Kratom is a household name today due to its rising popularity. The powerful alkaloids have been effective over a century by imparting properties related to pain relief, mood improvement, and other health benefits. Having originated from the Southeast Countries, the magical herb has traveled lengths and breadths to reach the citizens of America. It did click with the people here, thereby increasing the demand for the products. This increase in demand encouraged many online Kratom retailers to take up the business on. Now there are a lot of Kratom manufacturers out there, producing different forms of Kratom products for the people. You might have usually heard that the Kratom powder is prepared by drying and crushing the leaves of Kratom. But a detailed process goes behind the production of Kratom. To understand that, we will have to start by understanding how Kratom is grown.
The Growth of Kratom
Kratom plantations can be seen only in the Southeast Asian countries, where the climate is humid and tropic in nature. Kratom, a tropical rainforest has tall trunks extending up to 80 feet. But the fascinating part of Kratom has always been its glossy green leaves. Since it is an evergreen tree, old leaves fall off and new leaves start growing by time. Other climatic conditions aren’t that favorable to Kratom since they can’t tolerate cold temperatures. However, some Kratom farmers try growing plantations where rich soil is available but the whole process can be challenging. This is the reason why the abundant supply of Kratom is from Southeast Asian countries.
The process of Harvest
Kratom shows great variation with respect to the leaf size, color, and potency. This variation has led to the production of different strains of Kratom like red, green and white. Some think this coloration is determined already, but it isn’t true. The coloration is due to a lot of other factors like genetics, maturity and even the amount of sunlight that the plant receives during the cycle. However, some reports state that the leaves tend to undergo a color life cycle where it changes from red to green. Once the leaves attain the ideal maturity, they are handpicked by the farmers. Apart from the above variations, differences in terms of alkaloid composition can also be witnessed.
Processing
In this phase, Kratom is subjected to refinement, Drying and Grinding. Once the leaves attain maturity and they are picked up by farmers, the next step is where the leaves are cleaned in running water to remove dirt, stones, and other unwanted materials. It is necessary to remove dirt properly since once it is grounded; lab tests are needed for identification. Next, we will have to move to the drying step, where farmers place the leaves in large sacks and allow it to dry. The amount of time that is spent is drying also plays a significant role in the resultant alkaloid makeup. Once the drying step is performed as desired, the leaves are ground using industrial grinders in large quantities.
The Final Step
This is the final step where Kratom is produced as an end product. During post-processing and packaging, Kratom is produced based on the different forms available. Kratom is processed into powder, capsules, gums, resins, and extracts. Kratom capsules are the ones where accurately weighed Kratom powder is filled into edible shells. Extracts are a concentrated form of Kratom powder. Most commonly, people tend to buy Kratom powder in bulk, while alternatives like capsules and extracts are also available in the market. These products are carefully packaged and sealed in order to prevent any form of contamination.
This is the process by which Kratom is grown, harvested, processed and packaged as a finished product.