Kratom is a tree whose leaves can be made into an herbal tea with medicinal properties. Increased energy and pain relief are common side effects of consuming kratom. Making a tea is the most common method of ingestion, but the whole leaf can be consumed as well.

3 Ways to Consume Kratom

There are three basic ways to consume kratom:

1. Make tea from the leaves.
2. Ingest the leaves.
3. Smoke the leaves. (not recommended)

While it is possible to smoke kratom, the amount required to have any effect makes this method a bad idea. There is no benefit to smoking kratom, compared to eating it or making tea; only downsides. Rather than cough and choke your way through smoking several grams, try one of the other methods.

The only problem with eating or drinking kratom is that kratom has a very bitter flavor. Kratom preparation recipes are all about finding a good flavor pairing to make the kratom more palatable. Like most herbal remedies, kratom is also available in capsules for those who want to consume the whole plant.

One way to ingest kratom leaves is to simply add some powdered kratom leaves to something you are planning to eat or drink. I have added kratom to smoothies (not bad) and even to soup (not good). Consuming the whole leaves will ensure that you get all the alkaloids in the leaf into your body. Some people report that ingesting the leaves improves the calming and pain relief effects of kratom, compared to tea.

Personally, I prefer making tea. Tea is very easy to make, and hot water will extract most of the alkaloids out of the kratom leaf and into the tea. Because the kratom alkaloids are suspended in aqueous solution (the tea), your body will absorb them more quickly compared to digesting the leaf solids. Kratom tea alone can be unpleasantly bitter, so it is better combined with other herbal teas to make a palatable blend.

This is my favorite kratom tea recipe:

Kratom Tea Recipe

Most suppliers in the US offer kratom leaf powder, rather than whole dried kratom leaves. Powdering the leaves greatly increases the surface area of the material, which means that more of the alkaloids in the leaf can leach out into the water for the tea. (This is the same idea behind grinding coffee beans, but they grind kratom leaves even more.)

The downside of powdered tea leaves is that it leaks out through almost any holes in any tea infuser you can find. Until I can find kratom tea bags (or bother to make them myself), a tea infuser is still the best tool to use. Even an inexpensive tea infuser will serve you for years and enable you to easily make your own herbal tea blends from loose leaf.

This is the tea infuser I use. Just make sure that the one you choose has small holes – a standard screen infuser will not do the job. This tea infuser has extra fine holes to prevent leaf material from spilling out, as well as arms to hold it on top of your mug.

1. Start some water boiling, ideally in your tea kettle.
2. Measure your kratom into your tea infuser. The standard amount of leaf powder to use for mild kratom effects is about a teaspoon (about 2 or 3 grams); for moderate effects, a half-tablespoon (about 4 grams), and for strong effects, a whole tablespoon (3 tsp) holds around 7 grams of kratom powder. I can’t recommend using any more than a tablespoon at one time. If you are new to kratom, start off small. If you are experienced with kratom, then you probably already know what works for you. I prefer a teaspoon, and sometimes only a half-teaspoon.
3. Place your filled tea infuser in your teacup. The kratom is ready to become tea; now let’s add something to make it taste good.
4. Place 1 bag of mint herbal tea in your teacup. I used Cascade Mint tea.
   
   
   
   Like kratom, mint tea also has both energizing and sedative effects, although less pronounced. More importantly, the mint flavor is perfect for counteracting the kratom bitterness. Mint is my go-to, but if you prefer a more complex earthy flavor, chai works too.
5. Pour the boiling water into your teacup. I keep saying teacup, but I use a small coffee mug. If you pour the boiling water directly onto your tea infuser, you will probably force more tea particles out.
6. Let the tea steep for 10 to 15 minutes. If you were using cut leaves instead of powdered, this would take up to 30 minutes, but the increased surface area speeds up the steeping process.
7. Remove the teabag and the tea infuser, and enjoy! Some people choose to consume the leaves anyway, after they have been steeped for tea. Not me.

And that’s it! Enjoy your kratom tea in good health.

I have found mint tea to be the best combination, but I've also had luck with earthy chai, calming Kava Kava tea, and an energetic citrus bend.

Check out My Brave Botanicals if you are looking for a reasonable and reliable kratom supplier. It’s a great shop with great customer service and a wide selection of high-quality kratom strains. In addition to the usual credit cards and PayPal options, My Brave Botanicals also accepts payment in Bitcoin or Dash.

If you have any favorite recipes for kratom tea, or other kratom preparations, please share or link to them in the comment section.

Check out my earlier post to learn more about kratom.