How Long Does Kratom Take to Kick in?

The average joe has officially become aware of kratom’s existence, and they have many questions, one of the most common being, “how long does kratom take to kick in?” A valid question indeed. The answer is going to depend on how you decide to use kratom, as capsules, for example, take much longer to kick in than powder. Don’t worry if I lost you already. I’ll be explaining everything you need to know about how long it takes to feel the initial effects in this post. 

As previously mentioned, how you use kratom is going to significantly affect the duration of the initial experience. However, there is no superior way of using kratom. It simply depends on what you’re looking for. Take a look at the table below to get a rough idea of the time each form of using kratom takes to kick in. 

Kratom capsules take approximately 30-45 minutes to kick in because your stomach acid must break down the capsule prior to beginning the alkaloid absorption. However, the total time will vary with each person. Kratom capsules are created out of vegan material to avoid allergic reactions in people. They come in various sizes, and thus hold different amounts of kratom powder. Here at Kratom Monkey, our capsules each contain 0.7 grams of kratom powder. Although it’s a bit of a bummer that it takes so long to feel the effects, capsules are nevertheless extremely useful for those who can’t stand kratom’s bitter taste, as they allow you to bypass your tastebuds.

The experience provided by capsules is potent, but not as potent as using the Toss N’ Wash or drinking tea. 

Kratom tea is probably the most inconvenient way of using kratom, as it takes a bit to make the tea. Not including the amount of time it takes to make the tea, the effects kick in very quickly, as fast as 5-10 minutes. To make kratom tea, you must simmer kratom powder with boiling water. Notice, I said simmer, which means you must pour boiling water into your container holding the powder. Never boil the water with kratom powder in it as it will destroy the alkaloids and severely diminish the potency.

One thing to keep in mind is the overall duration of the experience. Although tea is just as potent as the Toss N’ Wash, the experience does not last as long, as the liquid is quickly absorbed and digested. Also, when making tea, you have to use slightly more powder to equal the same potency as the Toss N’ Wash. 

Toss N’ Wash is the name of a technique commonly used with kratom powder. It consists of taking a spoonful of powder, swirling it around your mouth with water, and gulping it down. I have to admit, the taste is unpleasant, but the potency from the results is the best, and they kick in very fast, roughly 5-10 minutes. The Toss N’ Wash experience lasts longer than kratom tea, and is very convenient to use. It can also be used with extract powder. 

Extract powder is a much more concentrated form of kratom powder, which means it’s very potent. Extract powder can be made into a tea or via the Toss N’ Wash, and will kick in in 5-10 minutes. Extract powder does not look the same as regular powder. It’s much more crystallized, and its texture resembles that of sea salt, which is how you can tell the difference. Remember to use less extract powder than regular powder.

Kratom gummies take the same amount of time as any other type of gummies to kick in, roughly 30 minutes to one hour. Any type of solid product will always take longer than drinking a liquid.

Kratom gummies are usually made with a type of liquid extract, jello, and water. As with any form of using kratom, less food you have in your system translates to a more potent experience. 

Extract tablets are a type of pill, but unlike capsules, they are made entirely of the kratom substance. In other words, there is nothing encapsulating the material. Extract tablets are solid, which means you can expect anywhere from 30-45 minutes for them to kick in. Since they are made with extracts, you can expect a much stronger experience with tablets than you normally would with capsules. 

Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do to significantly decrease the amount of time to feel kratom’s initial effects, as that mostly depends on your digestive system. However, if you use the following five tips, you may be able to knock off a few minutes.

However, you can use kratom on an empty or nearly empty stomach to speed up the process of breaking down and absorbing the alkaloids. Using kratom on an empty stomach helps kratom “cut to the front of the line” to begin the digestive process. It also produces a more potent experience, since the alkaloids are being absorbed faster and all at once. However, please keep in mind that using kratom on an empty stomach can cause discomfort for those with a low tolerance.

Side effects may include:

• Nausea
• Headache
• Vomit

Water facilitates the breaking down of kratom, thus speeding up the process as well. However, don’t overdo it, as having too much water in your system can have the opposite results. One tall glass of water should get the job done.

Kratom strains which are more potent are also likely to kick in sooner than their weaker counterparts, as they contain a higher alkaloid concentration. Generally speaking, strains such as Maeng Da, Bali, Malay, and Borneo will produce faster results than strains like Elephant or Ketapang. 

People with higher kratom tolerances can expect weaker results and a longer period for kratom to kick in. If that’s you, maybe it’s time to take a tolerance break. However, ceasing from using kratom for only a day is not going to do a thing. Take at least a week off using kratom to begin feeling kratom faster and more potently. 

It’s possible to have a high tolerance to certain strains if you’ve been using them consistently for too long. This phenomenon is called Stagnant Strain. Hence, if you don’t want to take a tolerance break, try switching to a similar strain.

For example, if you normally use Red Bali, switch to Red Borneo or vice versa. If you constantly use Green Maeng Da, switch to Green Malay. You don’t have to switch to a strain that is the same color as the original. In fact, switching to a different color may produce better results. I only suggested switching to an identical color because I imagine you’d like to have similar results after switching.