A Guide to the Colors of Kratom

What do you think of when you see or hear the colors red, white, and green? The national flag of Italy, sparking memories of vacations in the Med? Or maybe it’s Christmas, with green holly leaves, red berries, and pure white snow? But whatever image those colors evoke in you, it’s almost a certainty (unless you are already an aficionado) that it’s not the shades of the Kratom tree leaves.

So There Are Different Colored Leaves?

Actually, no. The leaves of the Kratom, or Mitragyna speciosa, are green and shiny, and have an oval or egg shape to them, tapering to a point. But when you look at the veins and stems of these leaves, you will see that they fall into three categories: red, green, or white, and it’s these colored veins which tell us all we need to know about the particular strain of Kratom.

Most strains of Kratom are named with the vein color first, followed by the region from where it came (or the other way round), for example ‘Red Borneo’, ‘White Vein Sumatra’, or ‘Malaysian Green’.

By far the most popular and prolific strain, red vein Kratom outsells the other two colors combined, and is far easier to come by. Grown in Southeast Asia, it is the most resilient of the Mitragyna trees, and, if research is to be believed, it is the red coloring of the veins and stems which ensure its strength and resilience.

But Where Does the Color Come From?

Rumors abound as to where the Kratom leaf gets its color – one school of though is that it due to the region in which it is grown, another explains that the climate in which it grew is the deciding factor, while others say that it is merely down to the watering cycle of the tree. Could it be something as simple as how long the leaf has had to mature? Proponents of this explanation categorize the colors as red being the most mature, white being the ‘youngest’, and green falling somewhere between the two.

However, possibly the soundest explanation is that it is due to the way in which the leaf is harvested, taking into account factors such as whether the leaf was dried inside or outside, whether it was exposed to sunlight, UV radiations, and/or artificial light, and the fermentation process. According to this theory, red vein leaves are dried by using a light source (either sunlight or lamplight), and whites are dried inside with no light exposure at all. Green vein leaves are also dried indoors with no light exposure, but they are exposed to air conditioning and temperature-control.

What About Yellow Kratom?

Just to confuse you, in addition to the red, white, and green strains, there is also a yellow variety. Not really accepted as an official strain, this shade of vein also comes with its own possible explanations: some claim that the leaves are dyed before the drying process, while others put forward the theory that it is a special and rare strain which is found only in one particular location. And just to add a little more mystery, there is also a ‘gold’ vein Kratom, which could simply be another ‘yellow’ having started off life as a different colored vein.

And Finally…

In learning about the different colored veins, there are a couple of other names which you may or may not hear as you learn more about Kratom; ‘Maeng Da’, and ‘Horned’.

Maeng Da is the result of cross breeding the different colors to get the combined traits of all three strains, whereas ‘Horned’ refers to the shape of the leaf – a particular and naturally occurring mutation which creates tiny horn-like shapes at the edges of the leaves.

When all’s said and done, we are still learning about Kratom and its origins, and the best place to ask questions is from the vendor you are buying from; it may even be possible to see or obtain a certificate of authenticity which will give you all the information you need to know about its type, classification, and place of origin. As with all things, knowledge is power, so ask those questions and you’ll be able to educate not only yourself, but others, too.