First Of All, Why Use Kratom Powder?
There are many ways to use kratom, but kratom powder is the best choice for most people. It’s easy to find online, easy to use, and more affordable than other methods.
Kratom powder also gives you more control over your dose, making it possible to fine-tune the amount you take for the best possible experience.
If that wasn’t enough, kratom powder also has an incredibly long shelf life, so you can buy it in bulk and store it for months to years with little noticeable change in quality or effectiveness.
How to Take Kratom Powder
Kratom powder can be taken in several ways, each with its own pros and cons. Drinking it is the easiest way and strikes a good balance between convenience and fast delivery.
Below is a brief rundown of the most popular ways people take kratom powder.
1. Drink the Kratom Powder
The most common way people take kratom powder is by drinking it. It’s the easiest to do, and you’ll feel the effects quickly. However, it also comes with some downsides.
The most noticeable downside is kratom’s unpleasant taste. To put it bluntly, kratom powder tastes very bitter and is unpalatable for some people. It has a harsh flavor, making it all but necessary to mix it with something sweet like apple juice or orange juice.
Why drink it, then?
One of the benefits of taking kratom in powdered form is how easy it is to adjust the dose. However, you need to weigh it with a scale for the best results. A scale with 0.1 g precision is the best way to do this. If you don’t have a scale, you can use measuring spoons, too, although that’s less accurate.
A simple hand mixer can go a long way to improving the texture since kratom powder is notoriously difficult to mix with liquids. If you don’t have a mixer or hand blender, a spoon will work; just be prepared to stir for a while.
Once you’ve weighed the kratom powder (somewhere within the 2–10 gram range) and mixed it with something sweet to cover the taste, you’ll likely want to drink it down as quickly as possible.
You might want to consider holding your nose — that’s not a joke. Having a little extra drink on hand to use as a chaser is also a good idea. Drink kratom like you’d rip off a band-aid — as quickly as possible.
2. Use the “Toss & Wash” Method
Some people prefer the “toss and wash” method to mixing the kratom powder with something and drinking it since it can reduce the unpleasant taste.
To use this method, take a mouthful of water or juice and drop in half your kratom dose, and swallow. Repeat those steps with the second half of your dose, and voila, you’re done.
The benefit of the toss’n’wash method is that it’s the quickest and easiest way to use kratom — all you need is a spoon and a cup.
Unfortunately, many people find the toss and wash more difficult than simply mixing and drinking the powder. It’s surprisingly easy to get powder up your nose, which is uniquely uncomfortable. Although, if you’re careful and go slowly, you shouldn’t have much trouble.
3. Make a Kratom Smoothie
Mixing kratom powder with liquid like water or juices doesn’t work that well since kratom doesn’t dissolve readily in fluids, leading to an unpleasant chunky texture in addition to the foul taste. Making a kratom powder smoothie solves this problem and can even hide the taste entirely if you choose the right ingredients.
In general, the thicker the smoothie, the better. Peanut butter, plain yogurt, or even ice cream make excellent bases for a kratom smoothie since they add body and sweetness.
Anything goes as far as other ingredients are concerned, so feel free to experiment with your favorite fruits and vegetables. Most people recommend choosing sweet ingredients to combat the kratom powder’s bitterness, so blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, and bananas are popular options.
4. Make a Kratom Tea
A less common way to consume kratom powder is in tea. Most people make kratom tea using whole kratom leaves, but it’s also possible to make kratom tea with powder. Making kratom tea is as simple as heating water to near-boiling, adding the desired amount of kratom powder, and stirring.
Most people who make kratom powder tea don’t use a tea bag or strainer and simply leave the powder in their mug. The consistency isn’t great, but it tastes slightly better than the cold version.
One important point about kratom powder tea is that it tends to be slightly less potent than other methods because heat can degrade the alkaloids in the kratom.
If you’re concerned about reducing the effects of your kratom powder, consider using a lower temperature around 175°F.
5. Mix the Kratom With Food
Some people are surprised to learn that mixing kratom powder with food is a viable way to take kratom. Mixing kratom powder with wet food like applesauce, oatmeal, or yogurt is a great way to take it and removes a lot of the hassle associated with other methods.
It’s best not to add kratom powder to hot food for the same reason hot tea isn’t the best choice. High temperatures break down the alkaloids in kratom, reducing its potency and making the effects last for less time.
Also see: The Ultimate Guide to Cooking With Kratom.
6. Use Kratom Capsules
If none of those options sound good to you, kratom capsules are the answer. Capsules remove many of the annoyances of taking pure kratom powder but come with a few drawbacks as well.
First, kratom capsules are not adjustable. They come in predetermined doses, making it impossible to customize your dose to fit your use case. This isn’t a huge deal for some people but is a dealbreaker for others.
Second, capsules are usually more expensive than standalone powder. If you’re on a tight budget, kratom powder is the better choice, but if you can spend a little more and don’t mind being locked into certain doses, capsules are probably worth the extra money.
Finally, premade kratom capsules typically don’t have as much variety as powders. If you are interested in trying unique strains, you might not be able to find them in capsules, leaving powder as your only option.
Don’t worry; it’s not all bad news. The biggest benefit to capsules is that they’re easy to use. There’s no fiddling with scales or measuring spoons; you just swallow a capsule when you want to take kratom. That’s it. There’s no mess and no hassle.
Capsules also let you avoid the horrible taste of kratom powder. That might not sound like a big deal at first, but many people find it less tolerable over time and eventually switch to another method. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference. Some people are less affected by taste than others, so the only way to know for sure is to try it yourself.
7. Parachute the Kratom Powder
This is also called “bombing” and is kind of an odd way to take kratom, but it’s effective. Parachuting kratom is similar to capsules; only you use toilet paper instead of a gel capsule. There are other options — you can check out this guide to parachuting kratom if you’re curious.
First, measure the kratom. Next, take a piece of toilet paper and put the powder in it. The key is not to have too much paper, just enough to wrap it well. Have a drink ready, then pop the kratom bomb into your mouth and swallow it down. This is cheaper than capsules, though not as easy to swallow — sometimes the paper opens up in your mouth, and you end up tasting it anyway.
And no, the toilet paper isn’t going to hurt you.
What NOT to Do With Kratom Powder
Kratom is pretty easy to take, as long as you can get past the taste. However, there are a few things you shouldn’t do with it.
1. Smoke Kratom
Not only is smoking kratom a waste of powder, but it’s not the healthiest thing to do and is far less effective.
2. Vape Kratom
Just like with smoking it, vaping kratom is a waste.
The heat destroys the alkaloids, and it takes too much kratom to get the same effects you’d get with consuming a smaller amount.
Wrapping It Up: The Best Way to Consume Kratom Powder
Beginners and experienced users prefer kratom powder since it gives them the most control over their dose, making it easy to make tiny adjustments and find their sweet spot.
Drinking kratom powder lets you explore the wide world of kratom powders, which can be difficult when locked into certain strains based on whatever capsules are available.
The best way to consume kratom powder for most people is to drink it.
Drinking kratom powder is the most convenient and affordable way to take it, although there are some downsides.
To put it mildly, it doesn’t taste great, and it doesn’t mix well in liquids. Some people get around these issues by making kratom powder smoothies or mixing them with food, but neither is as convenient as just drinking it.
