What are kratom extracts?

Kratom extracts come in several forms such as powders, oils and tinctures, and hard resins. Extracts can easily be spotted by name alone; they typically include the name of, or type of, kratom alongside a number accompanied by an “x” denoting that this kratom is an extract. This article will focus on powders and resins, which are essentially the same thing. A kratom extract in powdered form is simply a kratom resin which the manufacturer has broken down into a powdered form.

Kratom concentrations are usually made using alcohol or water to extract the alkaloids from the raw kratom leaf. Kratom contains more than just the big three mitragynine, 7-hydroxymitragynine, and mitraphylline alkaloids and a simple extract isn’t going to narrow down the dozens of alkaloids found in kratom to just one or two. This would be a full spectrum kratom extract. It contains the full range of kratom alkaloids and it’s the standard extract you’ll find on the market.

Full Spectrum kratom extracts are never stronger than 20x. But what does 20x really mean? If an extract is listed as #x, it means the extract was derived from #grams of kratom. A 20x full spectrum kratom extract would be derived from 20 grams of kratom leaf. The ratio would be 20:1, 20grams of kratom leaf converted into 1gram of kratom extract.

Higher kratom extracts are possible, but they leave the realm of full spectrum kratom and focus on isolating only a few of kratom’s active alkaloids. A single kratom leaf consists of on average 1% alkaloid content, so 15grams of kratom leaf converted to 1gram of kratom extract would be 15% pure alkaloids and 85% leftover kratom fiber and plant matter. If a kratom extract is listed as being 100x, it’s making the claim that its 100% pure alkaloids – a feat that would be incredibly difficult to accomplish even in a lab setting, and probably not worth it considering the human body can only absorb a certain amount of anything in a given day.

The assumption that a higher kratom extract will always equate to a more potent kratom is incorrect. While it certainly has the potential to be the case, the quality of the kratom is still based upon the strain and quality of the actual kratom leaf used. Low quality kratom leaf will still produce a low quality kratom extract, even if it claims to be 15x and higher! This is why kratom extracts procured from top-notch kratom leaf will always outshine higher extracts made from poor quality kratom.

Kratom extracts are often sought after because the necessary dosage is lower and typically easier to consume than large portions of leaf. Kratom extracts can be in resin form or powdered form which can be eaten directly or used to make a tea, or they can be capsulated and taken that way. When deciding on the appropriate kratom extract dosage, take into consideration the “x” strength of the kratom extract, the potency of the strain used to create the kratom, and the dosage of raw kratom leaf you usually opt for. For example, if you typically enjoy a 7gram dose of plain powdered kratom leaf, and you have 1gram of kratom extract 15x, you should take about 0.46 grams of the extract, or about half of one gram.

It’s easy to take too much kratom extract, and extracts are notorious for quickly building up tolerance if you take them consistently, so use good judgment when exploring the world of kratom extracts out there. If you’ve had any great kratom extract experiences, have information to share, or just have something to add to the conversation, please join us by leaving a comment below.

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