mportant News Update: Kratom remains l, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) published in the Federal Register a notice of intent to temporarily place mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, which are the main psychoactive constituents of the plant Mitragyna speciosa, also referred to as kratom, into schedule I pursuant to the temporary scheduling provisions of the Controlled Substances Act. Since publishing that notice, DEA has received numerous comments from members of the public challenging the scheduling action and requesting that the agency consider those comments and accompanying information before taking further action. In addition, DEA will receive from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) a scientific and medical evaluation and scheduling recommendation for these substances, which DEA previously requested. The DEA is therefore taking the following actions: DEA is withdrawing the August 31, 2016 notice of intent; and soliciting comments from the public regarding the scheduling of mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine under the Controlled Substances Act. DATES: The notice of intent that was published on August 31, 2016 (81 FR 59929) is withdrawn. The comment period will be open until December 1, 2016. Click here to read the DEA's withdrawl notice. Introduction This guide was created as an educational resource to provide accurate information about kratom. It is also intended to correct much of the misinformation circulating on the Internet and being perpetrated by the Media. What is kratom? Kratom is a tree native to Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Borneo, etc.). Its botanical name is Mitragyna speciosa. Kratom is in the same family as the coffee tree (Rubiaceae). The leaves of kratom have been used as an herbal drug from time immemorial by peoples of Southeast Asia. It is used in folk medicine as a stimulant (at low doses), sedative (at high doses), recreational drug, pain killer, medicine for diarrhea, and treatment for opiate addiction. Many people report that kratom is an effective treatment for arthritis, restless legs syndrome (RLS), and fibromyalgia. How is it taken? In its native region, kratom leaves are often chewed fresh (usually after removing the stringy central vein). Dried leaves can also be chewed, but since they are a bit tough, most people prefer to crush them up or powder them so that they can be swallowed easily. Powdered kratom can be mixed with water and then drunk. This method is quick and easy. It can also be mixed with other liquids, such as fruit juice, milk, or kefir. Chocolate milk works especially well for masking the taste. Powdered kratom can also be made into a paste that can easily be swallowed with water. The powder can also be mixed with applesauce or yogurt. It can also be put into capsules. Dried kratom leaves are often made into a tea that is strained and then drunk. Kratom can be smoked, but doing so is impractical because the amount of leaf that constitutes a typical dose is too much to be smoked easily. A resin-like extract can be prepared by evaporating the water from kratom tea. This can be stored for later use. Small pellets of this extract can be swallowed, or it can be dissolved in hot water and consumed as a tea. Some people like to mix kratom tea with ordinary black tea, or other herbal teas, before it is consumed. This is done to make it more palatable. Sugar or honey can be added to sweeten it. How does one prepare a chocolate kratom milkshake? This is the nicest way to ingest kratom that we know of. It actually tastes quite good. Chocolate milk masks the bitter taste of kratom remarkably well and its viscosity helps to keep the kratom from settling to the bottom. If you just add powdered kratom to a glass of chocolate milk, the kratom tends to float on top and resists absorbing liquid. Even with stirring, it tends to stay floating on the top and forms lumps. Ideally you want to make a smooth milkshake without lumps and without dry kratom powder floating on the top. To do that, follow these simple instructions: AMAZING CHOCOLATE KRATOM MILKSHAKE Use about 1 cup (8 fl. oz.) of chocolate milk per dose of kratom. Chocolate-flavored almond milk also works very well for this, and is non-dairy (we especially like the "dark chocolate" flavored almond milk produced under the brand name Silk®, because of it's especially thick viscocity and rich flavor). 1.) Put one dose of powdered kratom into an empty glass. 2.) Add an equal volume of chocolate milk (typically, just 1-2 tablespoons). 3.) Stir until the kratom absorbs the liquid completely and forms a homogeneous paste. 4.) Add a few more tablespoons of chocolate milk and stir again until smooth and free of lumps. 5.) Add the remaining chocolate milk and stir again until well mixed. 6.) Drink until the glass is empty. 7.) Add a little more chocolate milk to the glass, stir, and drink. (This caches any kratom particles left clinging to the sides of the glass. And since it is mainly just chocolate milk, it tastes even better than the kratom milkshake.) How does one prepare a powdered kratom PASTE for drinking? 1.) Place a single dose of powdered kratom in a small empty cup. 2.) Add just enough water to make a soft paste (roughly equal parts kratom powder to water, by volume). You will need to stir the mixture for a few minutes until the powder completely absorbs the water and you have a nicely homogenized paste. 3.) Fill a separate glass with water and set it aside. Using a spoon, scoop an easy-to-swallow spoonful of paste into your mouth, then take a big sip of water from the other glass and gulp it down. Repeat spooning, sipping, and swallowing until you have consumed the entire dose. Be careful not to gulp down too much at once, so you don't accidentally choke on the mixture. How does one prepare a powdered kratom SLURRY for drinking? 1.) Add powdered kratom to a glass of water (or other beverage). For a typical dose of kratom (about 7 grams), use about 1 cup (8 ounces) of water. 2.) Stir throughly (until the powder is completely suspended), then gulp it down quickly before it has a chance to settle (it is like drinking a bitter-tasting, slightly fibrous smoothy). 3.) Add more water to the glass to recover any material that stuck to the sides. About 1/2 cup of water should be sufficient, but it doesn't hurt to use more. 4.) Stir again and drink. 