Kratom Freshness and Potency

[LeafersonJr32]

Since joining this forum I have seen so many posts of people talking about how they have kept kratom for years and years and then consumed it and it was just as good as when it was fresh. In the 6 years I have been taking kratom one of my biggest priorities of buying kratom has been freshness and have always thought freshness was a huge factor in kratom quality and now my mind is kinda blown. Does anyone else feel that fresh kratom is always more potent than older kratom or have you had good experience with saving kratom for years? Always thought kratom only lasted so long before the alkaloids broke down and yielded adverse effects.

[onespeedstop]

I've heard/read theories about both fresh is better, and kratom gets more potent over time. I've got some that's over 2 years old, and it hits/feels the same as some I got a month ago. As long as you store it sealed well, in a cool/dark place, then I suspect it lasts for years with no noticable change in potency.

The taste of it, well, that might be 'stronger' or even "better" with fresher kratom. But that's a whole nother can of worms for a lot of reasons....We never really have any idea how long it's been since it was harvested and milled, and some kratom tastes differently because of the particular drying process that was used.

[LeafersonJr32]

I've heard/read theories about both fresh is better, and kratom gets more potent over time. I've got some that's over 2 years old, and it hits/feels the same as some I got a month ago. As long as you store it sealed well, in a cool/dark place, then I suspect it lasts for years with no noticable change in potency.

The taste of it, well, that might be 'stronger' or even "better" with fresher kratom. But that's a whole nother can of worms for a lot of reasons....We never really have any idea how long it's been since it was harvested and milled, and some kratom tastes differently because of the particular drying process that was used.

That is something I have always thought about is we have no idea when it was harvested or milled. As far as research online about the subject it says it is pretty much only good for a year from the time it is ground and that is obviously not true based on everything ive seen here

[mivanqua]

Every single aspect of kratom is a complete enigma. I'm starting to think it was created to be that way. So much needs to be just right. I've been using kratom for YEARS and it still surprises me from time to time. It takes a lot of patience as it doesn't always give you what you want, but it always seems to give you what you need. (wink wink)

[onespeedstop]

That is something I have always thought about is we have no idea when it was harvested or milled. As far as research online about the subject it says it is pretty much only good for a year from the time it is ground and that is obviously not true based on everything ive seen here

Eh, that sounds like some kind of sales tactic, like you better use it up and buy more, or if your stuff you have is a year old then you better throw it out and buy mine ha-ha.

I think ultimately the 'problem' with kratom supplier info is just that we get it from folks who in a lot of cases, have never actually seen how it is picked/dried/milled, let alone have any idea how the quality control is, or how old the product is. I suspect the language barrier (between vendors and suppliers) could be an issue too, but mostly it's just that they (vendors) are dealing with people in a poor country with often times low quality tools, and not only a lack of interest, but a lack of ability to control their harvests to the degree that a 1st world consumer is used to. No FDA, no OSHA, nothing, just some guys picking leaves off of trees in the literal forest/jungle.

All that said, I have never (that I am aware of) gotten sick from kratom, as in it did not ever seem to be contaminated to any great or even noticeable degree. So it's not like it's a huge problem, the lack of consistency in product and preparation they do - it's just our perceptions of it because of the strictness/laws/information that we are used to in our country with food and substances we ingest. But (this is getting long so I'll wrap it up ha-ha) the upside to all that lack of info. is that we don't need a prescription (or a dr. or health insurance etc.) and it's kind of dirt cheap really. I mean I use a medium amount of it, and it's really only about $200-$300 a year. Most folks spend more than that on coffee a year, and surely more on fast food. So it's cheap and it keeps all the ibuprofen and whatnot from giving me an ulcer, because I can have some kratom instead and get at least *some* pain relief.

[LeafersonJr32]

That is something I have always thought about is we have no idea when it was harvested or milled. As far as research online about the subject it says it is pretty much only good for a year from the time it is ground and that is obviously not true based on everything ive seen here

Eh, that sounds like some kind of sales tactic, like you better use it up and buy more, or if your stuff you have is a year old then you better throw it out and buy mine ha-ha.

I think ultimately the 'problem' with kratom supplier info is just that we get it from folks who in a lot of cases, have never actually seen how it is picked/dried/milled, let alone have any idea how the quality control is, or how old the product is. I suspect the language barrier (between vendors and suppliers) could be an issue too, but mostly it's just that they (vendors) are dealing with people in a poor country with often times low quality tools, and not only a lack of interest, but a lack of ability to control their harvests to the degree that a 1st world consumer is used to. No FDA, no OSHA, nothing, just some guys picking leaves off of trees in the literal forest/jungle.

All that said, I have never (that I am aware of) gotten sick from kratom, as in it did not ever seem to be contaminated to any great or even noticeable degree. So it's not like it's a huge problem, the lack of consistency in product and preparation they do - it's just our perceptions of it because of the strictness/laws/information that we are used to in our country with food and substances we ingest. But (this is getting long so I'll wrap it up ha-ha) the upside to all that lack of info. is that we don't need a prescription (or a dr. or health insurance etc.) and it's kind of dirt cheap really. I mean I use a medium amount of it, and it's really only about $200-$300 a year. Most folks spend more than that on coffee a year, and surely more on fast food. So it's cheap and it keeps all the ibuprofen and whatnot from giving me an ulcer, because I can have some kratom instead and get at least *some* pain relief.

I agree with you I havent ever gotten sick from it either and that includes back in the early days before the big psa about heavy metals, ecoli, and salmonella. Lol And it definitely has become relatively cheap thats for sure(much cheaper and healthier than my habbits before leaf) back in the early days it was about 2 to 3 times as expensive just because of American greed trying to pay a farmer $20 for a kilo and then sell it for $200 and some companies still do. There are just so many differing sources for information out there that all swear to different "facts" its gotten better but still kinda bad. I am very happy to have found this forum though to be able to talk to other people who really can relate and have first hand knowledge on these subjects