What is Kratom Tea (Years of Personal Experience)

Kratom tea is one of the most popular ways to use kratom, but what exactly is it, and more importantly, is it safe? In this kratom guide, I will use my personal experience and tons of research to help you decide whether kratom tea is right for you.

Kratom Tea is a beverage made with the crushed leaves of kratom, a plant also known as Mitragyna Speciosa. It is very effective for absorbing kratom’s alkaloids, which are known for producing a wide range of benefits.

Many kratom effects depend on how you make its tea, as well as the size of your dose. You’ll want to know which kratom tea recipe and dose is best for you to avoid any unwanted side effects.

What is Kratom Tea?

Kratom tea is a natural tea made from kratom, a plant originating in Southeast Asia commonly used for purposes. It can be prepared with both kratom powder or kratom leaves.

Most people use powder rather than dried leaves to prepare kratom tea.

Kratom powder makes it easier for you to calculate an exact dose with every use, while leaves do not. I can tell you from multiple experiences while testing various strains and doses that accidentally consuming too much kratom can produce very unpleasant headaches.

Furthermore, it’s very difficult to get ahold of leaves due to international laws. Take my word for it, you’re better off using powder.

Kratom Tea Effects

Kratom tea produces a wide range of amazing effects. But why? The answer lies in two alkaloids, Mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine. Both of these alkaloids are responsible for katom’s opioid like effects.

Mitragynine is more abundant in the plant, but 7-hydroxymitragynine is more potent and is known for it’s powerful discomfort relieving properties.

The two alkaloids work together to produce the following benefits:

• Stress Relief
• Discomfort Relief
• Sedation
• Mood Boost
• Increased Focus and Energy

Kratom Colors and Strains

Kratom comes in four colors; red, white, green, and yellow. These four colors branch off into different strains such as Green Maeng Da, Red Borneo, or White Sumatra.

It is not uncommon for the same strain to be offered in various colors. For example, Green Maeng Da, Red Maeng Da, or White Meang Da.

Each color is known for producing its own set of effects:

However, within each color, each strain will vary in potency. For example, even though Green Maeng Da and Green Elephant are both green strains and produce similar effects, Green Maeng Da will produce much more potent effects. It’s high potency is due to the higher concentration of alkaloids it possesses. 

The effects you experience from your kratom tea is going to largely depend on which color you use as well as the strain. Unfortunately, there are so many strains and colors that going over each one would make this article too lengthy.

Do not worry! I won’t leave you empty-handed. I have taken into account many customer testimonials regarding the potency of various strains as well as personally tested almost every strain you can think of.

Therefore, I’ve concluded the following strains to be the best according to their respective effect.

• Stress Relief: Red Bali for night time use. White Thai for daytime use.
• Discomfort Relief: Red Bali
• Sedation: Red Bali or Red Maeng Da (RMD produces a gradual mood boost)
• Mood Boost: White Thai
• Increased Focus and Energy: White Thai

As you can see some strains clearly dominate certain effects. That’s not to say other strains are no good.

Some people may find other strains to be more beneficial than the ones I’ve mentioned above. However, I have found these strains to be the most effective for the majority of people.

Kratom Tea: How Long Are the Effects?

Because kratom tea is a liquid, your digestive system will absorb the alkaloids relatively fast. You can expect to feel the initial effects in about 15-20 minutes (with the exception of sedation). The initial sedative effects take about 2-3 hours.

The overall kratom tea effects last for a total of about 3-5 hours.

So, if you drink your tea for discomfort relief at 3:00 pm you will feel the initial effects around 3:15ish and the discomfort relief will last up to 6:15 to 8:15pm that same day. Not too shabby if you ask me.

One other factor to keep in mind regarding the effects of kratom tea is the size of your dose. For example, larger doses tend to be more sedative, which is perfect for red strains while smaller doses are more energizing and great for white strains.

Dose is very important for obtaining your desired effects, so we will cover that topic in the next section.

Finding your kratom tea dose is crucial. Under dose and you will feel nothing. Overdose, and you may experience some very unwanted side effects. (More on side effects later).