5.) When you have got it all down, you can drink a little fruit juice to chase away the bitter taste. Mint-flavored chewing gum also work great for this. How does one make kratom tea? Following is a basic recipe for making kratom tea. This recipe makes enough tea for several doses--about 8 moderately strong doses, if using "premium quality" kratom (see "dosage guidelines" below): 1.) Take 2 ounces (56 grams) of dried, coarsley ground or crushed kratom leaves and put into a pot. To this add 1 quart (about 1 liter) of water. 2.) Boil gently for 15 minutes. 3.) Pour the tea through a strainer into a bowl and reserve the liquid. (squeeze the leaves in the strainer to get most of the liquid out). 4.) Put the leaves back in the pot and add another liter of fresh water. Repeat steps 2 and 3. (after the leaves have been strained a second time, they can be discarded.) 5.) Put the combined liquid from both boilings back into the pot and boil until the volume is reduced to about 1 cup (250 ml). (The idea is to boil the tea down to a small volume so that each individual dose can be quickly swallowed. You can boil it down to whatever concentration you are comfortable with. Be careful near the end of the process. If it starts to become syrupy, it may spatter and/or burn.) The tea is bitter tasting. To minimize the unpleasant taste, gulp it down quickly and then immediately chase it with a pleasant-tasting bevearge, such as fruit juice. The same general preparation method can of course be used with larger or smaller amounts of herb by simply adjusting the volume of water used. Kratom tea can be safely stored in the refrigerator for about five days. It is probably okay to keep it a bit longer, but it's better to play it safe and not drink it after five days. It can be stored for many months if you add some alcohol to it. Adding about 10% alcohol will preserve it for many months (in the refrigerator). That is one part 80 proof liquor (vodka, rum, or a similar spirit) to three parts kratom tea. When refrigerated, some components may precipitate out of solution and form a sediment in the bottom of the container. This sediment may contain active alkaloids so it should be redissolved before consuming the tea. This is easily done by warming the tea and stirring. How can I powder dried leaves? Dried leaves, whether whole, crushed, or coarsely ground, can easily be powdered by putting them in a kitchen blender or coffee grinder and processing for a few minutes at high speed. Many suppliers offer kratom that is already finely powdered. How does one measure dosage? The best way to measure dosage is with a scale. Since a typical dose of kratom is just a few, or several, grams, one should ideally use a scale that can measure down to a single gram and is accurate to at least 1/10th of a gram. Low-cost, highly accurate, digital scales are widely available, and purchasing one is a great investment, since they can last a lifetime and are useful for many other things besides weighing kratom. These can be obtained from Sage Wisdom Botanicals, as well as many other suppliers. Measuring kratom by volume is less accurate than measuring by weight because the amount contained in a given volume depends on how finely ground the material is. Obviously, a teaspoon of finely powdered kratom will weigh more than a teaspoon of loosely crushed or coarsely ground leaves. That said, here are some rough guidelines. On average, 1 LEVEL teaspoon of most commercially available, finely powdered kratom will weigh about 2 grams (very finely powdered kratom may weigh closer to 2.25 grams). Since there are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon, that means that a LEVEL tablespoon of finely powdered kratom will weigh, on average, about 6 to 7 grams. That is a mid-sized dose for kratom of average potency (possibly a strong dose for high-potency kratom, or a mild dose for low-potency kratrom). Coarsely ground leaves weigh less than finely powdered leaves (when measured by volume). A LEVEL teaspoon of typical, commercially available, coarsely ground leaves typically weighs about 0.8 grams. If the leaves are loosely crushed they will weigh less, possibly much less, depending on how finely (or coarsely) crushed they are. What are the effects? Kratom is a rather unique drug in that a low to moderate dose will usually (but not always) be stimulating, while a high dose is almost always quite sedating. This is apparently because the active alkaloids have both stimulant and sedative effects. Which predominates probably depends both on dosage and individual differences between users. Many people report that the effects are very similar to opiate drugs. From a pharmacological perspective this is not surprising because kratom contains alkaloids that act as opiate receptor agonists. Interestingly, although kratom has a similar mechanism of action as many opiate pain medications it does not appear to be nearly as addictive. In fact many people use kratom to overcome opiate addiction. The stimulant level: At the stimulant level, the mind is more alert, physical energy (and sometimes sexual energy) is increased, one feels more motivated to get things done, ability to do hard, monotonous physical work may be improved, there is an elevation of mood (it has an antidepressant effect), one is more talkative, friendly, and sociable. The stimulant effects of kratom are different from typical CNS stimulants, such as caffeine or amphetamine drugs. Kratom is more of a cognitive stimulant tnan a physical stimulant. The sedative-euphoric-analgesic level: At this dosage you will be less sensitive to physical or emotional pain, feel and look calm, have a general feeling of comfortable pleasure, and may enter a pleasant dreamy reverie. You may experience some itching or sweating. Your pupils may be constricted (small). It is possible you may feel nauseated, but if you lie down and relax the nausea should quickly subside. You may find your appreciation of music is increased. It will be very pleasant to lie down on your back in a semi-darkened room, with eyes closed, and just listen to your favorite music. If you do this you may be fortunate enough to enter the delightful mixed-state of ‘waking-dreaming’ where you have one foot in dreamland and the other foot in the real world. This state was much prized by the 19th century Romantic writers, who, lacking knowledge of kratom, resorted to the much more habit-forming narcotic, opium, to achieve it. What effects are associated with different doses? (dosage guidelines) That depends on the potency of the kratom. The following dosage-guidline charts are typical for the kratom varieties offered by Sage Wisdom Botanicals, the sponsor of this page.

