Kratom and Mushrooms: Do They Safely Interact?

Fortunately, not only is mixing kratom and mushrooms safe, but doing so can actually improve kratom’s overall experience. Do I have your interest now? Allow me to elaborate.

Contrary to popular belief, not all mushrooms are poisonous or hallucinogenic. Many mushrooms have actually been used in traditional medicine around the world for thousands of years, and those are the ones we’ll be concentrating on for this post. 

For specificity’s sake, the three most common types of mushrooms which are safe to eat include Lion’s Mane, Reishi, and Cordyceps. 

Mushrooms are a type of fungi, which are classified in their own kingdom separate from animals and plants. 

More specifically, the mushroom is the reproductive structure produced by some fungi, similar to the seeds produced by fruit. 

Except the seeds are microscopic, located in the pores underneath the mushroom cap, and range in the millions. 

The seeds are either blown out of the pores or indirectly propagated by animals where they will hopefully land on substrate which allows the seeds to flourish and grow.
While plants create their food via photosynthesis and animals via consuming, fungi do so by directly growing their mycelium into their food source, where enzymes are secreted and the food is digested. 

Additionally, mushrooms are known for having:

• High levels of protein
• High in fiber
• High in vitamins (especially vitamin D)
• High in antioxidants
• Low calories
• Low in sodium

Therefore, you may have noticed a wide variety of mushroom supplements becoming more popular in recent years. 

Just like kratom, these supplements can be found in a plethora of forms including capsules, coffee, tea, and powder. The latter being the most popular. 

Mushrooms can be used for a wide variety of reasons, which is why they’re becoming more and more popular.

Mushrooms contain a special compound known as Psilocybin that is currently under heavy investigation because of its many benefits, such as:

• Mental clarity
• Improved immunological function
• More vitality
• Protect brain health
• Stimulates a healthier gut

Kratom, also known as Mitragyna Speciosa, is a plant from the tropical regions of Southeast Asia, more specifically, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, where the natives have been using it for hundreds if not thousands of years. 

The natives would pick the leaves from the tree and chew on them to extract the alkaloids and acquire many of kratom’s amazing benefits.

The two alkaloids, known as Mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine, work by binding to the same receptors in our brains as opioid drugs, thus resulting in very similar experiences.

A higher concentration of alkaloids per leaf translated to a more potent strain, such as Maeng Da, Bali, and Malay. 

Kratom comes in four colors, including:

• Red strains
• White strains
• Green strains
• yellow/gold strains

Strains which share the same color, like Red Bali and Red Borneo, will have more uses in common than strains which share the same name, such as Red Bali and White Bali
With the exception of yellow/gold strains, the color of each strain is derived from the color of the veins on the leaves. Therefore, we know that Green Elephant had green veins on its leaves.

The name of the strain, such as Malay kratom, usually originates from the region where it was founded. 

Kratom offers many amazing uses, which is why it’s become so popular around the world. I’ve named many of the uses in the table above, but allow me to explain each of them in more detail and from personal experience. 

Many people love using kratom for its amazing energy boosts. 

However, unlike caffeine, kratom’s energy boost is much more gradual and well-balanced, and doesn’t produce unwanted side effects like jitteriness followed by a hard crash. 

White strains, like the king of energizers, White Maeng Da, are the best for increasing your energy, but green and yellow strains can help with tiredness as well. 

Expect to feel energized for at least 3-5 hours.

Kratom can alleviate both mental and physical tension, also known as stress.
It does so by distancing you from your negative thoughts while simultaneously easing the constriction in your muscles. 

Green Maeng Da is my favorite strain for reducing stress, but if you’re looking for a night time strain, Red Bali works just as well while getting you ready for bed. 

Expect 3-5 hours of tension relief. 

If tension relief is the removal of unwanted emotions, the mood boost is the replacement of negative emotions with positive ones. Kratom’s mood boost feels like a surge of optimism, which many times translates to increased motivation and productivity.

Green Maeng Da (this is clearly one of my favorite strains) is the best mood boosting strain, but Green Malay comes in a close second. 

The peak of the euphoria is 30 minutes, but the overall mood boost can last for a few hours longer. 

Discomfort relief, along with tension relief, is probably the most popular reason why people use kratom. 

Depending on the severity, kratom has the ability to either partially or completely eradicate unwanted physical sensations such as aches or soreness for up to 3-5 hours.

Once again, Green Maeng Da is my top choice for day time use, as it’s very potent, and 

Red Bali is more suitable for evening and night use. 

If you’re having trouble with sleep, kratom can help you both fall and remain asleep for the entire night.

On more than one occasion after using Red Bali, I’ve woken up in the morning and still felt the heavy sedation. As you probably already guess, Red Bali is my go to strain for sleep. 

Kratom’s most overlooked use is without a doubt the ability to eliminate food cravings, a more than useful effect for a world where we’re constantly surrounded by delicious and addicting food. 

From my personal experience, strains that are euphoric are also the best for suppressing your appetite. Therefore, strains like Green Maeng Da and Green Malay are the most ideal.

Expect 3-5 hours of hunger suppression. 

Kratom is a 5-HT2a receptor antagonist while mushrooms agonize them. In plain English, kratom enhances mushroom effects.

However, in order to do so, kratom must be taken immediately before or simultaneously with mushrooms.

Additionally, you should take kratom in smaller doses for better results. The effect of the combination has been described by many as a transition into a more meditative state. Along with the meditative state, you can also expect kratom’s usual effects like tension and discomfort relief.

However, you must be sure not to exceed your regular serving size, as both kratom and mushrooms are working to potentiate each other.  It may even be a good idea to slightly decrease your typical service size to be on the safe side, as it’s easier to experience unwanted side effects when mixing. These side effects include nausea and, in more severe cases, vomit.