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It’s not much to look at, but my excitement was not diminished by the small size of my new Kratom plant.  Supposedly, a plant this age (my guess is it’s a several month old cutting) should double in size in roughly 2 months; and so begins my weekly grow log.  My plant, pictured to the left, is a clone of the popular Rifat strain, which is the only one, to my knowledge, that has been tested in various research studies and found to be especially strong.  I almost purchased the less popular Bumblebee strain; however, the Bumble clone is generally described as a bit weaker than the Thai Rifat.  To begin, I have already learned 3 interesting facts about this plant:

• It requires constant and high humidity: with my air conditioner unintentionally working to dry the surrounding air, some leaves have cracked, forming very small tears. Since I have raised the humidity, no further cracking has occurred, and the leaves look much glossier, almost similar to oily appearance of poison ivy. To raise the humidity, I placed peat moss over the soil, and have been continually misting the plant; as long as this is done in moderation it will ensure a humid environment without threatening root rot; although, I might setup a humidifier sometime in the future.

• Cats like Kratom plants, so do not leave plants where they are freely accessible to feline friends. My cat almost immediately began chewing the leaves upon unpacking the plant.

• Kratom is not as difficult to grow as suggested by some of the older reports circulating on the web. It has only been 4 days since the arrival of my plant and it has already sprouted a new set of leaves; which is remarkable considering the plant was preoccupied with acclimating to a new environment. As precursory as it may seem, I am confident that maintaining the proper humidity is the only prerequisite above and beyond caring for an easy-to-grow common houseplant.

In summation, I am astonished how fast this plant is growing, especially considering the relatively low humidity.  To better demonstrate this, I will be sure to add new pics and posts every 1-2 weeks.

Also, if anyone has any advice to better my chances of growing this plant successfully, please, please, please, let me know, it would be much appreciated!

Full Spectrum extract, Full Spectrum tincture, Ultra enhanced Indo (UEI), and 250x Kratom extract represent a new breed of Kratom extracts that have just recently become available.  Unlike the standardized extracts of the past, these versions almost completely capture and reproduce the essence of Kratom leaf, but how close are they?   For anyone who has read this blog, you probably know my innate dislike of extracts, not because they don’t work, but because they are cost prohibitive and only assist in the potential vilification of this plant.  Nevertheless, I put together this short introduction of Kratom extracts focusing on why the old ones are worthless, and why the new ones aren’t so bad—but definitely not great.

To really understand why these new extracts are so interesting, we must go back several years, when enhanced Kratom extracts were just entering the market.  Probably the first mass produced extract was commonly known as “enhanced leaf”, which was purportedly active at roughly 1 gram (5x the potency of regular Kratom leaf); of course, it absolutely wasn’t.  And even though Kratom vendors were essentially condensing 5 grams of leaf to produce 1 gram of extract, the result was akin to drinking a decaf espresso—why even bother?  Yes, it was less bulky, and somewhat similar to leaf, but it just could not reproduce the full effects.

Were these extracts simply a scam?   Absolutely not, like everyone in the Kratom community at the time; vendors, wholesalers, and hobbyists alike believed the active alkaloid in the Kratom leaf to be mitragynine.  And, according to the Merck index, mitragynine was supposed to be soluble in alcohol, chloroform, or acetic acid.  The problem was, mitragynine was not the only active alkaloid, and it is almost certainly not even the most important one.  It was not until 2001 that a Japanese research team began to confirm that mitragynine was not the active alkaloid and eventually concluded that another substance, 7-hydroxymitragynine, was; but before this research was widely published in 2005, Kratom sellers had already flooded the market with a barrage of even more expensive, equally ineffective, extracts.

This first wave of extracts is still commonly referred to as the “standardized” range, and typically consists of standardized 5x, 10x, and 15x extractions.  Interestingly, the 15x extract, while much more expensive than the 10x or 5x, was not much more potent, dissuading many consumers, as exemplified in The Ultimate Kratom Comparison Guide.  Basically, the only advantage of these older extracts was that they condensed leaf material, but again, the ill effects far outweighed the cost.  Today, you can still typically find the 15x extract, but the 5x and 10x have been rendered obsolete by a new breed of fortified extracts.

Today, the new extracts, such as Ultra Enhanced Indo and the Full Spectrum Extract are almost reproducing the effects of pure leaf—but still not completely. From reading various observations, reports, and polls, roughly 65% of Kratom consumers score the newer extracts at about a 9 out of 10; while about 35% actually prefer the newer extracts over raw leaf.  These new “fortified” extracts are obviously the result of a more sophisticated extraction technique that revolves around a better understanding of the varying alkaloids within the plant.  But still, roughly 3/4ths of all Kratom consumers prefer raw leaf (thai, bali, indo, malaysion, etc.) to any extract, obviously, something still missing.

