Since the rise of Kratom throughout the West, it is easy to find much information about this plant, even in Spanish. But much of it is scattered, incomplete or contradictory. Many of the entries in this blog are directed to people with previous knowledge in this field or pharmacology, so now it’s time to create a post aimed at those curious who wonder what Kratom is.
Kratom tree
With the name of Kratom, it is known in significant part of the world to the plant MitragynaSpeciosa. This plant, originally from Southeast Asia, has recently been introduced in the West during the last decade, including Spain. Its cultivation in our climate is very difficult, so Western consumers export the dried leaves. If you buy kratom tea and make use of it, then you will be experiencing its endless utility.
This plant is in use for centuries in regions where it grows for its psychoactive properties. The active ingredients are alkaloids derived from indole, an organic compound that is found in nature, forming the skeleton of many compounds, such as serotonin in our brain. The leaves are the consumption part of the plant. The best plants are those with more than ten years of age, which can contain up to 0.5% alkaloids by weight. A large part of these alkaloids has been identified and characterized. But since this is a post for novices and curious, whoever has an interest, can take a look here.
How is it consumed?
The ethnobotanical use of this plant more common in the areas where it grows is to chew the fresh leaves. In Spain we do not have new leaves, so the most usual thing is to drink a Kratom tea. Prepare a good Kratom tea has no more mystery, here we explain it step by step. Choose your favorite variety, according to taste or occasion. Weigh your dose. 6 grams is a good dose to start, 8-10 grams is already a standard dose to discover all its effects and 12 grams or more is strong. We never recommend exceeding 15 grams. Put a saucepan with water to boil. Avoid using tap water if there is a lot of lime in your area. The amount of water to cook goes from 1 to almost two glasses (250 to 400 mL). We recommend something more than 1 drink if the dose is large (10 grams or more). The more concentrated the tea, the worse its flavor will be.
The Next Step
Put the previously heavy Kratom when the water breaks to boil. Go stirring little by little. Every time the water breaks to cook, it is advisable to lower the heat a little, since the tea tends to rise. Stir and leave over medium heat for 10-15 minutes maximum. Many websites recommend adding a little lemon juice: this helps to extract the alkaloids a bit better, but it makes the taste worse! So we leave it available to everyone.
Ready to Drink
When the tea is prepared, tap it. A coffee filter is enough. We can pass some cold water on the remains of Kratom that have remained in the screen to drag some more alkaloids, until the glass or bowl where we drink the tea is full. Add sugar or another sweetener to taste. Let it cool a bit, and you see drinking little by little, in about 30 minutes. The Kratom usually has bad taste, although many of our varieties are very passable because the leaves are crushed without veins and other hard parts, which give it a very bitter taste. So buy kratom tea and follow the abovementioned instructions.