Kratom Guides

All You Need to Know About Kratom Shots & Liquid Extracts

The kratom industry continues to provide consumers with new products, and kratom shots are one of the most recent. Also known as “K shots,” kratom shots are a convenient way to take your dose of kratom.

Liquid kratom is typically combined with other additives. Their strength varies depending on the type and quality of kratom, additives used, and the potency of the final product. 

Let’s take a closer look at kratom shots and what to expect from them.

Written by Marcel Deer
Last Updated 1 year ago

Marcel Deer

Natural Health Journalist

What is a Kratom Shot?

A liquid kratom shot is a water-based extract combined with other ingredients typically found in an energy drink. This formula is for people who need a boost of energy while enjoying one of their favorite beneficial botanicals.

These kratom shots look similar to energy shots, which can be found at the check-out line of grocery stores, convenience stores, smoke shops, and gas stations across the U.S. They typically taste like various fruits or coffee combined with hints of kratom’s bold, natural flavor.

Manufacturers put different types of additives in their kratom shots, and they likely use different kratom strains. This indicates that buying a kratom shot from a gas station may be a waste of money compared to purchasing a k shot from a reliable online vendor that sells more kratom products — just make sure kratom is legal in your area.

Common ingredients found in kratom energy shots include:

  • L-Theanine
  • Boswellia
  • Passion Flower
  • Vegetable glycerin
  • Natural and artificial stabilizers

Kratom shots are not the same as kratom extracts and should not be confused. While they come in similar packaging, the two are different.

Taking the whole kratom shot is what the manufacturers intended for their consumers; taking an entire bottle of kratom extract is definitely not recommended.

The Difference Between Kratom Shots & Extracts

Kratom extracts fall into one of two categories: liquid and enhanced powders. Both are highly concentrated forms of kratom and are much stronger than a kratom shot.

This is not to say that kratom shots are weak because they aren’t unless you purchase one from a shady source. Kratom shots are still water-based kratom extracts, so they are designed to get the job done quickly and effortlessly.

Making a kratom extract sometimes requires the leaves or powder to be boiled down to extract all beneficial alkaloids, such as mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine. This solution is strained to help remove solid plant material and boiled once again, resulting in a thick paste.

This paste is mixed with water and other ingredients to create a liquid extract form, or it can be dried out thoroughly and ground finely to make an enhanced kratom powder.

However, there are other forms of extraction and processing when making kratom extracts. This includes going the resin extraction route or using a water-based method.

Making kratom resin extract is expensive and time-consuming, so you won’t see this product available on the market too often.

Resin is created by steeping kratom powder, freezing it, letting it evaporate, simmering it, and evaporating once again. This process is repetitive but is actually quite fast compared to water extraction. However, it can be challenging to get right.

Using water-based extraction methods involves a simple soaking and evaporation process. You typically add raw kratom leaves to citric acid and water, then shake thoroughly. This mixture will then steep for around two weeks and then strained and left to evaporate.

The final product is a thicker liquid, usually stored in an amber-colored bottle for use as tinctures. Manufacturers of these water-based kratom tinctures will typically add glycerin as an acid stabilizer to their products.

Kratom Shot Side Effects

Just because kratom shots are marketed as something you’d gulp down in a minute, you don’t have to do it. You should always make sure you test the waters before trying a product you’ve never tried before, as it may help cut back on unwanted side effects.

It seems that there’s a higher risk of side effects with liquid kratom extracts, which may include:

Do not combine your kratom shot with other substances, such as drugs or alcohol.

New users should be cautious when taking a kratom shot for the first time, as potency varies significantly from each manufacturer. To avoid unwanted side effects, consider eating something small beforehand, taking half of what you usually would, and seeing how it affects you.

Final Thoughts: Kratom Shots

Kratom shots were designed to be a grab-and-go type of product, similar to the concentrated energy drinks you see everywhere. Their quality will vary depending on the manufacturer, the processes used, and the ingredients added.

Kratom shots and kratom extracts are not the same. The dosage between these two kratom products is drastically different, so it’s important to know what you’re buying before consuming it.

Kratom shots can usually be found at gas stations, smoke shops, and even certain health stores, but these places are less reliable. Online stores will have higher-quality products. It all depends on where you are located. If you’re not sure if kratom is legal in your area, do some research before you try to buy anything.