Kratom extract: by Dryad Druid

This article is going to go over the specifics of Kratom Extracts.

Kratom Extract

     
Plainly put, Kratom Extracts are a highly concentrated form of the Kratom Powder plant material. These Kratom Extracts can be made several ways and depending on which plain leaf strain the Kratom Extract is made from determines what the extract does and how it affects you and whatever plain leaf you enhance with it.

To make a Kratom Extract, a vendor (or plantation owner that supplies the Kratom Powder) selects a plain leaf powder and either boils it down to make a resin or dehydrates the moisture out completely giving you a highly concentrated fine powder grind.

As stated in a previous article, the Kratom Plant material can come in several different grinds. You have the loose leaf grind, which is nothing more than crushed stem and leaves of the plant. The next is the plain leaf or Kratom powder grind. This is often a granulated powder form that many Kratom Therapists place in either a pulped fruit juice or brew tea out of. The final grind is a Fine Kratom Powder grind. This grind is unmistakable by its soft talcum powder like feel and the absence of stem matter that can be seen in the granulated powder form. The Fine Powder grind should be administered when an individual has had experience in Kratom Therapy since the lack of stem matter can often intensify a session. The lack of stem material can also lead to higher tolerances with the Kratom Plant.

Briefly put, tolerance is an issue regarding Kratom Therapy. The higher you build your tolerance, the harder it is to bring it back down. Those who are Kratom aficionados often take sabbaticals from their Kratom Therapy sessions to help keep their tolerance at a minimum. Kratom Extracts can raise this tolerance as well and the Kratom Extract should be administered with caution because of this.

Depending on what plain leaf powder you use will determine what the Kratom Extract does. It should be noted that simply doing a Kratom Extract by itself does nothing more than give you a quick intense therapy session that immediately raises your tolerance. It is because of this that vendors use the Kratom Extracts in plain leaf blends to enhance them.

To go over from a previous article, there are three strains the Kratom Plant offers.

Kraton Tree

You have the White Vein that promotes energy, mental stimulation, and euphoria.

White Vein Kratom Leaf

The Red Vein usually brings notes of relaxation and sedation to the therapy “table”.

Red Vein Kratom

And lastly, the Green Vein denotes to be the middle of the road on all aspects of the Kratom Plant.

Green Vein Kratom

Green veins are usually administered to Kratom beginners because of how easy it is on the stomach. Some Kratom Therapists note a bit of nausea and it is due to how difficult the plant can be on the human digestive system.  The strain color is determined by the vein of the leaf on the underside of the plant.

Following suit to the parent strain they are made from, Kratom Extracts that are made from a specific vein color are simply a concentrated form of what that strain does. The Kratom Extracts themselves vary in color. They can be earthy rust brown to a bright golden hue, so if you are curious as to which strain your Kratom Extract comes from, ask your vendor to verify. Looking at a Kratom Extract won’t be able to tell you where it came from.

For instance, if your Kratom Extract is made from White Vein Borneo (primarily one of the most energetic strains there are) then the Kratom Extract is going to be highly energetic. If you find “lightly enhanced” or “enhanced” blends that state this kind of extract, you can speculate that blend to be HIGHLY energetic. Those that are already susceptible to a white vein strain or to caffeine should stay away from these blends as these are often described as “jittery”. (Think two cups of espresso jittery.) Those that have a weak stomach constitution should also stay away from these kinds of blends. One of the side effects can be nausea.

Most Kratom Extracts, however, aren’t made from Green Vein strains simply because of the neutrality with their therapy effects. Master Blenders that use Green Veins in their blends, do so to extend the life of what they want that blend to do. Since making Kratom Extracts is costly and time consuming, making one out of a Green Strain is neither financially sound nor using comprehensive judgment in time management. That isn’t to say that you can’t make a Kratom Extract with a green strain. It simply isn’t common practice.

Kratom Extracts are why the media has turned a negative eye toward the plant in general. It is easily obtainable to teenagers and they are taking high Kratom Dosage amounts to achieve opiate like effects. To state, it would take an extreme high amount of Kratom Extract and even higher amounts of Plain Leaf Powder to achieve these effects. Getting any kind of opiate like effects would be painfully expensive and there would be no guarantee that the effects would be achieved with the Kratom Therapy session, in higher dosages, because of the tolerance ceiling the plant has. To reiterate, the human body no longer gains any benefit after a certain dosage. Extreme nausea and vomiting are usually accompanied at extreme high dosages and the person would simply be wasting their money trying to achieve what the media claims.

To date, there are no documented deaths while on a Kratom Only Therapy regiment. To clarify, the deaths associated with this plant were due to the individuals having other pharmaceuticals or street drugs in their system. Kratom, by itself, has never caused this. This claim is backed by thousands of years’ worth of data being used in Asian Medicine. The novelty of this plant being used in western culture started the media mongering and the push to have the plant (cousin to the coffee tree) banned.

