How Long Before Kratom Takes Effect?
There are many variables, but you’ll generally start to feel the effects after 20 or 30 minutes.
Kratom usually reaches its peak in one to two hours. The entire experience lasts between two and eight hours, although the average is about three hours.
In people with slow digestion or those who take kratom right after a large meal, the effects could take up to an hour before they start to kick in.
What Alters Kratom’s Effects?
Kratom will affect everyone differently. Factors like body size, weight, tolerance level, and how long it’s been since you last ate can all influence the effects.
Kratom Dosage
This is pretty obvious — of course, the amount will change the effects — but there are certain aspects worth mentioning.
- Kratom is unique because it can cause opposite effects depending on dose, and the different strains can make it even more confusing.
- Because kratom is a natural, unregulated product, results won’t be consistent. A gram of even the same strain from the same company can vary with each batch.
- Kratom’s effects can hit harder and quicker if you take it on an empty stomach.
Related: What’s the best dose of kratom?
Method Of Consumption
Most people use kratom powder or capsules, but you can also buy tinctures and edibles — they aren’t common, but they exist.
Powders work fast, so you’ll feel the effects in about twenty minutes.
Edibles take longer to go through the digestive tract and be absorbed into the bloodstream, usually an hour or so. Tinctures work quickly if you take them sublingually, usually within half an hour or less.
Eating food while taking kratom can worsen this timeframe, as it delays absorption. To speed up the process, take kratom powder, capsules, and edibles on an empty stomach.
Strain Selection
Every strain of kratom acts somewhat differently. If you want the longest possible performance, try one of the following strains.
- Green Maeng Da: 5-8 hours
- Green Malay: 5-8 hours
- Green Horn: 5-8 hours
- Red Maeng Da: 6-8 hours
- Red Bali: 5-7 hours, although it may last up to 10 hours
- White Borneo: 5-6 hours
Kratom Potentiators
There’s been a lot of talk about kratom potentiators. They are supposed to make your kratom stronger; for the most part, they work.
Be careful if you decide to use a potentiator.
Although some of the options are natural and relatively risk-free, you should always start with just a small amount of kratom. This will help you determine if you’ll have a reaction or how strong it will feel.
When potentiators do their job, they provide stronger effects. This works due to the alkaloids breaking down faster, thereby providing faster results.
Some kratom potentiators include:
Grapefruit Juice
This is probably the most popular option. It’ll take one glass of juice to make your kratom stronger. Taking grapefruit juice with some medications is a bad idea. If you take it with kratom, however, it can provide great benefits.
Turmeric
To get the most out of turmeric as a potentiator, you should take a bit of black pepper about 30 minutes beforehand. Taking turmeric with kratom can slow down its buildup, which may allow you to take kratom for longer before developing a dependence.
Valerian Root
Mixing kratom with valerian root is believed to improve its relaxation and sedative properties.
Chamomile
Drinking a lukewarm cup of chamomile tea with kratom will lengthen its effects and be more calming.
Cayenne Pepper
As you’d probably expect, cayenne pepper adds a nice kick and provides prolonged effects.
Black Seed Oil
Whether you know this ingredient as black seed or black cumin seed, it has an extremely high concentration of antioxidants. It also eliminates many of the worst after-effects of kratom, including slow thinking, sleepiness, and brain fog.
Antacids
This option has been reported as successful by some kratom users. Taking an antacid before taking kratom prevents the volatile alkaloids from breaking down in your stomach before they’re absorbed.
Agmatine
Agmatine can increase the relaxation and pain-relieving qualities of kratom.
Magnesium
Kratom users should supplement their usage with some magnesium because the plant slows down magnesium absorption. The good news is that taking a supplement about 30 minutes before taking kratom will also act as a potentiator.
The Best Kratom Potentiator
There are multiple potentiators listed above, but none of them have the same abilities as simply freezing your kratom.
To get started, put your kratom in some water for a few minutes. Then, pull it out and shake it vigorously before you stick it in the freezer. During the freezing process, the plant’s cell walls will burst. As this is where the active alkaloids are contained, breaking the cell walls makes kratom more bioavailable.
In other words, freezing kratom makes it more potent.
The best part about choosing to freeze your kratom is that nothing extra is added to it. You don’t have to worry about any weird side effects. Those who enjoy using potentiators can safely freeze kratom.
Taking a Break for Increased Effects
Getting the most out of kratom sometimes requires you to take a break.
Building up a tolerance requires you to take more kratom, which makes it difficult to maintain low doses or to stop.
As your body gets used to kratom, it takes more to get the same effects. It ultimately feels like it’s not working well. This is damaging to your wallet, but it’s also bad for your body and leads to addiction.
How Long Does Kratom Stay In Your System?
Most standard drug tests will not detect the presence of kratom. However, it can be detected for approximately six to seven days. Many things factor into how long kratom stays in your system.
Employers are starting to let go of testing for marijuana, which means you’re even less likely to get in any trouble for using kratom. In fact, a 5-panel drug test doesn’t test for kratom, which is the most popular form of drug test.
However, if your employer decides to use the 10-panel test, it could show up. It can also be found in some urine and blood tests.
Key Takeaways: How Long Does It Take for Kratom to Kick In?
Kratom powder can take anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes to kick in. If you take edibles or capsules, expect to wait about 45 minutes to an hour.
There are some ways you can make kratom last longer, such as taking a potentiator.
Freezing is the best potentiator you can use. You may also need to take an occasional break to make kratom work better for you.
