What Affects Alkaloid Content?

listpage-5
What Affects Alkaloid Content

Alkaloids: they’re the potent natural chemicals that give kratom its distinctive effects. The higher the kratom’s total alkaloid content, the more potent the batch!

So when it comes to producing the world’s best kratom, alkaloid content is king. Improve the plant’s mitragynine and other alkaloid levels, and you’ll have a higher quality kratom leaf.

But what affects alkaloid content? It’s a complex dance requiring vigilance from even the most expert and experienced growers.

Why Does Alkaloid Content Matter?

For the uninitiated, a quick note: alkaloid content is king.

Most users take kratom for its unique effects. These effects are the result of several powerful compounds, called alkaloids, which kratom plants naturally produce. The two primary kratom alkaloids are mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, but other minor ones will also affect kratom’s effects.

Simply put, the higher the total alkaloid content, the more potent the batch of kratom will be. Higher alkaloid content will allow users to get the same effect from smaller doses, further stretching their supply (and pocketbook).

What Affects Kratom Alkaloid Content?

Good kratom means abundant alkaloids, so how does a farmer improve the alkaloid content of their crops? It’s something of a black box, and nature will always throw you for a loop.

Nonetheless, there are several factors that have been shown to affect the total alkaloid yield.

Alkaloid content is known to be affected by:

  • Soil conditions: Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and calcium in the soil have all been shown to affect alkaloid content. Nitrogen, in particular, seems to be an “alkaloid booster”.
  • Temperature: Every plant has a different optimal growth temperature. Kratom prefers the heat of its native Southeast Asia, and alkaloid content will respond positively to heat.
  • Precipitation: Too much water can be bad for crops, and alkaloid content can also suffer! Direct rainfall can actually wash developing alkaloids out of the plant and so should be minimized.
  • Age of crop: Alkaloids are primarily created in young, actively growing plant tissue. Letting plants mature for too long will harm the overall alkaloid content.

It’s a delicate balancing act that requires experience and a keen eye to manage properly. Even under ideal conditions, some kratom plants will react differently than others, and growing conditions must be modified.

That’s one reason we’ve partnered with only the most experienced Southeast Asian farms to supply our kratom crops (and why farming your own kratom isn’t the most viable option).

Which Strains Have the Highest Alkaloid Content?

Maximizing kratom alkaloid content is a tricky affair. But handled properly, it creates a rich and diverse array of kratom strains, each with subtly unique alkaloid profiles.

So which strains are the strongest? It depends on what you’re looking for!

  • White vein kratom strains have the highest proportion of mitragynine, which is believed to be responsible for kratom’s more energizing effects.
  • Red vein kratom strains have the highest levels of 7-hydroxymitragynine, which accounts for kratom’s more relaxing and sedative effects.
  • Green vein kratom strains strike a middle ground of mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, with more balanced levels of each.
  • Maeng Da kratom strains deserve a special mention. Originating from Thailand, these strains are prized for their unusually high alkaloid content, regardless of which strain color you choose.

But regardless of which strain you go for, know that you’ll get a quality crop with high alkaloid content whenever you shop with Kratom Spot. We work with only the most experienced kratom farms, rigorously test every batch for both purity and potency, and sell only the highest quality batches.

Pro tip: if you’re looking for the absolute highest alkaloid content in town, try our unique kratom extracts. They’re top quality strains, picked for their impressive alkaloid content — but on top of that, we’ve added an extra helping heaping of alkaloids in our state-of-the-art labs!