I’m a kratom convert.

What Is Kratom?

Kratom is a tree in the coffee family harvested for its leaves, which are used to make tea. In my area, I have seen it for sale mostly at “head shops” where its medicinal properties are rarely advertised or explained. I’m not sure if they don’t want to talk about it or just don’t know, but the fact is the kratom plant has a number of useful medicinal properties that more people should be aware of.

Young Kratom Tree - Image by ThorPorre

I have to admit, when I first started seeing advertisements for kratom, I assumed it was another “legal high” product on par with bath salts or some other nonsense. Eventually, I began to hear more about it, and almost all of what I heard was positive. I looked into kratom more, and I just couldn’t find the sort of negative consequences that I had once feared. Like everything, it should be consumed in moderation.

Eventually, I bought some kratom and tried it for myself. My experience with kratom tea has been entirely positive, and now I want to share what I’ve learned. Maybe you will even decide to try it yourself!

Kratom Tea Effects and Benefits

What are some of the positive effects and benefits Kratom tea drinkers report? In my own personal experience with kratom, I felt some of the most common effects that many others have reported in their kratom experience, including:

• Increased Energy
• Improved Mood
• Pain Relief
• Stress Relief
• Overcome Addiction

The strain I tried first was Maeng Da, which is known for being more of an energetic strain. Other strains, such as OG Bali, are better known for their pain and stress relieving properties. All strains of kratom will contain the plant alkaloids that cause these effects; the differences are a matter of degree.

Ground Kratom Leaves for Tea - Image by Ingenium

After drinking a cup of Maeng Da kratom tea, I began to feel more awake and energetic within minutes. The sensation was similar to drinking a double espresso, but without the jittery side effects that coffee normally has on me. The heightened energy lasted several hours; because it ran out slowly, I didn’t feel the crash I do with caffeine.

Many opiate addicts have reported that kratom has helped them deal with the pains of withdrawal and enabled them to break the cycle of addiction to opiates. I cannot personally speak to how effective it is to use kratom to get off heroin or other opiates, since that’s not a problem I’m facing, but I don’t doubt it. I have personally found kratom very useful in dealing with other addictive or habitual behaviors.

I’ve drastically reduced my consumption of caffeine and alcohol in the short time I’ve been using kratom. Stressful events in my life recently had led to me consuming more coffee and more beer recently, and I’m happy to break that habit. Limiting my intake of those toxins has added to the overall improvement in my well-being.

Where To Buy Kratom

In the US, you will likely have no trouble finding a local shop that sells kratom in any major city. Unfortunately, a few states have had a surprisingly fearful reaction to this herbal tea, enacting kratom prohibition laws. As of this writing, kratom is unavailable and illegal in Wisconsin, Vermont, Tennessee, Indiana, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Alabama.

For those of us living in more reasonable areas, kratom is not very hard to find. You can either buy it online or take your chances at the local head shop. The kratom I bought locally was fine, but the shop had very little information to offer about it. The packaging was no help either.

Kratom Leaves - Image by Manuel Jebauer

For my next kratom purchase, I chose to use a reputable online supplier with better support and more information – My Brave Botanicals. This shop offers several strains of kratom, as well as some customized herbal blends. I ordered the Green Extreme blend of green and white Malay strains.

If you have kratom questions, My Brave Botanicals is a knowledgeable supplier who can provide answers, as well as fill kratom orders of any size from a gram to a kilogram. The owner of the shop has been active in the crypto space for years. On top of the usual credit card and PayPal options, the shop accepts payment via Bitcoin or Dash.

Check out my [delicious kratom tea recipe] for suggestions on improving the taste of your tea.

Have you ever tried kratom? What was your experience with it?