Kratom Tea Side Effects & How To Avoid Them

Short-term side effects are triggered when the quantity of kratom tea consumed exceeds the limit of someone’s tolerance. Long-term side effects are a result of consistent long-term use. The most common short-term side effects include nausea and vomit. Long-term side effects include excessive weight loss, psychosis, and darkening of the facial skin.

Fortunately, we don’t have to experience any side effects. If you know how to use kratom tea correctly, which I’ll show you in this post, you can enjoy kratom’s many amazing benefits without the gloomy downside. 

As I’ve previously mentioned, there are two types of side effects produced by kratom tea (and kratom in general). They are long-term and short-term. 

Short-term side effects occur because of two reasons. First, the accidental use of drinking more kratom tea than your body’s tolerance can handle will trigger nausea and possibly vomiting.

I mentioned vomiting is only a possibility. Reason being, the very first acute side effect caused by drinking too much kratom tea is nausea. The more you over-drink, the worse the nausea will be. If the nauseous feeling is very strong, only then may you experience vomiting.

Secondly, not drinking enough water can result in a dry mouth or constipation. However, since kratom tea is a beverage, it’s much less likely to induce dry mouth or constipation.

Short-term side effects include:

• Nausea
• Vomit
• Dry Mouth
• Constipation

With the exception of vomiting, I have personally experienced all the short-term side effects listed above. Fortunately, they are not life threatening and will go away on their own within a couple of hours. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.

However, don’t underestimate how unpleasant they can be, especially the nausea effect.

If you’re experiencing a dry mouth and/or constipation, don’t be afraid to chug a few cups of water, as doing so will help your body rehydrate and thus, help eliminate the side effects. I’d like to clear up a bit of misinformation going around online regarding hallucinations as an acute side effect of kratom. This is false. Kratom will not and cannot make you hallucinate, regardless of how much you take.

This topic was discussed many years ago in this Reddit forum. Some people claim to have seen more vibrant colors as a result of using kratom. However, full-blown hallucinations are not possible.

Additionally, I’ve been using kratom for many years, and have helped many people embark on their kratom journey. Not one single person has ever claimed to have experienced hallucinations.

Note: Individuals who are new to kratom are much more likely to experience short-term side effects, as they have a lower tolerance compared to someone who's been using kratom tea for months.  

Long-term side effects are caused by consistently using kratom tea for many years. How many years exactly? Unfortunately, no one knows, as there is a lack of studies in this area.

Long-term side effects can include:

• Weight Loss
• Hyperpigmentation (darkening of facial skin)
• Psychosis

There is also much debate online regarding damage to certain organs like the kidneys and liver as a result of long-term kratom use. However, according to this Reddit forum and the links they provided, liver failure has only been seen in a small number of individuals.

The kratom sphere would definitely benefit from additional studies regarding long-term use, but as of today, we still lack many studies.

However, I can personally testify that I am a very healthy individual, and I’ve been using kratom now for 2.5 years on a daily basis. I’ve also read many Reddit forums of people who have used kratom for decades at a time, and have not experienced health issues.

Nevertheless, you should always consult your license practitioner before using kratom, especially if you plan on combining it with prescriptions.

Thinking twice about using kratom as a tea? I don’t blame you, most people opt for capsules. Check out this post I wrote titled, “Kratom Tea vs Pills: The Final Verdict.” 

Kratom leaves contain various alkaloids which are responsible for its many amazing benefits. However, two particular alkaloids, Mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine, bear the majority of the responsibility, the former more so than the latter.

A higher concentration of alkaloids per leaf signifies a stronger strain.

Once the leaves reach a certain maturity, they are harvested, dried (also known as cured), sometimes fermented depending on the strain, and grounded into a fine powder which can be used as is, prepared into a tea, or encapsulated.

When you prepare tea, you’re actually performing an extraction process, as the heat and water extract the alkaloids from the powder or crushed leaves and release them into the water.

By the way, if you’re curious about how to make kratom tea, check out this post I wrote titled, “How To Make Kratom Tea: My Favorite 3 Recipes.”

When you drink kratom tea, the alkaloids are absorbed into your bloodstream and eventually end up in your brain where they bind to the same receptors as opioids. Thus, producing very similar results.

However, here lies the reason for side effects. When you ingest more kratom tea than your tolerance can handle, expect short-term (acute) side effects, the first being nausea. If the nausea is severe, it may be combined with vomit.

If kratom usage persists over the course of many years, long-term side effects may occur. Unlike acute side effects, long term effects don’t occur in any particular order. You may experience weightloss first and foremost, but it’s not guaranteed. 

Now that you’re aware of kratom tea’s side effects, both short and long-term, the next question is, how can you avoid them?

The following are some tips to help you avoid kratom tea’s unwanted side effects. 

Since acute side effects are caused by accidentally drinking more kratom tea than your body can handle, the best safeguard is to measure your dose.

Once you figure out the perfect amount of powder needed to prepare a kratom tea, do your best not to deviate too far from that amount.

For example, if you realize the perfect dose for your tea is eight grams, don’t randomly use 12 grams. Should you need to increase your dose, do so by adding one gram at a time.

Doing so will significantly decrease the chances of experiencing acute side effects. 

Although it’s a beverage, drinking kratom tea can nevertheless result in dehydration, and thus, constipation and/or a dry mouth. Therefore, make sure you’re drinking plenty of water when using kratom in any form, including kratom tea. 

This tip is meant to help more with long-term side effects. Never use kratom tea recreationally, as doing so will decrease its effectiveness and increase the odds of dependency and long-term effects.

Did you know, drinking expired kratom tea can also be the source of many unwanted symptoms. Play it safe, and check out this post I wrote called, “How Long Does Kratom Tea Last In The Fridge? Safety First.”