Kratom is tricky, as it is a natural leaf, but it does come from Asia, and what happens to it on the way from Indonesia to the USA packaging company and then to your the store that pops up when you search “Kratom near me”, is hard to determine. Here are some things that may help you in your journey to finding the best quality Kratom and not get yourself in trouble in the process.
What do I mean by trouble? There’s a few things that you can run into when searching for the best Kratom brand. One thing to look out for is of course, Heavy metals, Pesticides and E-Coli. These things are usually found in 3rd party lab testing. If you are purchasing a reputable brand of kratom these labs will be public and you will have access to call the labs and verify the results. This step should not be skipped because these labs are easily faked and some labs will not verify at customer request. In this case, I would continue searching. Also, Check to see if the company is AKA (American Kratom Association) GMP Qualified, that way you can be sure that the product is being packaged in a clean facility and nothing is happening to it between the lab and the package.
Another thing I hadn’t thought of until I ran into it, is Kratom companies loading their Kratom powder with Kratom extract. As this does make the experience more intense, it also raises your tolerance very quickly and makes the effects much harder the achieve. I mean, I’m down for a nice extract when I’m in extra pain but once or twice a week as a daily Kratom user is all you can do before your tolerance raises making you either take much more or not get the full benefits.
These are actually not the most concerning things that could go wrong with a kratom purchase.
We found this out on a whim one day. An (Undisclosed Brand) Kratom company (decently reputable – their labs checked out) sent us some samples that seemed to be really good, but maybe just a little too good. I personally tried it and felt so soooo goooood…. but not great after a couple hours. This made me question what was in it and I purchased some drug tests that test for MDMA, Meth, Coke and more. Needless to say, we tested said Kratom and the results were positive for MDMA. Mind you this was an at home test, (which is why I will not disclose the brand – it may be wrong) but this got me to test all of the Kratom in the shop and all of the Kratom we carry at CBD etc. in Danville KY came back clean (Thank goodness).
Be sure to also check for dates. You want to know the date it was packaged (DOP) at least. Kratom has a 2 year shelf life! It wont kill you if its been sitting around longer than that but it loses its goodness after that. In this case it’s not “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” its “What doesn’t kill you makes you more broke”. Some companies will say 1 year, this is where I like to keep ours, because there is a difference in fresh and stale and you can tell if you pay attention.
We understand if you want to try different brands or support your own local Kratom shop near you (although we do all the work for you and we only carry the best), but if you choose not to purchase Kratom from us, please purchase it responsibly and check for these things. Be safe and stay strong!
ALWAYS CHECK FOR INTERACTIONS WITH YOUR MEDICATIONS BEFORE TAKING KRATOM! www.Kratom.org/interactions and of course consult your doctor.
Help Protect Kratom! https://www.americankratom.org/american-kratom-protectors
