[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Kratom extract comes from a tree called Mitragyna speciosa. You can find the plant in the lush jungles of countries in Southeast Asia. The significant alkaloids present are mitragynine and 7-hydroxy mitragynine. These are also known as active alkaloids or active compounds.
Different Kratom products are available in the market, like liquid, tinctures, capsules, tea, thick paste, etc. Among these, Kratom powders made from raw Kratom leaves are the most famous. Kratom tea made from Bali Kratom leaves is relatively new to the market but is already gaining much popularity.
We will discuss two best-selling Kratom products, tinctures, and extracts of different kinds and learn their differences. So let’s start the debate on kratom tincture vs extract.
What Are The Different Strains Of Kratom?
There are many strains of Kratom available in the market. These strains typically come from three distinct types of leaves – red vein, green vein, and white vein. Different colors of veins develop during different stages of the leaves, and all of them have different potency levels.
Red Kratom Powder
Red vein Kratom powder comes from fully matured leaves. These strains have the highest potency levels, and Red Maeng da is an excellent example. Only experienced users should consume these powders.
White Kratom Powder
White vein Kratom comes from immature leaves but may still produce euphoria and intoxicate the mind. White Bali is an excellent example of white strain powders.
Green Kratom Powder
Green vein Kratom powder comes from semi-matured leaves, and they have a balanced alkaloid profile, or the total alkaloid content isn’t overpowering. Thus, the effects are balanced.
Kratom Tincture Vs Extract
Kratom tinctures and extracts are two of the best-selling Kratom products in the market. However, if you are someone new to the world of Kratom, you must know the critical differences between these products. So let’s get to know them.
1. Potency
The potency of a Kratom product depends on the alkaloid concentration. Thus, quality Kratom will always have a better potency than poor ones.
Tinctures
Kratom tincture contains low alkaloid content. Therefore, it is lower than most other products containing Kratom extracts like shots, capsules, powders, gummies, etc. However, it depends on the amount of tincture you are consuming, but the same amount of other products will produce an even higher effect.
Extracts
You must choose an excellent vendor to get highly potent Kratom extracts. For example, we choose Kraken Kratom, one of the best vendors in the USA. In that case, we get quality Kratom products like:
- Gold reserve Kratom extract
- spectrum Kratom extract
- platinum Kratom extract
- fse Kratom extract
A full-spectrum Kratom extract and traditional Kratom powder may help you reap the most benefits. In addition, most Kratom extracts have high Kratom alkaloids that help you achieve better results.
Kratom extracts have long-lasting effects as compared to Kratom tinctures. Thus, when comparing Kratom tincture and extract, the clear winner in terms of potency is the extracts.
2. Presentation
You will always find Kratom tinctures in the form of liquids. However, Kratom extracts can come in powders, pills, gummies, etc.
But it would be best if you also remembered that not all liquids are tinctures because some can be Kratom shots, and these shots have a higher percentage of Kratom alkaloids than tinctures. So you should carefully see what you are buying.
3. Consistency
Consistency primarily depends upon the way the manufacturer makes the product rather than the type of the product. Thus, it doesn’t matter if you buy Kratom tinctures or other extracts; you must look for other indicators.
Any good and well-established brand will have third-party lab test reports, which will help you confirm the alkaloid concentration in the product and how consistent they are. These lab tests also help you know that the products are free from toxins, heavy metals, and harmful microbes.
Thus, you should check whether concentration and consistency are reasonable and whether they can generate the required results. The label’s consistency or concentration may be a percentage or ratio. The label may also indicate the number of leaves used to get the required alkaloids.
4. Storage
The two forms of Kratom have similar methods of storage. Both these products should be kept in a dark place. The storage place should have a low temperature and a dark environment. Keeping it in the dark place helps the extract preserve alkaloids.
Ensure the Kratom package is tightly closed. Remember, you can only store Kratom products for a while. Thus, it will be prudent of you to buy the required amount of the product, which is very accurate for products like liquid and powder. However, capsules survive for a longer time.
5. Extraction Methods
Extract Kratom and make different products. There are various extraction methods. As Kratom tincture is a form of extract, first the Kratom extract comes out, and then manufacturers prepare Kratom tinctures.
Kratom Extracts In Powder Form
The most common way to extract Kratom mix is the water extraction technique. However, another efficient yet costly way to extract Kratom is known as the Resin method. Let’s talk about both techniques.
