What is Kratom Made From? A Natural & Organic Solution

Kratom is made from a type of tree that abundantly grows in the tropical regions of Southeast Asia. The leaves, which contain alkaloids, are harvested, dried, then grounded into a fine powder that can be used as is or created into additional forms of kratom products such as capsules, tea, or extracts.  In this post, I will be explaining everything you need to know about how different types of kratom are made. 

Kratom is not “made” from anything per se, it’s actually a plant, and like most plants, it’s planted, grown, and harvested. The tree, which is scientifically known as Mitragyna Speciosa, grows abundantly in the tropical jungles of Southeast Asia, and measures roughly 25m (82 feet) in height.

However, once the natives became aware of kratom’s amazing uses, they began chewing the leaves for its unique and extremely beneficial properties. Soon thereafter, the natives began farming and exporting it throughout the world, with Indonesia being responsible for 95% of exports worldwide. Countries like Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand also grow and export kratom. 

More specifically, it’s the leaves, which contain two alkaloids called Mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine, that are of value to us.

When the kratom tree reaches a certain maturity level, the leaves are harvested, dried for a few weeks, and either grounded into a fine powder or turned into crushed leaves. The color of the powder will depend on the maturity of the leaves at the moment of harvest. 

Red leaves are believed to be mature leaves while white and green strains are leaves which have been harvested at a much earlier stage. The drying, or curing phase, also determines the type of powder. For example, some leaves are dried for extended periods, which many people believe to be the process for yellow strains.

Meanwhile, other leaves are dried in the sun, while others are dried in the shade.
Certain powders can be created by mixing two or more powders, resulting in hybrid strains like Trainwreck or Maeng Da. It’s the powder that is essentially the foundation of many kratom products which we’ve come to know and love, from capsules to extracts.

However, the powder can also be used in its original form via a method called the Toss N’ Wash, which consists of taking a spoonful of powder, swirling it around your mouth with water, and gulping it down. The Toss N’ Wash is very effective. It produces potent results in an incredibly timely manner, roughly 5-10 minutes. 

Kratom tea is made with kratom powder or crushed leaves. 

The powder or crushed leaves must be simmered with boiling water to extract the alkaloids. However, the powder itself must never be boiled, as that will destroy the alkaloids. The tea has a bitter taste, but produces potent results very quickly, which match those of the Toss N’ Wash. I’d say the main difference between tea and the Toss N’ Wash is the duration of the effects. Tea effects tend to not last as long.

Crushed leaves that are grounded into a powder right before making tea will produce more potent results. Kratom powder contains more exposed surface area, thus slowly increasing the oxidation process, and resulting in decreased potency. 

Kratom capsules are made using two things: powder and vegan capsules. The capsules are made using animal free / vegan material to avoid allergic reactions. The powder is the same powder that I previously explained about in the last 2 sections. How much powder is held in each capsule is going to depend on the size of the capsule itself, of course. Here at Kratom Monkey, our capsules each hold 0.7 grams of powder and size 00.

The following includes capsules sizes and how much powder they hold.

• 000 - 1 gram of powder
• 00 - .7 grams of powder
• 0 - 0.5 grams of powder
• 1 - 0.4 grams of powder
• 2 - 0.3 grams of powder

Kratom extracts are a more potent type of kratom product. They’re made using regular kratom powder. However, the powder undergoes different extraction techniques to create a more highly concentrated product. One of the most basic forms of extractions is kratom tea that I recently mentioned. The process of making tea is a form of extraction. The boiling water is responsible for removing the alkaloids from the powder and into the water. 

However, there are more complex forms of extractions which require expensive machinery and produce even more potent results, resulting in extract powder and extract tablets. Extract powder looks and feels more crystallized than regular powder, which is one way to tell the difference. Tablets are similar to capsules but they’re entirely made of the concentrated kratom substance. 

Kratom gummies are usually made with a type of liquid extract. The rest of the process is the same as making regular gummies. You’ll need gummy molds, jello (yes, the kind you used to love as a kid), the liquid extract, and water.

With regard to industrialized products, they essentially follow the same process but at a much larger scale. 

The only way to make your own kratom, is by planting and growing your very own kratom tree, but as previously mentioned, the tree grows quite high and requires very unique growing conditions, such as the proper nitrogen in the soil and climate. Without the proper conditions, growing kratom is not possible, and unfortunately, most of the US is not ideal, which means you’d have to artificially supply all of the necessities. 

Hence, it is costly and inconvenient, which explains why the vast majority of the suppliers (if not all) are located in Southeast Asia. Additionally, you’d have to check the law in your jurisdiction where you plan on growing the kratom to ensure it’s legal to do so.

Six states have currently outlawed kratom, including:

• Rhode Island
• Vermont
• Wisconsin
• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Indiana

It is your responsibility to make sure you don’t break the law within your jurisdiction.