The Kratom User's Guide

mportant News Update:
Kratom remains legal, for now!
On August 31, 2016, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) published in the Federal Register a notice of intent to temporarily place mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, which are the main psychoactive constituents of the plant Mitragyna speciosa, also referred to as kratom, into schedule I pursuant to the temporary scheduling provisions of the Controlled Substances Act. Since publishing that notice, DEA has received numerous comments from members of the public challenging the scheduling action and requesting that the agency consider those comments and accompanying information before taking further action. In addition, DEA will receive from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) a scientific and medical evaluation and scheduling recommendation for these substances, which DEA previously requested. The DEA is therefore taking the following actions: DEA is withdrawing the August 31, 2016 notice of intent; and soliciting comments from the public regarding the scheduling of mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine under the Controlled Substances Act. DATES: The notice of intent that was published on August 31, 2016 (81 FR 59929) is withdrawn. The comment period will be open until December 1, 2016. Click here to read the DEA's withdrawl notice.

Introduction
This guide was created as an educational resource to provide accurate information about kratom. It is also intended to correct much of the misinformation circulating on the Internet and being perpetrated by the Media.

What is kratom?
Kratom is a tree native to Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Borneo, etc.). Its botanical name is Mitragyna speciosa. Kratom is in the same family as the coffee tree (Rubiaceae). The leaves of kratom have been used as an herbal drug from time immemorial by peoples of Southeast Asia. It is used in folk medicine as a stimulant (at low doses), sedative (at high doses), recreational drug, pain killer, medicine for diarrhea, and treatment for opiate addiction. Many people report that kratom is an effective treatment for arthritis, restless legs syndrome (RLS), and fibromyalgia.

How is it taken?
In its native region, kratom leaves are often chewed fresh (usually after removing the stringy central vein). Dried leaves can also be chewed, but since they are a bit tough, most people prefer to crush them up or powder them so that they can be swallowed easily. Powdered kratom can be mixed with water and then drunk. This method is quick and easy. It can also be mixed with other liquids, such as fruit juice, milk, or kefir. Chocolate milk works especially well for masking the taste. Powdered kratom can also be made into a paste that can easily be swallowed with water. The powder can also be mixed with applesauce or yogurt. It can also be put into capsules. Dried kratom leaves are often made into a tea that is strained and then drunk. Kratom can be smoked, but doing so is impractical because the amount of leaf that constitutes a typical dose is too much to be smoked easily. A resin-like extract can be prepared by evaporating the water from kratom tea. This can be stored for later use. Small pellets of this extract can be swallowed, or it can be dissolved in hot water and consumed as a tea. Some people like to mix kratom tea with ordinary black tea, or other herbal teas, before it is consumed. This is done to make it more palatable. Sugar or honey can be added to sweeten it.