As mentioned before, smaller doses tend to be more energizing while larger doses are more common for sedation. Unfortunately, there are many sites recommending universal doses.

While this may work for many people, it’s not guaranteed that it will work for you. Factors such as the following will impact the way you experience kratom tea:

• Weight
• Gender
• Metabolism
• Food in your system
• Tolerance

Experimenting is the best way to find your perfect dose size.

If you’ve never used kratom, begin with the lowest recommended dose for that effect.

However, if you do have at least 3 or 4 days to experiment I would highly suggest it. It’s a very simple process but it guarantees finding your perfect dose.

While experimenting with dose size do not drink kratom tea twice in the same day, or any other form of kratom. Doing so will interfere with the experiment because the second time you use kratom it will produce inferior effects and rapidly increase your tolerance.

I go as far as instructing people not to drink kratom tea everyday. Only use it when you need it in order to maintain its effectiveness.

How to Boost Kratom Tea Effects

Kratom’s effects can be amazing, especially when you’ve begun to use kratom. But what if I told you there was a way to increase the effects of your kratom tea?

Luckily for us, there are a wide variety of natural ingredients we can use to do just that.

Black Pepper and Turmeric

I group both those of these ingredients because you cannot use one without the other to boost kratom tea effects. Black pepper is known to increase the bioavailability of Curcumin, a compound in turmeric, by over 2000%.

The increase is Curcumin reduces your tolerance and allows you to continue experiencing kratom’s amazing benefits as if it were your first time.

The key to using turmeric and black pepper is to take them at least an hour before drinking your kratom tea. If you consume them along with your tea, they won’t provide the same boosting effects.

Oranges, Lemons, Grapefruit, or Other Citric Fruit

Citric fruit is the most popular kratom potentiator. The citric acid in these fruits helps to extract the alkaloids from the kratom powder.

They’re also much more convenient to use than other potentiators. Simply add them to your kratom tea during the extraction process.

For example, add orange juice to your kratom tea while you’re simmering water or to your container before placing it in the fridge. A ratio of 50/50 water to citric juice is enough.

Magnesium

Magnesium is a supplement you can use to maintain a low kratom tolerance. However, if you’re going to use magnesium, you have to use it on a daily basis otherwise it will have no effect.

Keep in mind magnesium may cause you to poop more than usual, which will dehydrate your body. Be sure to drink plenty of water when using magnesium.

Chamomile Tea

Chamomile tea is used as a relaxant similar to kratom red strains. Because chamomile is offered in powdered form, you can infuse both kratom and chamomile powder while preparing your tea.

Doing so will potentiate kratom‘s relaxation effects. However, I advise against using chamomile with white kratom strains because you may cancel out the stimulating effects.

Kratom Tea Side Effects

We can’t have an honest post regarding kratom tea without going over negative side effects. So here it goes. Kratom tea (or kratom in any general form) is known to produce short term and longterm side effects if abused.

Consuming more than your ideal dose may lead to the following short term side effects:

• Nausea
• Dehydration (less likely with kratom tea)
• Headache
• Vomiting
• Hallucinations

Short term side effects can be avoided by consuming your ideal dose and gradually increasing it throughout the course of a few weeks. This is why I previously emphasized taking the time to experiment to find your perfect dose.

The most common of these side effects are nausea and headaches. From my experience and the testimonials of others, they last about an hour and go away on their own.

Consuming kratom for an extended period of time (i.e. years) may lead to longterm side effects such as:

• Liver damage
• Weight loss

These long-term effects can easily be avoided by only consuming kratom when you need it. However, if you need to consume every day, you can avoid longterm effects by cycling your kratom use.

For example, if you’re drinking kratom tea for three months, take a break for two months. This will not only lower your tolerance but it will allow your body to recuperate.

As you can see, drinking kratom tea can produce negative side effects. However, they can be easily avoided if you use kratom responsibly.

Is Kratom Tea Legal

If you’re wondering whether you’re breaking the law every time you drink your kratom tea, wonder no more. Due to federal and state laws, the legality of kratom can be a bit confusing, but we’re going to clear that up for once and for all.

According to federal law, kratom is legal. However, there are certain states, counties, and cities that outlawed it.

