Kratom is a tropical plant native to Southeast Asia. Over the last decade, it’s gained massive popularity in the United States as an herbal supplement used for energy boosting, mood elevation, and pain relief.
Although kratom has been a staple part of the history and culture in Indonesia, Thailand, and other parts of Southeast Asia, it’s relatively new to the U.S. As a result, there is not much in the way of regulation. Some vendors choose to sell subpar kratom, contaminated with preservatives and other additives that can dilute the kratom experience or even make the final product unsafe.
Whether you are buying kratom at a nutrition shop or online, it’s important to know what you’re getting. At Mitra Bros, the quality of the kratom we provide our customers is our number one priority. We’ve compiled some information on how you can make sure you’re only getting safe, high-quality, pure kratom.
What is Pure Kratom?
Kratom products are made from the leaves of the kratom tree, imported from Southeast Asia. Typically, the leaves are dried, processed, and sold either as kratom powders, extracts, or capsules. Because people in the U.S. are getting a processed final product rather than raw leaves, the manufacturing process is important.
Pure kratom means kratom that is free from unnecessary additives, contaminants, and other foreign substances. It also means kratom with the proper chemical makeup, including the appropriate potency of kratom’s primary active substances, the alkaloids mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine. Kratom’s primary alkaloids bind with key receptors in the brain which gives kratom its beneficial effects.
Why Should You Care if Your Kratom is Pure?
Pure, high-quality kratom has a number of potential benefits. Users report that kratom provides a boost of focus and helps balance mood. Many people also say that kratom helps with their overall wellness, improving their outlook on daily life and alleviating symptoms of discomfort. Kratom works best, however, when it is pure.
The cultivation, harvesting, and processing methods employed can impact the potency and quality of the final product. Pesticides and other contaminants can seep into the soil around the original kratom trees, for example, which can harm the leaves. The product can be compromised during packaging or transit.
Unscrupulous vendors may also add preservatives to enhance the product’s shelf life, which can impact the potency and quality of the kratom. In extreme cases, bad actors have even added synthetic compounds or illicit substances to batches of kratom.
Check the Source and the Vendor’s Reputation
Kratom is not regulated by the FDA and there are few, if any, kratom regulations in most states. That means you need to do your own homework when buying kratom to make sure you’re getting the best quality product.
Before you buy, look around for information about the seller and/or the brand. Customer reviews and testimonials, Yelp reviews, Better Business Bureau complaints, and other sources of info are great places to start.
Look for Third-Party Lab Testing
Third-party lab testing is key to ensure pure, potent, fresh kratom. A good kratom vendor should have transparency about the original source of their kratom, their processing methods, and their quality assurance and testing processes.
Labs test for alkaloid content, freshness, and the presence of foreign contaminants (mold, bacteria, harmful additives, etc.). There are standards for potency and purity that must be met to satisfy lab test certification requirements. It’s important that the testing is done by independent (third-party), accredited labs, rather than in-house by the vendor’s own crew, to ensure that the results are accurate, impartial, and trustworthy.
If a company is opaque about their manufacturing or testing practices, that’s a big red flag.
The AKA’s Stamp of Approval is a Big Green Flag
The American Kratom Association, the biggest kratom consumer advocacy organization in the U.S., has issued recommended guidelines for how kratom should be manufactured, tested, and labeled. Their Good Manufacturing Practices Standards Program offers certification to kratom vendors who meet the program’s exacting standards.
Look for the “AKA GMP Qualified” seal on kratom product labels or other indication on the vendor’s website that they are an AKA Qualified Vendor. Certification from the AKA is a strong indicator that the vendor’s product is fresh, potent, and free from harmful additives.
Examine the Product’s Appearance
On top of getting kratom from a trustworthy source, you can protect yourself by taking a close look at the product itself. Fresh, pure kratom powder has a few distinct features:
- Color: Pure kratom powder should have a consistent, vibrant color that aligns with its strain. For example, red vein kratom typically has a reddish-brown hue, while green vein kratom is greenish.
- Texture: The powder should be smooth and fine. Coarse or clumpy powder may indicate contamination or poor quality.
- Smell: Pure kratom has a distinct, earthy aroma. A strong “chemical odor” or other off-putting aromas could suggest contamination or the presence of additives. Good kratom smells fresh, natural, and clean!
- Taste: Pure kratom has a bitter, herbal taste. If the taste is significantly different or has a chemical-like flavor, it might be expired, adulterated, or contaminated.
Head to Mitra Bros for Pure, Premium Kratom
If you’re newer on your kratom journey, it can be difficult to pick the best kratom products and sort out the bad ones. The kratom team at Mitra Bros is always ready to help.
We pride ourselves on the quality of our kratom. We provide our customers with only the highest-quality, third-party lab-tested, AKA-certified kratom. Everything we sell is made from 100% pure kratom leaf. Our products have zero harmful additives–and they never will.
Check out what we have on offer over at the Mitra Bros online shop, and feel free to contact us directly with any questions about our products, our testing and quality assurance process, or kratom in general.