Those that do start a Kratom Extract therapy, usually do so because of having a high tolerance already in place. This can be due to coming clean from street drugs or coming off of a prescription pain killing regiment/therapy. Pain Management Clinics are only just starting to tap into the years of knowledge this plant has, and administering it to their pain patients.

To quickly recap, several vendors have tested their knowledge in creating something called a Plain Leaf Blend. This simply takes two or more different strains and blends them together to give you a more well-rounded therapy session. Since most Kratom Therapists utilize this plant in more than one area, the needs of the therapists can be met with a blend. They come in a variety of combinations and most vendors give a brief description on what the blend does. The blends can either contain only white strains, only green strains, only red strains, or a combination of the three. It greatly depends on what the Master Blender wants the blend to do that will determine which strains they use.

Most of the alkaloids in each of the color strains work well with each other. Some, however, do not and this is why some vendors hire a Master Blender to take the guess work (and expense) off of their customer so all that is left is a positive Kratom Therapy Session.

By placing a Kratom Extract into a plain leaf blend, or a plain leaf powder, you are placing the blend (or powder) into a new category. Some vendors clearly mark which blends are “enhanced”. The Leaping Leaf has two varieties of powders that have added a Kratom Extract. They are “Lightly Enhanced” (which uses only a small amount of Kratom Extract in ratio to the plain leaf strains added) and “Super Enhanced” (the ratio of Kratom Extract is higher than the Lightly Enhanced blends). If the Super Enhanced blends aren’t meeting your current needs, and for some they don’t, experienced Kratom Therapists add their own Kratom Extract to suit their Optimum Kratom Dosage Level.

Therapists that utilize Kratom Extracts usually place a small amount in a plain leaf powder or a plain leaf blend, to enhance the strain(s) properties and extend the life of the therapy session. As stated, Green Strains do this as well, but some individuals feel that the green strains aren’t enough or suitable to their current needs. Since the Kratom Extract is a concentrated form of Kratom anyway, a little bit goes a long way.



If you feel that you have added too much Kratom Extract to your plain leaf powder or plain leaf blend, simply reduce the Kratom Dosage you would normally administer to yourself during your Kratom Therapy Session. Or if the Kratom is already in your system, as stated in a previous article, eating a meal heavy in carbohydrates or dairy can lessen, or even eliminate, the Kratom Therapy effects. If you have eliminated the Kratom Therapy effects, simply wait an hour or two after your meal and start again.

What is Kratom? : By Driad Druid

I would to dedicate this blog to answering the question so many of my followers have been reading about - What is Kratom?

What is Kratom? Kratom, specifically called MitragynaSpeciosa and can be found in the rain forests of south east Asia. It is a plant that is a cousin to the coffee tree and can grow in excess of thirty feet. Often referred to as a plant, but that appears to be a misnomer as it is indeed a form of Evergreen Tree.

Kratom grows in the warm humid climates of Indonesian, Taiwan, Thailand, Borneo and the Malaysian jungle rain forests. Each island totes its own version of the plant and because of that, each island’s plant totes its own distinct effects it carries.  Kratom as a whole carries significant traits no matter where it grows, however, because each island’s soil has different attributes and nutrients, each island’s version gives its own interpretation to the plant. 

Indonesian Kratom plants denote a relaxing undertone. While although you still have the White, Red, and Green veins to the plants, the Indonesian soil seems to give each strain an underlying relaxing note to the plant’s effects. So while you can, for example, buy an Indonesian White Vein to combat fatigue, it won’t be as strong as another island’s White Vein version. Indonesian (or Indos) are usually suggested for first time experiencers since they seem to be a little more forgiving on the effects. And likewise, those who are coming off of a pain prescription regiment, Indos aren’t suggested because of the tolerance the previous prescription has already given to that individuals system.  In other words, you wouldn’t get much of an effect at all. You still, however, can use it to combat the withdrawals if you are coming off of a long time opiate regiment. 

Taiwan and Thailand strains tend to be a bit more on the energetic side.  These jungles denote an overall energetic level and bring a stimulating effect to their particular strains. Again, each plant is still broken down to the White, Red, and Green veins.  Those that are looking for a long term therapy session, lasting a few hours, would probably benefit from these particular strains. And when moving into this plant’s region for therapy, you can really see why this plant is kin to the coffee plant. There is a level of “jitters” with this region. Anyone who is susceptible to caffeine should probably stay away from these strains as the energy can be a bit harsh on the system. For many connoisseurs, however, the Thai strains are among the favorites in this plant’s family. 