Preparing Kratom in pill form is one of the easiest, effective, palatable, cost-effective, and safest methods of making Kratom. In fact, I think if more people had access to empty capsules, and one of the many cheap encapsulation holders, this would easily be the most popular method of use. But for anyone in disagreement, or interested in the subtleties of this experience, I will outline its benefits and drawbacks.

To begin, as mentioned in a previous post concerning the popular tea preparation, Kratom does not lend itself to simple extraction; meaning, making Kratom tea is about as useful as smoking a Carrot to get a dose of beta-carotene—it doesn’t work. The thing is, the only way to extract the more than 25 alkaloids in Kratom is to ingest the plant material itself; which, when powdered, resembles the consistency of sand, and doesn’t taste much better either. The point is, there is no getting around imbibing the actual material, as in the soy milk preparation; however, capping Kratom is a great method for the many people who find the task impossible.

Secondly, I find capping Kratom a safe alternative that can better safeguard one against habitual use. Unlike the soy milk preparation, that hits immediately, capping has an onset that takes about 20 minutes to set in—somewhat discouraging habitual overindulgence. Further, capping is an easy way to easily visualize, compare, and track dosage. Unlike many people, who measure with the subjective calibration of a “heaping teaspoon”, capsules ensure you keep a better eye on dosage, enabling one to take control before a habit can take root.

Thirdly, and most interestingly, I have noticed that the slower release of capsules extends the peak, which is ephemeral (at best) with downing a liquid concoction. Again, this helps to get a better experience, but also makes this preparation a bit more cost-effective, even factoring in the cost of empty capsules. There have been times that the peak of the experience has been extended an hour beyond the typical three hour mark, as unlikely as it may sound. On an empty stomach, capsules are much more effective than any other preparation method, even considering the preferred soy milk prep. However, the only stipulation is that on a a slightly full stomach, the slower release of capsules will be too slow and sustained to be worth the effort.

True, capsules are not the most convenient concerning prep time, but they are easily transported, work great, palatable, safe, and far far cheaper than the ridiculously priced extracts. And, if anyone is wondering if the encapsulation supplies are expensive, they’re not. This is common gear among bodybuilders, and can easily found on supplement or bodybuilding websites.

Just about every 3-6 months, another Kratom extract or product hits the market only to offer an inferior experience in comparison to regular Kratom leaf. While the purpose of an extract is to make for a more palatable preparation, the minimal effects have never justified the outrageously high prices. Kratom vendors have long been trying to accomplish a superior extract, however, to date; extractions have been unable to replicate the full effect of unadultered leaf.

To prove this, I have been compiling the following list of Kratom products for quite some time, drawing from my own experience and input from various forums. The objective of this list is to generate an average price per dose to assist people in making better informed buying decisions. As you will see, most extracts are simply not cost effective; that is, unless your palate is more important than your wallet.

Lastly, I have tried to accomplish a methodology to ensure the most accurate calculation of cost per dose during the preparation of the following list. Because different Kratom strains can vary considerably in alkaloid content, and each individual responds differently to each one, I made a great deal of effort in making sure to compile as many individual experience reports as possible in establishing averaged comparable dosages. For instance, .5 grams of Ultra Enhanced Indo is almost universally compared to about 5-6 grams of Thai Kratom Leaf for most people; but please keep in mind, it is still a subjective measure.

If you’ve ever wondered where Kratom suppliers purchase their stock, or are interested in becoming a Kratom vendor yourself, you should definitely check out Wholesale Shamanic Herbs. As some of you might already know, WSH currently supplies roughly 90% of the Kratom vendors in the U.S.; not to mention a varied selection of other herbs and plants.

But beyond supplying vendors in the U.S., the organization has taken a responsible approach that has helped demarcate the U.S. Kratom supply from that of other countries, such as the U.K. and Amsterdam. Because of their strict guidelines, they will not supply vendors marketing Kratom in an irresponsible manner. The result is evident, U.K. Kratom vendors market the plant as “Mexican Haze”, “Black Label”, and “Fenix Black”—just to name a few. This overpriced Kratom, shipped in its shiny fluorescent packaging surely increases profit margin, but at what cost? Not only is this sickeningly pandering to a younger audience, but it is working to vilify an otherwise safe plant.

In any event, I am glad that WSH has taken such a responsible approach. Unlike vendors in other countries, who are short-sighted and more concerned with high profit margins; WSH is responsibly supplying quality Kratom and safeguarding the plants future in the U.S. marketplace. If anyone has any questions about WSH, please let me know. I am not an affiliate or associated with them in anyway, but again, I have had nothing but positive experiences.