Resin:
- Firstly, manufacturers pour water and lemon juice into the Kratom powder. Then, freezing of the mixture undergoes. It should be just enough to cover the powder used.
- With more lemon juice, the frozen block of Kratom mixture goes into boiling water. After the evaporation of a quarter of the water, the powder extract gets removed, cooled, and put to strain.
- Then the strained mixture evaporates until the volume halves.
- Simmer lemon juice in the powder extract once or twice, and repeat the filtration process.
- The remaining liquid goes into an oven with temperatures as high as 200 F. The thick Kratom extract in the form of resin remains.
Water Extraction:
Here all you need is simple soaking and evaporation. It is a relatively more straightforward exercise as compared to the earlier one.
First, add the raw leaves to water mixed with citric acid and shake the mixture thoroughly. Keep the mixture like that for two weeks, and then strain the mixture and reduce the volume using evaporation.
The final product that you get is a thick one, which you can keep in amber bottles, and you can keep them as tinctures or liquid Kratom extracts for future use. Many manufacturers put glycerine in the mixture and balance the acidity in it.
Liquid Kratom Extract
You can make Kratom liquid extract, Kratom in liquid form, or Kratom tinctures at home. You require a few things:
- a weight measuring scale
- Kratom powder
- Ethanol or ethyl alcohol
- a sealable glass container
- citric acid
- pH strips
- straining material
- tincture bottles
- a funnel
Procedure:
There are a few simple steps to make your ready-made Kratom tincture at home.
- Take four ounces of Kratom powder and one liter of ethyl alcohol. Place the Kratom powder in a mason jar and pour ethyl alcohol. Then, stir the mixture.
- Pour citric acid into the mixture and use a pH paper to check when the mixture attains a pH of 4 or a bit lower. It helps in the conversion of alkaloids into salt.
- Seal the jar and keep it in a dark and cool place for at least a week.
- After one week, strain the mixture.
- Transfer the mixture into the mason jar with the straining material and allow the liquid to evaporate.
- Your tincture is ready. Fill it in the tincture bottles and enjoy them.
6. Shelf Life
When comparing the shelf lives of liquid Kratom extract tinctures and other Kratom extract products, we find that as tinctures contain alcohol, they have a longer shelf life. However, you should know that Kratom extracts have their best potency between one and three months post-harvest day.
However, liquid extract can remain potent for up to one year if kept in excellent storage. After three weeks, the quality of Kratom extracts starts degrading.
Is Kratom Legal?
Kratom isn’t legal in most countries worldwide. Several countries like Australia, Denmark, Finland, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and many others have banned the herb within their territorial jurisdiction.
In addition, there is not much information regarding the legality of Kratom in countries like China and some African countries.
On a Federal level, Kratom is legal in the USA. There is not much regulation about the plant on a central level. However, the FDA and the DEA keep a close eye on the developments around the plant.
The FDA regularly comes up with notices regarding the adverse effects of the plant. However, there are some states which have banned the herb.
States like Arkansas, Alabama, Indiana, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Vermont have banned the extract.
There are even more complications, like San Diego, a city in the Kratom-legal state of California, has banned the extract. Some other examples include Denver in Colorado, Sarasota county in Florida, Jerseyville in Illinois, and Union county in Mississippi.
Final Words
Kratom is a psychoactive extract and has powerful effects. Thus, people should take good care of the dosage. If you wish to see the benefits, you have to consume the products for several weeks. Thus, beginners should start at one to two grams and gradually increase the dosage.
An intermediate dose of around five grams while going above ten to eleven grams can lead to overdosing or developing adverse effects.
To get the best Kratom experience, you have to try kratom extract vs powder products that are ultra-enhanced and have a good quantity of alkaloid content. It would help if you only choose vendors with a good amount of stock sales, great reviews, and a loyal customer base.
Author’s Bio
Alexander Reid
Alexander Reid is a kratom expert and journalist who discovered Kratom about a decade ago. He is a kratom strain enthusiast who has profound knowledge of Kratom and its variety of products that are available in the market. He immensely enjoys delving deep into research and studying Kratom and its various strains. Please reach out to him if you have any questions or comments by emailing: [email protected]. You can also connect with him on twitter- https://twitter.com/Alexand65019433 and LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-reid-6755a5250/.