How does one prepare a chocolate kratom milkshake?
This is the nicest way to ingest kratom that we know of. It actually tastes quite good. Chocolate milk masks the bitter taste of kratom remarkably well and its viscosity helps to keep the kratom from settling to the bottom. If you just add powdered kratom to a glass of chocolate milk, the kratom tends to float on top and resists absorbing liquid. Even with stirring, it tends to stay floating on the top and forms lumps. Ideally you want to make a smooth milkshake without lumps and without dry kratom powder floating on the top. To do that, follow these simple instructions:

AMAZING CHOCOLATE KRATOM MILKSHAKE
Use about 1 cup (8 fl. oz.) of chocolate milk per dose of kratom. Chocolate-flavored almond milk also works very well for this, and is non-dairy (we especially like the "dark chocolate" flavored almond milk produced under the brand name Silk®, because of it's especially thick viscocity and rich flavor).

1.) Put one dose of powdered kratom into an empty glass.
2.) Add an equal volume of chocolate milk (typically, just 1-2 tablespoons).
3.) Stir until the kratom absorbs the liquid completely and forms a homogeneous paste.
4.) Add a few more tablespoons of chocolate milk and stir again until smooth and free of lumps.
5.) Add the remaining chocolate milk and stir again until well mixed.
6.) Drink until the glass is empty.
7.) Add a little more chocolate milk to the glass, stir, and drink. (This caches any kratom particles left clinging to the sides of the glass. And since it is mainly just chocolate milk, it tastes even better than the kratom milkshake.)

How does one prepare a powdered kratom PASTE for drinking?
1.) Place a single dose of powdered kratom in a small empty cup.
2.) Add just enough water to make a soft paste (roughly equal parts kratom powder to water, by volume). You will need to stir the mixture for a few minutes until the powder completely absorbs the water and you have a nicely homogenized paste.
3.) Fill a separate glass with water and set it aside. Using a spoon, scoop an easy-to-swallow spoonful of paste into your mouth, then take a big sip of water from the other glass and gulp it down. Repeat spooning, sipping, and swallowing until you have consumed the entire dose. Be careful not to gulp down too much at once, so you don't accidentally choke on the mixture.

How does one prepare a powdered kratom SLURRY for drinking?
1.) Add powdered kratom to a glass of water (or other beverage). For a typical dose of kratom (about 7 grams), use about 1 cup (8 ounces) of water.
2.) Stir throughly (until the powder is completely suspended), then gulp it down quickly before it has a chance to settle (it is like drinking a bitter-tasting, slightly fibrous smoothy).
3.) Add more water to the glass to recover any material that stuck to the sides. About 1/2 cup of water should be sufficient, but it doesn't hurt to use more.
4.) Stir again and drink.
5.) When you have got it all down, you can drink a little fruit juice to chase away the bitter taste. Mint-flavored chewing gum also work great for this.

How does one make kratom tea?
Following is a basic recipe for making kratom tea. This recipe makes enough tea for several doses--about 8 moderately strong doses, if using "premium quality" kratom (see "dosage guidelines" below):
1.) Take 2 ounces (56 grams) of dried, coarsley ground or crushed kratom leaves and put into a pot. To this add 1 quart (about 1 liter) of water.
2.) Boil gently for 15 minutes.
3.) Pour the tea through a strainer into a bowl and reserve the liquid.
 (squeeze the leaves in the strainer to get most of the liquid out).
4.) Put the leaves back in the pot and add another liter of fresh water. Repeat steps 2 and 3.
 (after the leaves have been strained a second time, they can be discarded.)
5.) Put the combined liquid from both boilings back into the pot and boil until the volume is reduced to about 1 cup (250 ml).
 (The idea is to boil the tea down to a small volume so that each individual dose can be quickly swallowed.
 You can boil it down to whatever concentration you are comfortable with. Be careful near the end of the process.
 If it starts to become syrupy, it may spatter and/or burn.)

