As the US kratom industry continues to expand, new types of kratom products are constantly emerging. From gimmicky “new strains” to entirely new lines of products like kratom-infused skincare, there’s no shortage of attention-grabbing new kratom entries.
One emerging kratom product, in particular, is starting to get a bit more buzz: nano kratom. But what is nano kratom? And is this small-sounding strain the next big thing? Or is nano kratom just another kratom marketing scam?
This article goes over all the evidence so you can decide for yourself whether nano kratom is worth your time.
Nano Kratom Cheat-Sheet
For those looking for a quick-and-easy list of what’s-what with nano kratom, here you go:
- Only a handful of companies are currently marketing nano kratom.
- Nano kratom is just kratom powder ground into a finer powder.
- Nano kratom, as it’s currently marketed, is not a chemically-modified product, and it will not change kratom’s effects.
- Sellers claim that nano kratom mixes more easily into liquids. In reality, nano kratom may mix more easily at first — but kratom is hydrophobic, so even nano kratom will quickly separate from the liquid.
- Sellers claim that nano kratom’s effects kick in more quickly. This may be true, but nano kratom is unlikely to make your dose more effective overall.
In short, nano kratom is a different preparation of kratom powder, not a gimmicky “new strain” or an entirely new type of kratom product. While it may have some limited benefits and applications, nano kratom will not transform your kratom experience, nor will it open up entirely new ways of taking kratom.
Nano Kratom Basics
Nano kratom is an emerging product. With very few sellers offering it and with very little information out there, it can be difficult to get past the marketing bluster.
But beyond the alluring label, so-called nano kratom is very simple to understand: it’s just kratom powder that has been ground into a significantly finer grain than usual. And while this finer grain may slightly alter the kratom experience, it will not fundamentally change the way you take kratom or the benefits that it offers.
Is Nano Kratom a Chemically-Altered Type of Kratom?
There is no officially-accepted definition of what distinguishes nano kratom; but again, based on the currently-available products, nano kratom is just a differently-milled, smaller grain of traditional kratom powder.
So no, nano kratom is not a chemically-altered type of kratom. It has exactly the same chemical properties as traditional kratom.
That’s contrary to how the label “nano” is used in many other botanicals, such as with nano CBD.
Because nano kratom has precisely the same chemical properties, claims that it behaves differently from traditional kratom (such as water solubility) are exaggerated or are outright fabrications.
What Does Nano Kratom Do: Marketing vs. Reality
Because comparatively few vendors currently offer nano kratom, there’s very little in the way of objective information. Users are left to rely on marketing copy (almost always slanted), anecdotal reports, and their own common sense.
But when you boil it down, vendors are making two big claims about nano kratom — and both may be partially true but are very unlikely to make a substantial difference in the way you use and enjoy kratom.
Here are the two major claims about nano kratom’s effects:
Claim 1: Nano Kratom Mixes Better in Water
This is the most prevalent claim made by vendors marketing nano kratom. According to the marketing copy, nano kratom is a toss and washer’s dream, creating easy, consistent mixtures that are much easier to swallow.
And this does make some sense. As particles grow smaller, it’s easier to make them effectively “disappear” in a liquid. So, using nano kratom, you could conceivably get a more consistent solution that is — at least initially — easier to swallow.
But the problem is that nano kratom is still kratom, and kratom does not mix with water.
Even if nano kratom allows for a slightly better mix initially, the simple fact of the matter is that the kratom powder will separate from the liquid, the powder will accumulate in your drink, and it will lead to some clumping.
So will nano kratom improve your toss and wash? Maybe. If you thoroughly mix and then very, very quickly drink the solution, you may have an easier time getting your kratom down. But it’s not going to completely fix the problems of kratom separation and clumpage, which are the major drawbacks of the toss and wash method.
Claim 2: Nano Kratom “Hits” Faster
The other major claim about nano kratom is that it allows users to feel the effect of their dose faster than with traditional kratom powder.
This claim may very well hold up. After all, smaller grains mean that the body will be able to digest, break-down, and absorb kratom’s alkaloids and other compounds more readily. It’s the same reason that we chew our food: the body has an easier time working with substances that are already partially broken down.
Without research (or at least ample first-hand experience that we just don’t have), it’s extraordinarily difficult to make any concrete claims about the extent of this difference. Nano kratom certainly won’t kick-in instantaneously; onset of effects will still be altered by other factors like amount of food in your stomach, and even traditional kratom typically takes effect quite quickly after ingestion.
Given all that, nano kratom may very well take effect meaningfully faster than traditional kratom. But it will not increase the effect of your dose overall, nor will it give you more “bang for your buck” to choose a nanopowder over an equivalent traditional one.