Kava vs Kratom

Two substances that are currently gathering a large amount of attention throughout the Western world are kratom and kava. At first glance, it may appear that these are nearly identical products. However, there are many key differences in these botanicals that everyone should know about. That is why this guide is here to provide a breakdown of what makes kava and kratom different from one another.

Differences in Origin

One of the most basic differences in these two drugs is the location from which they originate. Kratom is something that comes from Southeast Asia and is collected from special trees that can often reach heights of over 50 feet tall.

While kava also comes from a very tropical and subtropical climate, it is found in a very different part of the world. Instead of being tracked back to Asian countries, kava originated from a variety of Pacific islands that includes territories like Papua New Guinea, Hawaii, and Fiji. And unlike the towering trees from which kratom is collected, kava is gathered from much smaller shrubs that tend to only reach a maximum height of six or seven feet.

Differences in Cultivation Practices

Along with coming from a different part of the world, kava and kratom also feature very different cultivation practices. For example, kratom strains are created through very precise techniques used during the harvesting and cultivation steps of the growing process. Things like the amount of sunlight the plant receives, as well as the time of year that it is harvested, are going to have noticeable impacts on the resulting kratom leaves.

But a lot of the qualities of a kava plant are decided independently of the techniques used during the growth process. Instead, the type of cultivar that is planted is going to be what determines the vast majority of characteristics that a kava plant has. This is because kava plant variations are the result of cloning, which has led to the creation of noble and non-noble categories.

Unlike kratom strains, which all have relatively similar characteristics and results when consumed, kava strains have very different impacts on a person between the noble and non-noble strains. Non-noble types of kava tend to result in more health risks, which is why the noble strains are in far higher demand than the non-noble strains.

Differences in Legality

One of the biggest areas where kava and kratom are different is the ways that they have been regulated by various government agencies around the world. Since kava has two major types of strains, they receive very different regulatory treatments throughout most of the world. Non-noble kava is not widely accepted and is highly restricted in most countries around the world. However, its noble strains, which have been shown to be much safer, are widely accepted by most government agencies. In fact, the U.S. even has hundreds of kava bars established throughout the country.

On the other hand, kratom is treated much differently, especially in the United States. While this substance is generally accepted in most European and Asian countries, it has been more tightly regulated in the U.S. thanks to the work done by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Although it has managed to remain off of the DEA’s list of Schedule I drugs, there has been a lot of other legislation that has made it harder to legally distribute, purchase, and consume kratom.

At a federal level, it still remains legal, but this has not stopped several states and cities from enacting their own policies that ban the substance. Currently, the list of states that have banned kratom outright includes Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, and Wisconsin. In addition, it is also banned in Jerseyville, San Diego, and Sarasota County as well. Together, these make up the major differences between these two popular botanicals.