With the name of maeng da kratom it is as it is known in great part of the world to the plant Mitragyna Speciosa. This plant, originally from Southeast Asia, has recently been introduced in the West during the last decade. Its cultivation in our climate is very difficult, so Western consumers export the dried leaves.
This plant has been used for centuries in regions where it grows for its psychoactive properties. The active ingredients are alkaloids derived from indole, an organic compound that is found in nature, forming the skeleton of many compounds, such as serotonin in our brain.
The leaves are the part of the plant that is consumed; the best plants are those with more than 10 years of age, which can contain up to 0.5% alkaloids by weight. A large part of these alkaloids have been identified and characterized, but since this is a post for novices and curious.
How is it consumed?
The ethnobotanical use of this plant more common in the areas where it grows is to chew the fresh leaves. In some region do not have fresh leaves, so the most usual thing is to drink a Kratom tea.
Preparation of a Kratom tea (for 1 person)
Prepare a good maeng da kratom tea has no more mystery; here we explain it step by step:
- Choose your favorite variety, according to taste or occasion.
- Weigh your dose: 6 grams is a good dose to start, 8-10 grams is already a standard dose to discover all its effects and 12 grams or more is strong. We never recommend exceeding 15 grams.
- Put a saucepan with water to boil. Avoid using tap water if there is a lot of lime in your area. The amount of water to boil goes from 1 to almost 2 glasses (250 to 400 mL). We recommend something more than 1 glass if the dose is large (10 grams or more). The more concentrated the tea, the worse its flavor will be.
- When the water breaks to boil, put the previously heavy Kratom. Go stirring little by little. Every time the water breaks to boil, it is advisable to lower the heat a little, since the tea tends to rise.
- Stir and leave over medium heat for 10-15 minutes maximum. Many people recommend adding a little lemon juice: this helps to extract the alkaloids a little better, but it makes the taste worse!
- When the tea is ready, tap it. A coffee filter is enough. We can pass some cold water on the remains of Kratom that have remained in the filter to drag some more alkaloids, until the glass or bowl where we drink the tea is full.
- Add sugar or other sweetener to taste.
- Let it cool a bit, and you see drinking little by little, in the course of about 30 minutes. The Kratom usually has bad taste, although many of our varieties are very passable because the leaves are crushed without veins and other hard parts, which give it a very bitter taste.
Is it better to consume leaves, resin or extract?
We recommend only the use of maeng da kratom sheets. Good extracts are not recommended for beginners: tolerance goes up very quickly, apart from being expensive. Kratom resin is an extract made with water. You can make your own resin yourself, boiling a considerable amount of Kratom until a black paste is left. The advantage of the resin is that it occupies less volume than the leaves, something to consider if you work with large quantities.
We will divide its effects into two types: physical and psychological.
At the physical level
- Analgesia. The pain becomes less intense until it disappears.
- Muscle relaxation. The muscles of the whole body relax.
- Pleasure. It is common to notice physical pleasure, especially in the chest area.
- Hot. A warm feeling joins the pleasure.
- Suppression of cough. The symptoms of colds and flu decrease.
- Descent of the breath. It breathes more slowly under the effects of Kratom.
- Dizziness and nausea. Common in beginners with low doses. The trick is to lie down and enjoy.
At the mental level
- Elimination of pain. The psychological pain and the thoughts that hurt us emotionally speaking, are seen from another perspective.
- Mental liberation. Ideas flow, thoughts that block us disappear.
- Euphoria. Nothing more to say.
- Empathy. Extremely marked in people to whom the Kratom produces an opium + MDMA effect. Enjoy it if you are one of the lucky ones, you will never try anything better. It’s those people, the only way to describe the effect is MAGIC.
- Hypomania Sensation that everything you propose is within your reach. Take the opportunity to think, good ideas can come out that you did not ask before.
- Sedation. It depends on the variety or dosage, but it comes sooner or later.
- Sleep. When the stimulating part ends, nothing better than enjoying the second part of the experience. You enter a state where there are jumps between dreams and wakefulness. It is possible to experience a sensation of movement when entering or leaving dreams, as if your soul left the body.
- Levitation. As with many opiates, when lying down there may be a feeling of levitating several centimeters on the bed.
Is the use of maeng da kratom safe?
The maeng da kratom has proven its effectiveness for centuries; its consumption requires only common sense.
- Know your dose! You see what effects it makes you and avoid overdosing.
- Avoid daily consumption: the Kratom generates dependency, so if you consume the weekend, rest during the week.
- Take it in a pleasant environment. If nausea or dizziness arise, it is best to have a sofa or bed to lie on.