Mitragyna Speciosa, or more known as Kratom, is a tree that grows only in certain Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Malaysia. For centuries, it was grown and cultivated by natives. They used it by drying, chewing, or smoking the leaves. But its form and method of use have significantly changed over the years.
What is Kratom Powder and How is it Made?
Nowadays, you would rarely find kratom in its original form. The more popular and common forms you will see today are powders, capsules, and extracts. In this article, we will focus on kratom extract and how it’s made. But before that, let us first discuss the difference between a kratom powder and kratom extract. Kratom powder is made from kratom leaves. To produce it, farmers grow the leaves until they reach the ideal maturity. The farmers then harvest the leaves in large quantities and dry or “cure” them. Afterwards, they will grind the leaves to make an ultra-fine powdery substance.
Kratom in this form is by far the most popular product and commercially available type of kratom. To make each kratom powder easily distinguishable from the others, farmers and suppliers use different types of “strains”.
Several factors affect the final alkaloid concentration and potency of a kratom strain. This can include the following:
- Maturity of the leaves
- Duration of the drying or curing process
- The region where the plant was cultivated
What is Kratom Extract and How it’s Made?
Kratom extract is a more potent variant of kratom powder. This is because it contains a higher concentration of 7-hydroxymitragynine and mitragynine, which are the primary alkaloids of kratom.
The process of making kratom extract starts the same way as making a kratom powder. The farmers collect the mature kratom leaves and dry them. After the leaves are dried sufficiently, the farmers will either crush them to a powder or immediately boil them for an extended period of time. This brewing process will produce an alkaloid-rich solution. This is then strained, removing the particulates. This liquid extract will be simmered down to evaporate water and concentrate the remaining alkaloids, resulting in a dark paste. As a final step, this paste will be dried a little more to achieve a hard and brittle clump – which will then be ground into a fine powder.
What Does Kratom Extract Look Like?
From the description above, kratom extract go through three forms and they are:
- Extract Tincture – Liquid form
- Extract Resin – A thick extract paste
- Extract Powder – More potent kratom powder
Kratom extract powder has the same ultra-fine powdery texture as kratom powder. However, compared to kratom powder, an extract is darker since the insignificant materials of the plant are removed. It may also have a stronger aroma.
In terms of effects, kratom extract is more potent than its powder counterpart. So even just a small dose of it can produce the same effects of a larger dose of kratom powder. This is what makes it more appealing to experienced users who value efficacy more than anything else.
However, kratom extract is a more expensive product. It’s harder to find as well since extract tinctures do not have as much demand as raw kratom powder. This is why you’re not likely to find a liquid extract from vendors. If you do find one, it will probably be one of the most common strains. If you’re looking for the not-so-popular strains, it may be nearly impossible to find one.
But if you prefer using kratom extract, you can simply make your own. This way, you can use your favorite strains from your favorite kratom vendor. Plus, you can make any amount you like.
How To Make Kratom Extract?
Making kratom extract is possible via two different methods: water-based or alcohol-based. Both methods can produce quality kratom extracts. However, if you want to preserve the alkaloids, you may want to go with alcohol-based.
What You Need:
- Your favorite kratom powder. Measure it properly with a digital scale so you can determine its efficacy later on.
- Ethanol or ethyl alcohol for alcohol-based. You can go with a 95% ethanol or a 40% concentrated alcohol like rum and vodka. Do not use rubbing alcohol.
- Distilled water or filtered water for water-based extract.
- Citric acid. Lemon juice is a good alternative.
- Glycerin (optional)
- pH strips.
- Tinted bottles for your tincture extract. Try looking for a bottle with a dropper to make your measuring your doses easier. This should be tinted to provide protection from the light and thereby preserve the alkaloids
- Mason jar
- Mesh strainer
Directions:
- Prepare your kratom. You may start at 100 to 150 grams of your favorite kratom strain. This can fit one tinted tincture bottle. You can experiment with the amount later on once you get used to the process.
- Put the kratom in a mason jar.
- Add the alcohol or water. Remember the 1:4 ratio – for every 1 liter of alcohol or water, use 4 ounces of kratom.
- Stir well.
- Add citric acid conservatively in your liquid solution. If you don’t have any, you can use freshly-squeezed lemon juice instead.
- Use the pH strips to determine acidity. If it reaches a pH of 4, make sure to stop adding the acid or juice.
- If necessary for your mixture, you can add glycerin.
- Seal your mason jar and shake it vigorously until you achieve a smooth consistency.
- It’s now time to steep your extract. Put the jar in a cool and dark place and leave it there for a week. Or if you want, you can put the jar inside a pot with hot water in it, let it sit for an hour, and repeat this process twice. If you choose the latter, you can put a towel at the bottom of the pot to prevent your mason jar from cracking.
- After doing any of the steeping methods in step #9, use the mesh strainer to separate the remaining kratom.
- Put the liquid back into its jar and leave it again to evaporate. You can put a gauze to cover the jar to stop dust from getting inside.
- When half of the liquid evaporates, transfer it into a tincture bottle.
- Now you’re ready to measure the potency of your extract. To do this, you need to divide the amount of kratom powder you used by the milliliters of the extract you made. Put this in a label in front of your tincture bottle as well as its type of strain so you can easily measure your doses.
Conclusion
Remember, kratom extract is a more concentrated product than kratom powder. So when consuming it, be extra careful with more concentrated and/or stronger doses.
*Always take caution when preparing kratom liquid, powder, or extracts.
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