What is Kratom?
Kratom, also known as Mitragyna Speciosa, is a tropical tree that originates in Southeast Asia. Discovered by Dutch settlers in the 1800’s it gained popularity due to the benefits it offers consumers in their daily lives. Natives in Thailand used to chew on leaves picked from the kratom tree during long hikes through the jungles in order to quickly enjoy the benefits from kratom. It was soon discovered that the leaves could be dried and ground into a fine powder to make tea. Popularity grew fast and kratom became widely used in Southeast Asia in the mid 19th century.
What About the Trees?-
Known to grow up to 82 feet and as wide as 3 feet in diameter, kratom trees can get rather large. The trunks are normally straight with smooth and grey outer bark and the leaves are 8 inches long on average, colored bright green, and have a high gloss appearance. Each leaf has 12 to 17 pairs of veins and is oval shaped. The flowers on the tree are yellow and grow in clusters of three at the base of the branches.
What’s In a Name?-
There are many names for Mitrgyna Speiciosa. From kratom to biak, kakum, kakuam, ketum, thang, and thom, there are a lot of ways to refer to this plant. The name varies from country to country and region to region. Even the pronunciation in the United States varies. Some say kray-tum while others refer to it as crah-tum. The long standing debate in the United States on how to pronounce kratom has been ongoing since it began to grow in popularity. No matter what it’s called or how it’s said, this product has changed many lives.
Kratom Legality-
Kratom laws are ever changing. With some states in the U.S. passing the kratom protection act and some banning kratom altogether, it’s good to have a resource to check and see what the local legal status is. This map is simple and clear cut.
With travel, it’s also important to know the regulation status for kratom to different destinations. This website is a good resource for that.
Other Austin Organic Village Resources-
As a primary kratom vendor in Texas, AOV has been discussing kratom for some time. There is quite a lengthy list of past newsletters to help with understanding the ins and outs of kratom. Here are some links and a brief explanation for past newsletters that have a lot of valuable kratom information in them.
To learn about strains and how to avoid same strain syndrome, this is the newsletter to read:
https://austinorganicvillage.online/lets-talk-about-it-same-strain-syndrome-edition/
For advice on making kratom work better or to get more benefit from less product, the potentiating kratom newsletter is the place to go:
https://austinorganicvillage.online/potentiating-kratom/
Extract can be a useful tool in the kratom arsenal:
https://austinorganicvillage.online/everything-kratom-extract-edition/
For knowledge on how to store kratom properly:
https://austinorganicvillage.online/kratom-storage/
To learn about the differences in plain leaf and crushed leaf:
https://austinorganicvillage.online/plain-leaf-kratom-vs-crushed-leaf-kratom/
For a greater understanding of kratom strains and blends
https://austinorganicvillage.online/kratom-strains-and-blends/
To learn about the different ways that kratom can be consumed
https://austinorganicvillage.online/kratom-toss-and-wash/
Knowing how to manage kratom tolerance is extremely important:
https://austinorganicvillage.online/managing-kratom-tolerance/
For information on kratom and hydration:
https://austinorganicvillage.online/kratom-and-hydration/
Kratom alkaloids can be complicated, but this breaks it down:
https://austinorganicvillage.online/alkaloids-and-kratom/
For some fun kratom recipes to try:
https://austinorganicvillage.online/kratom-recipes-edition/
Conclusion:
Kratom is a plant that changes lives everyday. There is a lot of information to learn in order to master the kratom world, but at least it’s fun to learn it. Kratom 101 is just a brief introduction, but by making use of the links provided, there is a lot of information at your fingertips.