The tea is bitter tasting. To minimize the unpleasant taste, gulp it down quickly and then immediately chase it with a pleasant-tasting bevearge, such as fruit juice.

The same general preparation method can of course be used with larger or smaller amounts of herb by simply adjusting the volume of water used. Kratom tea can be safely stored in the refrigerator for about five days. It is probably okay to keep it a bit longer, but it's better to play it safe and not drink it after five days. It can be stored for many months if you add some alcohol to it. Adding about 10% alcohol will preserve it for many months (in the refrigerator). That is one part 80 proof liquor (vodka, rum, or a similar spirit) to three parts kratom tea. When refrigerated, some components may precipitate out of solution and form a sediment in the bottom of the container. This sediment may contain active alkaloids so it should be redissolved before consuming the tea. This is easily done by warming the tea and stirring.

How can I powder dried leaves?
Dried leaves, whether whole, crushed, or coarsely ground, can easily be powdered by putting them in a kitchen blender or coffee grinder and processing for a few minutes at high speed. Many suppliers offer kratom that is already finely powdered.

How does one measure dosage?
The best way to measure dosage is with a scale. Since a typical dose of kratom is just a few, or several, grams, one should ideally use a scale that can measure down to a single gram and is accurate to at least 1/10th of a gram. Low-cost, highly accurate, digital scales are widely available, and purchasing one is a great investment, since they can last a lifetime and are useful for many other things besides weighing kratom. These can be obtained from Sage Wisdom Botanicals, as well as many other suppliers.

Measuring kratom by volume is less accurate than measuring by weight because the amount contained in a given volume depends on how finely ground the material is. Obviously, a teaspoon of finely powdered kratom will weigh more than a teaspoon of loosely crushed or coarsely ground leaves. That said, here are some rough guidelines. On average, 1 LEVEL teaspoon of most commercially available, finely powdered kratom will weigh about 2 grams (very finely powdered kratom may weigh closer to 2.25 grams). Since there are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon, that means that a LEVEL tablespoon of finely powdered kratom will weigh, on average, about 6 to 7 grams. That is a mid-sized dose for kratom of average potency (possibly a strong dose for high-potency kratom, or a mild dose for low-potency kratrom).

Coarsely ground leaves weigh less than finely powdered leaves (when measured by volume). A LEVEL teaspoon of typical, commercially available, coarsely ground leaves typically weighs about 0.8 grams. If the leaves are loosely crushed they will weigh less, possibly much less, depending on how finely (or coarsely) crushed they are.

What are the effects?
Kratom is a rather unique drug in that a low to moderate dose will usually (but not always) be stimulating, while a high dose is almost always quite sedating. This is apparently because the active alkaloids have both stimulant and sedative effects. Which predominates probably depends both on dosage and individual differences between users. Many people report that the effects are very similar to opiate drugs. From a pharmacological perspective this is not surprising because kratom contains alkaloids that act as opiate receptor agonists. Interestingly, although kratom has a similar mechanism of action as many opiate pain medications it does not appear to be nearly as addictive. In fact many people use kratom to overcome opiate addiction.

The stimulant level: At the stimulant level, the mind is more alert, physical energy (and sometimes sexual energy) is increased, one feels more motivated to get things done, ability to do hard, monotonous physical work may be improved, there is an elevation of mood (it has an antidepressant effect), one is more talkative, friendly, and sociable. The stimulant effects of kratom are different from typical CNS stimulants, such as caffeine or amphetamine drugs. Kratom is more of a cognitive stimulant tnan a physical stimulant.

The sedative-euphoric-analgesic level: At this dosage you will be less sensitive to physical or emotional pain, feel and look calm, have a general feeling of comfortable pleasure, and may enter a pleasant dreamy reverie. You may experience some itching or sweating. Your pupils may be constricted (small). It is possible you may feel nauseated, but if you lie down and relax the nausea should quickly subside. You may find your appreciation of music is increased. It will be very pleasant to lie down on your back in a semi-darkened room, with eyes closed, and just listen to your favorite music. If you do this you may be fortunate enough to enter the delightful mixed-state of ‘waking-dreaming’ where you have one foot in dreamland and the other foot in the real world. This state was much prized by the 19th century Romantic writers, who, lacking knowledge of kratom, resorted to the much more habit-forming narcotic, opium, to achieve it.

What effects are associated with different doses? (dosage guidelines)
That depends on the potency of the kratom. The following dosage-guidline charts are typical for the kratom varieties offered bySage Wisdom Botanicals, the sponsor of this page.