Get To Know Kratom Extract: A Guide

When looking through the aisles at a natural food store or herb retailer, you might notice that many items claim to be extracts. Extracts are a mixture that tends to be more potent, and thus a smaller amount is required. Kratom extracts are no different. Suppose you are looking to get more involved in the Kratom community, or thinking about purchasing products for research purposes. In that case, you should start by finding out as much as possible about Kratom and the various products.

Once you have gained some accurate information, you can head to a reputable retailer’s online store and make a more informed purchasing decision. Not all retailers will sell authentic, high-quality Kratom, and buying from them won’t only jeopardize your research, but pose various safety hazards.

Is Kratom A Plant?

Kratom is a plant that grows in humid rainforests around the globe. Hotspots for Kratom growth and distribution primarily tend to be in Southeast Asia, but many farmers worldwide have made attempts at growing it. The scientific name for the Kratom plant is mitragyna speciosa. The tree is technically a tropical evergreen that is a member of the same plant family as coffee, Rubiaceae.

The mitragyna speciosa tree has long been a staple in indigenous communities’ medicinal practices throughout Southeast Asia. Their claims are what has sparked a more global discussion on Kratom and its therapeutic potential. The two compounds within the plant that are active and could be medicinal are mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine. These are alkaloids that all forms of Kratom have, but depending on the strain, each one’s concentrations will vary.

The different varieties of Kratom, or strains, are how researchers can utilize and educate themselves on the various active components. The way these strains are developed is determined by the region where the plant is grown and when it is harvested. Throughout its maturation, the plant is consistently assessed. Only the leaves that are of a certain color are plucked from the tree.

The strains are often differentiated by their region of growth and the vein color on the leaf at the time of its harvest. These are used to differentiate the strains because both of these factors influence the alkaloid concentrations, and thus, offer different effects.

Kratom Processing

After the leaves from the plant have been harvested, they are left to dry on large racks or out in the sun. Some will even use special curing and fermentation methods to extract the active compounds. Once the farmer has decided that the leaves have dried for long enough, they will be ground into a fine powder. This powder is what you will see for sale at many online retail stores, and tends to be the base format. The powder can then be turned into capsules using advanced encapsulation machines or through DIY methods.

One form that is incredibly popular and made from Kratom powder is the extracts. The primary purpose of creating extracts is to focus all the active components into a smaller volume. Extracts are made by letting the raw ground plant materials sit in water or ethanol until it has extracted all the active compounds. Once the plant’s inactive portions are strained from the solution, what is left is then further processed into a powder with a much higher concentration of alkaloids.

In some cases, the raw powder will be added to water and then heated, as this can sometimes be more effective at extracting all the active components. The thick substance is then dried and ground down into the extract powders you see available at an online Kratom retail store.

Extract Benefits

People tend to choose extracts over other forms of Kratom because of the several benefits it provides:

• Less is more- the volume of Kratom you require is much less than the amount of powder you would need for the same results.
• Less Variables- The extract is just the active compounds without any extra unnecessary plant material. Thus, there are fewer variables when doing research.
• Lower Price- As you are going to be using much less product, the price you pay goes a long way ensuring you are saving in the long term when buying extracts.
• Less To Store- As you only need to use a little for significant results, you don’t have to buy as much, which means you can save space on storage.

If you are interested in buying some Kratom extracts, you should start your search at a store with a stellar reputation. Suppliers who have been in business a while and who are working with their farmers in Southeast Asia will provide you with higher quality products that you can trust.

By supporting suppliers who are supporting farmers, you help keep authentic products on the shelf while keeping scammers and profiteers out of the game.