When you buy Kratom online, it almost always comes in three different forms: capsule, powder, or in candy form. As processed as it is, not a lot of people actually know that Kratom starts out as a leaf! However, just because the term we used is ‘processed’ doesn’t mean that there are additives to worry about.
A brief background on Kratom: known as mitragyna speciosa in scientific circles, Kratom is an evergreen tree that’s closely related to the coffee family.
Native to Southeast Asia, it’s found mostly in the jungles of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, and Thailand. It has been used in both religious and social ceremonies in Southeast Asia for thousands of years.
Nowadays, Kratom is a highly sought-after herbal supplement in the West because of its unique and beneficial properties. However, because of the distance between Southeast Asia and the West, Kratom has to be processed. Fortunately, the process of preserving these leaves by the indigenous peoples of Southeast Asia make the leaf suited for long travel across oceans.
But how does Kratom come from the steamy jungles of Southeast Asia to your kitchen cupboard in suburban Ohio?
From Farm to Processing Table
The mitragyna speciosa tree is no small fry: in ideal conditions, it can grow up to 80 feet in height. The leaves themselves are dark green, large, and shiny, with red, white, or green veins prominent on its surface. It’s also a very sustainable resource, as leaves quickly regrow themselves once they’ve been picked, making Kratom an all-year-round source.
Ideal conditions include warm, sunny, and humid climates, making the rainforests of Southeast Asia the perfect home for the tree. In these jungles, soil pH levels are in the 5.5 to 6.5 range, making them fertile. It makes sense: the Kratom gives us so much joy and positivity because it grows in paradise!
As soon as a Kratom tree reaches around 20 feet in height, it is considered matured enough to harvest. Expert pickers will climb up the tree, making sure not to harm the bark, and pick out the leaves carefully, making sure to pick from the stem so as to encourage regrowth. Kratom trees naturally drop leaves on their own, and the optimal time to pick them would be right before that happens. Thankfully, Kratom farms are staffed by experienced growers who know the exact moment to harvest.
Once a Kratom tree reaches maturity or grows to roughly 20’ in height, it’s ready to be harvested.
Sorting and Drying
Once picked, the farmers separate the leaves into three different categories: red vein, white vein, and green vein. As soon as they are sorted, the people then have to remove each leaf’s remaining stem and the veins, all by hand.
Once the leaves have had their stems and veins picked out, it’s time to dry them. Traditional methods of drying involve laying the leaves flat on large racks that are then left out in the sun for a few days. In more modern facilities, however, UV lights and sun lamps are used to ensure more even drying.
After it has dried, some leaves are further processed by fermentation. Many Kratom producers keep their fermentation process a secret, and it’s usually done to both alter the leaf’s color and to enhance the plant’s alkaloids.
Once this is over, the processed Kratom can finally be packaged!
Different Ways to Enjoy Kratom
Now that your Kratom leaves have been harvested, sorted, dried, fermented, and tested for quality, it is either packaged and shipped off to consumers, or further processed into different products.
For the indigenous people of Southeast Asia, the most traditional way of consuming is Kratom also involves the least amount of processing: the bare leaves are crushed into cups and turned either into tea or chewed straight as is. However, because of how bitter the leaves are, many people will add some form of sweetener like rock sugar, honey, or in some cases, a creamer to help balance the bitterness.
In the West, however, we usually receive our Kratom in powder form. This powder can then be used in a wide variety of ways, with most people choosing to either put them in capsules or consume it as a tea. However, more and more people are starting to process Kratom further and turning them into specialty drinks, candy, and even savory dishes.
Bringing You the Highest Quality Kratom
When you buy Kratom online, always make sure that you’re getting it from trusted sources. Here at Dakind Botanicals, we make sure that our sources use the best quality leaves and production processes that are up to our standards. Each batch of our products is packed and shipped carefully to ensure that you get only the very best. Contact us, today, to learn more about how we can help you find the best Kratom possible.
