Kratom – preparation

Kratom can be prepared in many ways, in which taste and effect can be taken into consideration. In large, kratom can be smoked, chewed or taken as a drink. The different forms of taking are here described, considering many experimental reports at the same time. The phantasy is in no way limited with the consumption of kratom.

TRADITIONAL

Kratom is in Thailand and Malaysia mostly consumed through smoking, tea, or chewing by the low income population (workers and farmers), to be able to endure the hard work in the rice fields (Yoga et al., 2005). In some villages it is also used for cooking. When used fresh, first the stringy middle vein of the leave is removed, and salt gets added to prevent constipation. Another but unconventional way of preparation is reported from Malaysia, the leaves get mixed with dried cow manure and tobacco, rolled up and smoked (Yoga eta l., 2005). It is open whether this way of preparation is really used or only made public by the government of Malysia for

deterrence purposes. Further kratom gets mixed with dried coconut, ginger, onion, nutmeg, and a piece of lime (no indication of the amounts), rolled in a wild pepper leave and then chewed like a betel nut (Yoga et al., 2005).

SMOKING

Kratom can be consumed through smoking similar to marijuana. But it appears as if only few consumers use it this way.

EXTRACT

Some consumers produce a raw extract. Large amounts of kratom leaves are cooked several times in water and then filtered to obtain it. Then the extract gets narrowed down so long until a syrupy resin exists. (When the mass thickens, the temperature has to be reduced to prevent burning). These raw extracts can be preserved over a longer time; generally they get eaten or used as a tea. They contain a considerable amount of organic material together with the alkaloids.

TEA

In Malaysia kratom is often sold in the form of a tea in the streets or stalls. The price of this so called air ketum (means kratom water) has doubled, since it is illegal (Stand 2006). To obtain the tea the leaves get boiled for two hours, afterwards the tea is taken cold.

Another popular recipe to prepare the tea is:

put 50 g (1,76 oz)  of crushed dried kratom leaves into a pot with 1 L (34 fl.oz, US) of water,

boil gently for 15 min,

put through a sieve, press the leaves out, put them again into a pot with 1 L of  water,

repeat steps 2 and 3,

join both teas and reduce them to 100 ml, which is about twenty times.

The tea can be kept in the refrigerator for five days; through addition of alcohol its durability can be extended.

Kratom leaves can also be mixed with coffee. The Malaysian daily newspaper “The Star” reported of a transvestite, who claimed that he could entertain in one night with the help of kopi reggae 10 clients (The Star Online). Consumers, who put kratom powder directly into a drink, report a horrible taste, where the used beverages reach from  tea (water with honey), (country of  dreams a) to Fanta (country of dreams b), or milk with protein shakes.

COOKIES

To produce four relatively large cookies (http://www.feenkraut.de/Berichte/kratomreport.html):

20 g (0.70 oz) kratom

possibly 2 teespoons kola nut (to be extra fit)

1 egg

10 g (0.35 oz) butter

50 g  (1.76 oz) flour

50 g (1.76 oz) sugar

almond chips or coconut flakes according to taste

Mix all ingredients well. The egg yellow is best separated and the egg whites beaten until stiff. A mixer can be used as an alternative to the mill. Bake at 250° C (500° F) for 10 – 15 minutes.