This certainly is the first thing that comes to mind to anynewbie of the topic, and not so new … Since the mass popularization of Kratom in the West, thousands of vendors saw a golden opportunity to make money.
Traditionally, in Southeast Asia the fresh leaves are chewed. In the rest of the world, because logistical issues, we settle for the dried leaves, less prone to fungus. Actually win-win: if the drying process has been successful, we obtain a higher amount of alkaloid per gram of dry leaf compared with a fresh leaf.
But Kratom suffered its own process of Westernization: looking for a quick buzz at the time, no waiting, and with money in the mind emerged the extracts.
But do extracts work?
Any lover Kratom without much rodeo will answer: NO.
The vast majority of extracts are marketing (also known as jars of colors). First things first:
- What is an extract? An extract is X amount of Kratom potentiated with more alkaloids. Alkaloids are the active ingredient of the plant: a higher concentration of alkaloids, less product to consume to achieve the desired effect… theoretically.
- So my super 100x Kratom extract is 100 times better than Kratom leaves? Definitely NO. The vast majority of connoisseurs are clear: the extracts usually arrive in most occasions to 5x power. One gram of 60x Kratom should amount to 60 grams Kratom leaves. But this is rarely ever the case.
- Why the effects are different from extracts to leaves? Start with extracts is a bad idea, not only because of increased tolerance, extracts are not being faithful to the original Kratom effects. The reason most of the time is in the same extraction process that degrade the alkaloids, while the use of solvents of different polarities give preference to the extraction of alkaloids on each other. The extracts often have an stimulant effect that does not correspond to the calm, dreamy and euphoric effects of original Kratom.
- But is there any good extract, right? In the market there are some extracts that have earned their reputation as the UEI Kratom or some full-spectrum. Keep in mind that increased tolerance occurs very suddenly, causing dependence in a short period of time.
What about Kratom Resin?
The resin can also be considered as an extract using water as solvent. It is very easy to make in a home: just boil the leaves about 10-15 minutes, strain and boil filtered Kratom tea until it becomes a black mass. Once we rested is black resin, hard and compact.
- Advantages of the resin:
It takes up less space than the leaves
Lets make a tea without the cumbersome process of filtering
Effects faithful to the original plant
- Disadvantages of the resin:
We will always lose a small percentage of Kratom
The alkaloids are thermolabile, some will be lost in the process.
If a weak acid is used to improve the extraction of alkaloids, it will attack at the time of the decoction, assuming more loss of alkaloids.
Easily adulterable by unscrupulous sellers. Lucky you can make it at home 🙂
A note on the pure alkaloids: Although pure alkaloids may pose a breakthrough, we must keep in mind that can cause a rapid rise of tolerance but used with care, as the extracts.
Conclusion for a newbie: although it is easy to get lost in the huge variety of Kratom on the market, our advice is to always start with the leaves and avoid colored jars and advertisements that harm this plant with their lies.
Not only will feel the pleasant effects of Kratom, but it will do a great favor to the industry … and to your pocket.