Kratom is illegal in the following locations:

• San Diego, California
• Sarasota County, Florida
• Illinois with the exception of Jerseyville
• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Tennessee
• Indiana
• Wisconsin

The DEA has tried multiple times to outlaw kratom. Luckily for us, they’ve failed every time. However, that doesn’t mean they won’t try again.

Let’s educate ourselves and others and use kratom responsibly so the DEA won’t have any further reasons for attempting to ban our beloved plant.

Kratom Tea vs Pills

I get this question a lot from kratom tea users. Which is better, kratom tea or pills, also known as capsules? The answer is…it depends. It depends what you’re looking for.

• Potency

If you’re looking for potency, kratom pills are stronger. Kratom pills retain all of the alkaloids when they are encapsulated. Hence, they are more likely to pack a bigger punch.

• Convenience

There are no doubt capsules are more convenient than kratom tea. You can avoid the powdery messes, accidental spills, and preparation process. All you need is water and capsules. Simple and effective.

• Time of Initial Effects

So far, kratom pills have dominated this face-off. Let’s make one last comparison. Because kratom tea is in liquid form, you’ll begin to feel the effects in about fifteen to twenty minutes. Kratom capsules don’t produce initial effects for about thirty to forty-five minutes.

But wait! You have to keep in mind how long it takes to prepare your tea. Some teas take up to 8 hours to prepare. The shortest method, simmering, takes 40 minutes. With that in mind, kratom pills produce effects faster than kratom tea.

• Taste

Kratom tea tends to have a very bitter, earthy flavor that has been described as very similar to matcha. Kratom pills are flavorless. With regards to taste, deciding which is better is completely up to what you prefer.

Kratom Tea vs Powder

You may be wondering which is better, kratom tea, or directly consuming kratom powder, also known as the toss and wash method. Let’s take a look at both.

• Potency

Just like kratom pills, kratom powder retains all of its alkaloids. This allows for more powerful effects. Unfortunately, kratom tea loses many of its alkaloids during the preparation process.

• Taste

Unless you enjoy a mouthful of extremely bitter powder, you’re probably better off drinking kratom tea. You can add various juices and sweeteners to kratom tea to dilute the bitterness.

Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do to reduce the bitter taste of the powder. Drinking it with cold water helps a bit, but doesn’t make much of a difference.

• Convenience

Using the toss and wash method is quick and easy. Simply take a spoonful of powder containing your ideal dose, drink water, swirl it in your mouth, and swallow.

The powder is, without a doubt, more convenient than preparing kratom tea.

• Time of Initial Effects

You should begin to feel the initial effects of both kratom tea and powder at about the same time, fifteen to twenty minutes. But as I previously mentioned, you have to consider the preparation time for tea.

With preparation time taken into account, the initial effects of kratom powder take less time than kratom tea.

Best Kratom Tea

Surely by now, you may be wondering which kratom tea is the best from each color strain. Fortunately, I’ve provided a brief description below stating the specific strain and best qualities of that strain for a red, green, white, and yellow tea. Here we go! 

• Red Bali

Known as the king of red strains, Red Bali is potent and effective. It produces massive sedation. Those who suffer from chronic discomfort and therefore lack of sleep can highly benefit from a Red Bali tea. 

• Green Malay Kratom Tea

Green Malay is known for its discomfort relief and stress relief, increase energy, and mood boost (euphoric). Although not as potent as a Red Bali tea with regards to discomfort relief, Green Malay tea is still at the top for its analgesic effects. This tea is perfect for those who wish to increase their productivity while simultaneously reducing discomfort and stress. 

• Yellow Vietnam Kratom Tea

Similar to Green Malay, although not as euphoric, Yellow Vietnam tea is used for increasing energy, improving focus, and relieving discomfort. Yellow Vietnam tea is perfect for getting things done and hence, ideal for daytime use. 

• White Thai Kratom Tea

White Thai Tea can be used to replace your daily cup of joe. White Thai produces potent euphorias, energy boosts, increase concentration, and focus. It’s ideal for getting the day started early in the morning with a surge of optimism and alleviating the emotional pain of dreadful tasks.