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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.

Kratom has been listed on the DEA’s Drugs and Chemicals of Concern list since August 2007. Completely uncontrolled, yet not regulated by the FDA, Kratom leaf has gained a small following in the U.S. over the past decade. During this time, I have read numerous reports of people using Kratom to taper off dangerous illicit and prescription drugs, without the fear of overdose, or risk of serious addiction. If the DEA is watching this plant, which is again currently uncontrolled, there are only a limited number of potential outcomes. The plant will inevitably remain uncontrolled, become illegal, or be decriminalized. This begs the question, what is the purpose of sanctioning Kratom? If we assume the objective is harm reduction, legalization or decriminalization could actually cause an adverse reaction, as witnessed by various other policies concerning soft drugs.

Legalized, Decriminalized, and Uncontrolled.

Before insisting that the illegalization of the Kratom plant would cause more harm than good, let us note the differences between legalized and decriminalized policies, as well as the Kratoms current uncontrolled status. Legalization and Decriminalization are terms often confused when addressing drug policy. While both terms may vary slightly, dependent upon context, there is one major difference that transgresses the discourse.

Legalization is the allowed use and sale of a substance under a system of regulation, much like alcohol or cigarettes; in contrast, decriminalization is a system that simply excludes criminal punishment. For instance, decimalizing the possession of marijuana would not make it legal, but rather, a non-criminal act. Therefore, under decriminalization, possession will not result in an arrest, but can subject a person to monetary penalties, just like a parking ticket. And finally, uncontrolled substances are completely legal to buy, sell, or trade. However, this is assuming they are not being sold as a food, drug, or supplement. If being sold as a food or drug, sales are regulated by the FDA; if being sold as a supplement, it must abide by U.S. supplement laws.

But why do these terms even matter? Well, if the history of drug policy has taught us anything, it is that different substances require varying laws and policies to promote harm reduction and dissuade dangerous cartels or mobs. One only need to look at Prohibition within the United States to realize it fostered the birth of the American Mafia, aided moonshiners, and caused more homicides and deaths than periods of legalized alcohol sale. For alcohol, a decriminalized, illegal, or uncontrolled status would simply not be in the best interest of society; or the well-being of many individuals, who would inevitably be forced to seek out illegally manufactured alcohol. The only responsible answer was repealing the Eighteenth Amendment and returning alcohol to its legalized status. In contrast, the legalization of hard drugs would be disastrous, only proving that different drugs require varied solutions—but more about this next time:

Kratom, What’s the Answer? (Part II)

Imagine going to your Doctor regarding your codeine addiction, and receiving a prescription for methadone; or, better yet, getting some vicodin to alleviate your horrible ibuprofen habit. Sound ridiculous? Well, while most people would recognize this as incompetent malpractice, I recently read a post concerning a person addicted to Kratom, who was subsequently prescribed Suboxone (“Bupe”) as treatment. WTF? This is like being freely prescribed valium for a chocolate addiction, in other words, utterly ridiculous and complete overkill.

While Kratom addiction is entirely possible, it is generally mute in comparison to even the most freely prescribed pain medications. However, for someone who does not know the evils of legal drug addiction, and especially narcotic abuse, Kratom withdrawal can certainly impede on ones daily life. Nevertheless, anyone abusing Kratom already knows some truths inherent to the plant.

1. It can be mildly addictive if taken regularly; and if done so, it is much less addictive than most, if not all, other opiates. Of course, Please be warned: This is not to suggest that it is painless, in fact, not calibrated against other opiates, Kratom withdrawal can cause a state of anxious pain for several days. Nevertheless, most people who are not opiate users, legal or illicit, do not typically find Kratom a useful experience.
2. Secondly, it definitely has a ceiling effect of diminishing returns, where taking more is not pleasurable, and will ultimately cause a negative reaction.
3. And lastly, its short half life renders withdrawals ephemeral when compared to methadone, or even milder opiates like hydrocodone.

While Kratom is the lesser of many evils, it should NEVER be abused or taken regularly unless to ease withdrawals in an emergency situation or to taper off the various more serious opiates. However, when compared to Buprenorphine (Subutex/Suboxone) it is the safest most manageable alternative to dangerous prescription or illicit drugs. Why anyone would prescribe Suboxone to a Kratom user can only be attributed to naiveté for two major reasons.

Firstly, Subutex is almost certainly causing overdoses, unlike any reported case of Kratom use. In fact, just several months past, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration decided to start tracking Suboxone deaths due to overdose. Obviously, there is a cause for concern considering the administration is looking into Subutex, when commonly known killers are not attracting the same amount of attention, such as Methadone. Certainly, more than 170,000 drug addicts that are currently taking the medication have something to worry about, unlike any user of Kratom.

Overdoses in drug addiction patients are typically caused by mixing the treatment drug with an illicit narcotic. For instance, the methadone patient, who decides to score heroin, to get even higher, is a likely candidate for a potential overdose. Subutex, like methadone, will likely be found to cause death in a similar drug mixing manner. In contrast, the best quality of Kratom is its effective blunting of the mu opioid receptor; in other words, it renders other opiates ineffective, almost unpleasurable. Just search the web for instances of this phenomena, especially concerning the most popular opiate pain medications, such as hydrocodone and oxycontin.

It is depressing to consider anyone, never mind a Doctor, to believe that Kratom use is serious enough to warrant an opioid treatment. I do sympathize with Doctors who have to withstand opiate abusers, and also understand the many sincere pain sufferers who are not finding adequate relief. However, to treat a coffee addiction with cocaine is not going to do the patient any good, causing serious harm well into the future and risking a potential overdose situation without any reason whatsoever.