What is Kratom?
Let’s quickly go over what kratom is. Kratom has been favored for its many health benefits and effects for centuries.
Some of the most popular reasons for using kratom include:
- Stress-relief: it induces a calm, relaxed, positive state
- Nootropic support: it improves cognitive function
- Analgesic qualities: it provides pain relief, sedation, relaxation
- Anxiolytic properties: it helps with anxiety and depression reduction and management
- Stimulating properties: it gives an energy boost, enhanced mood, increased concentration, and focus
- Opioid withdrawal relief: it helps diminish and ease the symptoms
This green powder is usually ingested as tea, mixed in a drink, or in capsules. There’s a reason snorting isn’t on that list.
Related: Kratom 101 — Start Here.
Can I Snort Kratom?
Hypothetically, yes. Should you? No.
While snorting kratom is possible, it’s not advisable. The act of snorting the herb could be very detrimental to your health, and many long-term and short-term side effects could reveal themselves with time.
Some individuals do snort kratom simply because the effects are felt immediately and are very powerful. However, ingesting kratom via Snorting can cause you to take too much, resulting in severe side effects.
Something else to remember is that experienced kratom users can take anywhere from 5-10 grams of kratom in one sitting. Imagine trying to snort that amount of powder. It’s simply not an effective or smart way to dose. It wouldn’t take long for that amount of kratom powder to start causing issues or infection.
So to be clear, snorting kratom is NOT recommended. The risks outweigh the benefits, as there are many other, much safer ways to take your dose of kratom.
Why You Should Never Snort Kratom Powder
Snorting drugs forces the chemicals into your bloodstream much much more rapidly than through the oral route. Drugs are typically absorbed by the intestinal lining or stomach walls during digestion.
The peak of the effects takes anywhere between 1-2 hours to occur, as the chemical levels in your bloodstream increase and eventually plateau.
Snorting forces the chemical to enter your bloodstream via the mucous membranes found within the sinuses. The chemical then travels to the brain much quicker, leading to an intense high that does not last as long as the high experienced after oral ingestion.
You CAN snort kratom, but you shouldn’t. The powder is easy to snort, but brewing kratom into a tea or taking capsules, for example, allows a significantly larger amount of mitragynine to enter the bloodstream. The effects are longer-lasting, not as intense or overwhelming, and much safer. You also don’t risk infection or other issues.
Snorting this herb can cause damage to the throat, nose, and upper respiratory system. Damage can be as minor as nose bleeds to as serious as pulmonary embolisms or blood clots.
Risks & Side Effects
Take a look at some of the possible short-term side effects of snorting kratom:
- Persistent nose bleeds
- Difficulty breathing
- Throat and sinus irritation
- Infection
- Blockages in the nasal cavity
- Swelling of the nasal cavity
Here are some of the long-term side effects of snorting kratom:
- Inflammation of the nasal cavity
- Lung infections
- Damage to the mucous membranes
- Damage to the respiratory system
- Damage to the nose and throat
- Blood clots in the lungs
- Pulmonary embolisms
Something to keep in mind is that kratom overdose is entirely possible if you are snorting the herb. This is the most serious risk associated with using this method. When taking kratom orally, either with tea, powder, or capsules, the cellulose and plant fibers are digested and expelled like most other substances. Nothing harmful tends to occur when using this common method.
Snorting kratom does not enter the digestive system but instead builds up in the upper respiratory tract. This can eventually block off nasal pillories, causing inflammation, blockages, infection, and other negative side effects.
Symptoms of Overdose:
- Hallucinations
- Hypertension
- Nausea
- Agitation
- Difficulty breathing
- Tremors
- Intestinal pain
- Muscle pain
- Seizures
- Coma
If you experience any of these severe side effects, contact emergency services right away. The bottom line is that it’s possible to snort kratom, and people do it, but it’s highly inadvisable.
The herb will build up and cause nothing but problems with your upper respiratory system. By using this method, you risk overdosing on an herb that typically is not associated with such serious effects.
Kratom comes in powder form, although it’s also available in capsules and extracts. Something to remember is that the effects listed above are dependent on the strain.
How to Take Kratom
Now you know how not to take kratom, but how should you? Here are a few tips.
1. Choose Your Strain
In order to get the effects you want, you need to choose the right strain. The following is a general guide to help you know which one to try.
A) Red Vein
Red vein kratom strains are known for their heavy-hitting effects. Users report feeling sedated, deeply relaxed, free of pain, and tranquil after taking moderate to large doses of red kratom.
Some users claim that red vein kratom is a great way to manage insomnia and restlessness. Red vein kratom is ideal for nighttime or evening use.
B) White Vein
White vein kratom strains are favored for their sharp, clean, stimulating properties. White kratom leaves a user feeling enthusiastic, euphoric, optimistic, energized, alert, and focused. This type of kratom is perfect for those who struggle with fatigue and lethargy daily. White vein kratom is ideal for daytime use.
C) Green Vein
Green vein kratom strains are the balanced middle middle-ground between red and white kratom strains. This type of kratom offers a bit of both red and whites effects. Users tend to feel incredibly calm while still being energized and focused. Some green vein kratom strains also have mild analgesic qualities. Green vein kratom is ideal for daytime use.
2. Choose Your Preferred Method (Not Snorting)
The most popular ways to ingest kratom include:
- Brewing the powder into a tea
- Capsules
- Toss and wash (tossing the kratom powder into your mouth and washing it down with water)
- Mixed into beverages or food
- Baked into baked goods
3. Find the Right Dose
It might take a little experimenting to find what works for you, but here are the general guidelines for kratom dosage.
Most people use between 2g and 5g of kratom per dose but remember it can be more energizing in lower doses.
Kratom doses:
- Microdose: Less than 2g
- Average dose: 2-6g
- High dose: 6-10g
- Heavy dose: anything over 10g
To keep side effects (and tolerance) to a minimum, keep the amount as low as possible and use it only when absolutely necessary.
Snorting Kratom & Drug Abuse
It makes sense that some individuals may snort kratom due to psychological reasons. Many people once addicted to drugs are also addicted to the ritual or the act of doing the drug.
Suppose someone is used to snorting heroin or other substances, and they are turning to kratom as a means of escaping that addiction. In that case, they may be inclined to snort the kratom instead of using the more traditional, safer methods of ingestion.
The rituals related to that addiction (like Snorting) are very habitual. This may lead the individual to experience a connection to their previous addiction, making it easier for them to relapse.
Related: Is Kratom Addictive?
Final Thoughts: Please, Don’t Snort kratom
Prepping some kratom tea, capsules, tinctures, or knocking it back with the ol’ toss ’n wash are still the best ways to use kratom. Period.
Snorting kratom will make you feel terrible and doesn’t really offer any new benefits.
We recommend you stick with the traditional ingestion methods.