Borneo strains tend to be the strongest in its field for whatever the Vein color denotes. For example, White Vein Borneo is particularly energetic and is described as one of the most euphoric, combating any social anxiety one might have. This holds true for its Green and Red veins as well. Those who are looking to come off of their pain medication regiment and are facing withdrawals, Red VeinBorneo seems to be a favorite to stem them off. While although you may not get the mental effects from the plant, suffering WD’s seems to be non-existent.  There are several individuals that swear by this strain as it has helped them kick their illegal drug habit.  Red Vein Borneo also seems to be the most analgesic and Chronic Pain Suffers continually keep this strain in stock for “bad days”.   

Malaysian strains are neutral. They are the true “Middle of the road” and seem to carry all the traits this Kratom plant boasts. It is analgesic, energetic, holding antianxiety properties, euphoric, beats depression, helps with sore muscles, you name it. However, since these strains are the “Jack of all Trades”, the strength that you might need may be found in other above mentioned strains. Malaysians (Malays) and Indos are a good starting point when seeking out Kratom Therapy. The Malaysian strain that seems to be popular with the Kratom connoisseurs is Green Malaysian (or Green Malay). It is the true “middle of the road” on everything and has been known to add length and duration to the effects of another strain since the synergy of the alkaloids work this way. 

Since you are getting a better picture of “What is Kratom”, I will touch on how it is harvested. Most of the tree is used as just about every part has various alkaloids that Kratom Therapists deem helpful. The majority of the alkaloids are in the veins of the leaves and the leaves itself. However, it is not uncommon to find stems in your regular powder grind. This is done to help keep tolerance down, since like with any other medication, tolerance is always an issue with individuals. 

Kratom plants need to mature five years before one can harvest its leaves and stem for use. The leaves and stems are dried out over a period of days, stacked in bundles, and shipped for processing. Some vendors process their leaves on site, ensuring top quality and the freshest stock. Some vendors have the farmers process the leaves since grinding can be a bit tricky. Anything over a certain temperature can cause the alkaloids in the plants to break down, lessening the effects and you are given a product that may be unable to help you. Read more about effects on my Kratom Effects blog.

The stems and leaves are broken down into larger chunks. Some vendors sell this and call it “Loose Leaf” as you can make a Tea out of it. The tea is the weakest of the grind uses and most Kratom Therapists have an aversion to the extremely bitter taste.  So bitter in fact, that even large quantities of honey doesn’t seem to put a dent in the taste.  However, if bitter flavors don’t seem to bother you and you are new to the therapy, Kratom Tea might be what you need.  As stated before, be careful when brewing your tea as boiling hot water will break down the alkaloids, making the plant even weaker with its medicine. You can get hundreds of tips and recipes to making Kratom Tea on the internet.

Vendors and farmers alike take the loose leaf and grind it down even further, taking particular care that their grinders doesn’t burn the powder. This is referred to as simply Kratom Powder and it is a bit more granulated than a true powder should be. You might even see bits of stem and vein in your powder. Again, this normal and you shouldn’t be wary if you get them. It is simply used and put in there for tolerance reasons. It should be noted that this grind is the most common method used. Most Kratom Therapists use this powder in conjunction with a pulpy fruit juice as the consistency can be a tad rough getting it into your system. If you can chew an aspirin tablet and not gag, you should be able to handle this. 

The final grind and taking the Regular Powder further, is the Fine Powder Grind. This grind, most of the stem and vein material has been sifted out, giving you a silky fine grain powder. The feeling is akin to flour or talcum powder. However with this grind, clumping is an issue. Keep in mind that you are grinding down plant matter and that the juices from the plant end up in the powder, causing the clumps. This too, is normal. Seeing clumps is actually a good sign that you are receiving a very fresh batch and all the alkaloids should be present. Not to say that non clumping powder is stale. Once you get a feel for Kratom Therapy, you would be able to tell whether or not a batch is stale. It should be noted that removing much of the stem and vein causes a tolerance issue. Going to the Fine Grind is a risky jump and I suggest getting your Kratom from trusted sources. www.Theleapingleaf.com in my mind is the best there is and you can actually speak to the owners if you contact them. If you are using this plant for Chronic Pain, sabbatical is something you would want to stay away from unless you have an alternative in place.

In the end I wasn't able to sum it all up in one answer but here is my best at three:

 

What is Kratom? It is medicine. It is an alternative to prescription pain killers. It is weaning yourself off of toxic prescription medication (with your doctor’s approval.)

What is Kratom? It is holistic, it is organic, it is all natural. It is a plant that the GMO monsters haven’t touched. It has been used for thousands of years for hundreds of reasons. 

What is Kratom? For much of us, it is a lifeline and a welcome alternative necessity in our daily lives.