Kratom FAQs

Kratom is a natural, botanical nootropic. It is taken for a variety of purposes, depending on the dosage taken as well as the specific kratom strain that is used.

Kratom is a tree, formally known as mitragyna speciosa, which grows natively in many areas of Southeast Asia. Kratom leaves contain a number of alkaloids that, depending on various factors, can have an energizing or sedative effect when ingested. Kratom leaves are often ground into powder and ingested or boiled and made into tea, allowing users to take advantage of these properties.

There are many ways to take kratom. Historically, raw kratom leaves were sometimes chewed, but modern practice employs different ingestion methods.

The most common ways to take kratom include:

• Making kratom tea by boiling raw kratom and straining out the raw plant matter.
• The “toss and wash” method, which involves placing kratom powder in the mouth and then quickly rinsing it down with a beverage.
• Taking kratom capsules, which are (most often) softgel pills that contain a pre-measured dose of kratom powder.
• Methods such as “parachuting” kratom, which approximate kratom capsules but with improvised (often edible paper) containers.

In the United States, kratom is legal at the federal level. However, a number of states have implemented their own local restrictions or even bans on kratom sales. Even in states where kratom is legal, some counties or cities have enacted restrictions.

On the international level, kratom’s legality varies widely. Be sure to check your local laws before attempting to purchase or use kratom.

Kratom is generally safe, though it has been the subject of some controversy. Kratom has been associated with several deaths, but these deaths overwhelmingly involved other substances, pre-existing conditions, or other complicating factors.

That said, relatively little research has been conducted on the full health implications of kratom use. Further research is necessary before any conclusive claims can be made about kratom’s safety profile.

There have also been some scandals involving adulterated kratom products being sold by less than reputable vendors. It’s crucial to only buy from vendors who test their products for purity, heavy metals, and the like, and who provide these test results publicly.

Establishing kratom dosage can be tricky. Different users will require very different doses depending on a number of factors, including:

• Size and weight
• Kratom tolerance
• Effects desired

Generally, doses will be somewhere between 2 grams and 6 grams; anything higher is considered a very high dose and absolutely should not be attempted by new users.

It is typically a good idea to start with a lower dose than you imagine you might need. Kratom’s effects can be surprisingly potent, and it is best to work your way up once you have an idea of how low doses will affect you.

Used in moderation, kratom is unlikely to cause significant side effects for most users. With serious or long-term use, however, some common side effects are known to occur.

The most common kratom side effects include:

• Stomach upset
• Constipation
• Loss of appetite
• Insomnia
• Sweating
• Nausea
• Itching

If you experience any of these side effects, you may need to reduce your kratom dosage.

Generally speaking, kratom will not show up on a drug test. Drug tests don’t detect everything in your system — they need to be testing for something in particular, and kratom simply isn’t something that’s tested for.

That said, there are tests out there that can detect kratom. However, they’re not the tests employed by your typical employer, parole officer, or the like.

If you’re especially worried about kratom use interfering with whatever drug-testing body you’re involved with, you might consider specifically asking about their stance on kratom. In the vast majority of the US, however, it is legal, and it is unlikely that the group in question will take issue with kratom use.

As with any substance that has inconsistent legal status, traveling with kratom can be somewhat risky. If you’re traveling from an area where kratom is legal directly to another with no stops in between, then you’re probably fine.

But if you’re passing through an area where kratom is illegal, if you’re traveling internationally, or otherwise encountering a number of different legal jurisdictions, then traveling with kratom may not be a good idea.

In that case, you might consider looking to purchase kratom at your destination or order it in advance and have it delivered there. Better to plan ahead than to accidentally run afoul of unforeseen kratom bans.

Whether and how often kratom is third-party tested varies wildly from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some manufacturers (the ones you absolutely should not buy from) never have their kratom tested or, almost as bad, claim to test it “in house”.

Reputable kratom vendors, however, will send out each and every batch of kratom to an independent laboratory for testing. The independent part is essential, as it ensures unbiased results. Testing each batch is equally as important, as there can be huge variations between one crop’s yield and another.

In general, it’s best to stick with one of the American Kratom Association’s list of GMP Certified Vendors. These vendors have been independently vetted for quality assurance, and regular independent testing is one of the key criteria.

In the US, kratom is not federally regulated. It is not officially a drug, a supplement, or any other such category. In this sense, kratom exists in a classification gray-zone.

That said, the FDA has attempted to crack down on kratom under its rules regarding supplements, and the DEA at one pointed listed it as a “drug of concern”. But these examples only underscore that the formal legal classification of kratom is murky.

You’ll often hear users refer to different colors of kratom, most often “white,” “red”, or “green”. These colors are one of the two main ways of classifying kratom strains. They refer to both the literal color of the kratom leaf’s veins and also to the underlying effects.

Generally speaking, kratom strain colors correspond to these effects:

• White strains tend to be the most uplifting and energizing. These come from kratom leaves harvested at earliest maturity.
• Red strains tend to be the most sedative, relaxing, and pain-relieving. These come from kratom leaves harvested late in maturity.
• Green strains tend to offer a mix of both energizing and calming effects. These come from kratom leaves harvested at the mid-point of maturity.

Strain colors are only part of the equation, though. A strain’s effects will also be determined by the region where it was grown, or by the agricultural practices used in its production.

Kratom’s effects on the heart are understudied and poorly understood. There has been very little clinical research in this area, and available evidence is somewhat contradictory.

In some cases, kratom has been shown to raise blood pressure, in others lower it. This may be dependent on dosage size or user tolerance, but the data is unclear.

One thing that is known is that kratom can interfere with the effectiveness of certain blood pressure medications known as ACE inhibitors. If you have been prescribed an ACE inhibitor or other blood pressure medication, be sure to consult your doctor about your kratom use, as they will likely want to monitor your prescriptions’ effectiveness when paired with kratom.

Generally speaking, the ingestion method you use will not have a significant impact on what a dose of kratom is effective for treating. As such, kratom tea is likely to be just as effective for anxiety as any other ingestion method — though tea itself is often regarded as calming, which may improve this method’s effectiveness somewhat.

Kratom’s effects are dependent on both your dosage and choice of strain. Generally speaking, Red Vein strains are believed to be more calming and relaxing, with White Vein strains being the most energizing.

In the US, there is no set age requirement for purchasing or using kratom. Kratom is not regulated at the federal level, so there is no uniform age for legal use.

Several states have enacted their own age requirements for purchasing kratom. These tend to be either 18 or 21 years of age. Many other states have no such requirement, however; in such jurisdictions, anyone could theoretically purchase kratom.