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Originally Posted On: https://ezkratom.com/from-kratom-trees-to-powder-a-look-at-the-kratom-production-process/

 

For most modern customers, naturally derived products are far superior to synthetic ones. They come from raw materials made by nature rather than being artificially created in a lab.

That’s why buyers love kratom. Kratom extracts and powders may need a little assistance from modern processing technology, but they come from wild kratom trees, and farmers dry and cure them by hand.

In this guide, you’ll learn the traditional way to make kratom, from seed to shelf. Learn about harvesting leaves from kratom trees, the processing method the leaves undergo, and how kratom products end up in stores near you.

Kratom Trees: Mitragyna Speciosa

Kratom comes from a tree in the same plant family as the coffee tree: Mitragyna speciosa. These trees grow wild in Southeast Asia’s wetland forests, native to Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

As the berries of coffee trees contain caffeine, the leaves of kratom trees contain their own active compounds. Known as alkaloids, the most common of these compounds are mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine.

Mitragynine is more abundant in fresh kratom leaves. Its concentration varies depending on the maturity of the tree the leaves grow on, ranging from 1.2% to 38.74% of the total alkaloid content.

7-hydroxymitragynine makes up only about 0.01% of the alkaloid content in fresh kratom leaves. However, farmers can increase its concentration via certain processing methods (more on this later).

Other alkaloids found in the leaves of the Mitragyna speciosa tree are paynantheine, speciogynine, mitraphylline, and speciociliatine. Of these, paynantheine and speciociliatine are the most prevalent, making up 12.8% and 12.3% of kratom leaf alkaloid content, respectively.

Harvesting Kratom Leaves

Farmers harvest the youngest kratom leaves when the parent tree is around one year old. The farmer may remove some leaves when the tree is at least four months old but must wait until it is mature for a full defoliation.

Defoliation happens when a tree sheds its leaves. Farmers can also artificially cause the defoliation process to happen. However, the tree has to be fully mature to withstand the process.

A tree may be fully mature after nine to 12 months, but its alkaloid profile does not mature until the second full defoliation. Some say that kratom trees excrete alkaloids as a defense mechanism to the first defoliation.

Harvesting Kratom Leaves by Strain

Some farmers alter their harvesting tactics based on the type of strain they want to produce.

For example, farmers may harvest white vein kratom strains from young, immature plants. Green vein kratom strains are slightly more mature. Red vein kratom strains come from the leaves of fully mature kratom trees.

Processing Kratom Leaves

Some kratom products do not undergo processing. Manufacturers will package and sell them as loose leaves.

More commonly, kratom leaves undergo drying, curing, and grinding into a fine powder. Learn more about the processing methods kratom leaves undergo before packaging.

Drying

Ancient farmers learned long ago that certain drying processes can enhance the alkaloid content of kratom leaves. They may be dried indoors or outside and under varying light conditions, depending on the type.

White vein kratom strains are dried indoors in the dark. The lack of light prevents mitragynine from turning into 7-hydroxymitragynine, giving white kratom its unique properties.

On the contrary, green vein kratom strains are dried inside in the dark at first before being transferred outdoors. This two-step process allows for some conversion of mitragynine to 7-hydroxymitragynine but not much.

Farmers may dry red vein kratom strains outdoors or inside, but always under copious amounts of UV light or sunlight. The full-light conditions allow for an almost complete transformation of mitragynine into 7-hydroxymitragynine.

Curing

Heat and humidity also play a role in the processing of kratom leaves, specifically during the curing step. The amount of heat and humidity a kratom leaf is exposed to depends on the drying type.

Indoor drying typically takes place in a cool, dry location. Humidity and heat contribute to the oxidation process that converts mitragynine into 7-hydroxymitragynine.

When farmers dry kratom leaves outdoors, they expose the leaves to the Southeast Asian climate. The humidity and heat combined with sunlight speed up the conversion of one alkaloid to the other.

Sometimes, leaves are fermented during this stage. Farmers may spray the harvested leaves with alcohol and enclose them in plastic bags for 3 to 10 days. After fermentation, they dry and cure the leaves in indirect sunlight.

Grinding

Up to this point, much of the processing kratom leaves undergo is done by hand. Traditionally, farmers would also hand grind the leaves or keep them in their unaltered state.

Today, kratom makers use industrial mills to grind the leaves into a flour-like consistency.

Packaging Kratom Powder

The powder made through the kratom leaf processing methods listed above must be packaged before retailers can sell it. The most traditional way to package kratom is as the powder itself, added to plastic or paper bags, and sold individually or in bulk.

Other times, a manufacturer may divide the powder into capsules. Or it may be added to other products before being packaged and sold.

Kratom Extracts

It is also possible to create extracts from these powders. The extraction process removes the unique alkaloid content from the leaves and concentrates them into a purer form.

The extraction process may involve 90% to 95% ethanol. The chemist will let the powder steep in the ethanol for a few hours before putting it through centrifugation, concentration, and extraction.

Ultimately, extracts may wind up with 70% pure alkaloids. The extract will have little water content, existing mostly as a resinous solid unless the manufacturer adds glycerin to produce a liquid extract.

This Is the Kratom Production Process

Kratom products begin as young or mature leaves of kratom trees. Farmers harvest, dry, and cure them before milling the dried leaves into a fine powder. The last step is packaging the processed leaves before they reach shelves near you.

Are you searching for kratom products created using this tried-and-true traditional process? EZ Kratom offers the highest-quality kratom powders online.

Shop our product range for yourself or order in bulk to find the authentic kratom strains your customers will love to buy.