaps nastier than simply falling asleep and forgetting to breathe.  

Snippet on kratom & Serotonin Syndrome

Kratom also binds to the serotonin, adrenaline and dopamine receptors in a way that's similar to antidepressants like Zoloft and Paxil (SSRI's), increasing serotonin levels in the body.  While this can potentially help with depression, it can also lead to a dangerous condition known as Serotonin Syndrome that can be fatal in extreme circumstances.  Many people take kratom with antidepressants without issue but there have been cases of Serotonin Syndrome, so it's worth mentioning.  5-HTP, MDMA & other drugs that act on serotonin can also have this effect when combined with kratom.  

Kratom also affects important enzymes (CYP2D6 & CYP3A4) that metabolize a number of medications, which is where its real danger lies.  Thus it's important to start with a super low dose if you take multiple medications or supplements & avoid super potent extracts and enhanced blends.  If you drink more than 3 alcoholic drinks per day or have chronic liver disease, talk to your doctor before using kratom as it has been known to trigger idiopathic liver damage in users, some of whom had no other known risk factors for liver disease.




Addiction & Withdrawal

Overall kratom is safe but potentially addictive for most users.  It's not something to start using if you're not already a chronic pain sufferer or opioid addict, and it can be deadly in high doses or when combined with certain medications.  The withdrawals tend to be on par with a high dose of codeine or a moderate dose of hydrocodone and include the typical opioid withdrawal symptoms such as cold sweats, diarrhea, insomnia, anxiety, nausea, vivid dreams/nightmares, physical pain, depression & restless legs.  Most opioid users find the withdrawals indistinguishable from those of other opioids, so beware of that before trying it.  Acute withdrawals tend to last about 5-7 days, with psychological withdrawal fading more gradually.  Sticking to occasional use will help avoid withdrawals, but if you enjoy its effects it can be tempting to overuse it due to its legality, affordable price & wide availability.  

Don't fool yourself into thinking that natural = safer with kratom.  Opiates (morphine, codeine, opium) are "natural" too--derived directly from the opium poppy--and they're capable of causing lifelong addiction, painful withdrawal & death.  Likewise, the legal status of kratom does not mean it's impossible to overdose on or that it's a 'safe' alternative to opioids.  Safety is relative & depends on the user's individual health, the dose of the drug taken & other factors.  Kratom is a rather "dirty" drug in that it acts on such a wide number of receptor systems & metabolic enzymes.  In reasonable doses it's usually fine.... usually.  But too many young, ignorant people abuse it and end up dying or throwing their lives away which is why we need age restrictions nationwide.  This would help protect users AND keep the plant legal along with other easy measures I've outlined here.  

That said, kratom can be very handy for easing withdrawals from more potent opioids like heroin, OxyContin or Dilaudid in a pinch, and it's a far safer alternative to these drugs when purchased on the street due to the fentanyl adulteration crisis.  It tends to be more readily available/affordable than methadone or Suboxone, which often have to be obtained by standing in line early in the morning at clinics, attending meetings & jumping through other hoops that not everyone has the means to jump through.  It's also useful for moderate-severe pain, insomnia & anxiety/depression, though I wouldn't recommend using it to treat those last three due to the addictive risk.  When abused or taken daily, kratom's beneficial effects on mood, energy levels & pain wane due to rising tolerance, so keeping your use of the herb occasional is the best bet if you want it to remain effective (and avoid addiction).  This is not something kids under 18 should be using recreationally or otherwise.  

In its native Indonesia, kratom leaves are merely chewed for their effects.  The way we consume the ground leaf by the spoonful would be akin to consuming coffee grounds with our coffee.  So in a way it's uncharted territory.  We don't know what pesticides, heavy metals or other harmful substances might be in our beloved leaf, so it's always best to stick to the lowest effective dose.  I don't say these things to cause alarm--I'm a long-term kratom user who would find it enraging & tragic to see the plant banned.  I just want users & potential users to be aware of ALL the benefits & risks because there's misinformation on both sides, and obscuring the truth only hurts the cause of keeping kratom legal.  That, and nobody needs to die due to a lack of information in the literal Information Age.  



Vendors

There are no shortage of kratom resellers in the U.S, all of whom source their product from Indonesian bulk suppliers overseas.  You can also purchase kratom at brick-and-mortar stores, though I much prefer buying mine online as it tends to be cheaper & I can read customer reviews first.  Some of my favorite tried & tested stateside online vendors include: Caleb's Concentrates, Benni's Botanicals, Star Stuff, Okie Kratom & All Natural Artisan.  Benni's has a wait-list and I've been "waiting" a long ass time, so don't use them if you're in a hurry.  All Natural Artisan was my very first vendor many moons ago and Caleb's is my most recently used.  Star Stuff has the most potent plain leaf I've tried in ages & Okie's offers lab test results.  To keep it short and sweet.  🖤

Disclaimer:  Everyone has their personal favorite vendor, and two people can react in completely opposite ways to the same strain so please note that I make no claims about how YOU will react to these vendors' products.  These are merely my personal favorites.  

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