Important Notes:
Clear as Mud
There is no magic amount, strain, or vein that works for everybody. There is no official recommended starting place. Every single person has different chemistry and may process kratom in a different way. Some are highly sensitive, others take heaping amounts with no reaction. It will most definitely take some trial and error to fine tune your dose. These tips are an attempt at mitigating bad experiences and expediting the experimentation phase into an effective regiment. The video at the top of this page will cover most of these topics if that's easier to learn 🙂
Measuring
DO NOT EVER "eyeball" a serving of kratom. We can not express the importance of measuring EVERY TIME. This practice allows for you to conserve kratom, experience desired benefits every time, prevent getting adverse reactions such as puking (from taking too much), keep tolerance down, and let you accurately adjust the regiment up or down based on preference. By guessing how much of this plant you're taking, consistency of the experience is eliminated. We don't recommend rolling the dice when you could instead know exactly what to expect. No fancy tools or equipment are required to reliably measure a kratom dose. The easiest "hack" is a measuring teaspoon. If for some reason this is unavailable, they're available at a majority of stores like Walmart, Dollar Tree, etc. In fact, Grandma probably has 3 spares she could lend. We have specially designed kratom kits available in-store as well. A level unpacked teaspoon of leaf powder is approximately 2g. Simple math will show 1/2 tsp is about 1g and 1/4tsp is right around .5g. Although not entirely necessary, a scale (measures to .1g or .01g is best) would provide even more accuracy.
The First Dose
One of the first questions we ask when determining a good starting point for kratom is "what is your tolerance to most things such as medication, caffeine, etc?". A person with lower tolerance and high sensitivities to other substances will likely be sensitive to kratom and vice versa. Our recommended starting points are 1g for low tolerance and up to 4g for high tolerance. A person with average tolerance would usually start closer to 3g. Less is usually more with this plant.
Tolerance
Kratom's alkaloids do not signal the pathways that regulate tolerance. For this reason, people have been able to maintain a low dose while still being effective for years. However; Consistently taking more than needed, or "chasing the dragon" (taking more than necessary in search of a high) will cause your body's tolerance to spike. Kratom's potential benefits will be virtually negligible if this happens. A cascade effect can happen where wasteful amounts of kratom are used in search of the effects, tolerance will keep rising, and your body may reject the sheer amount of plant matter and alkaloids being consumed. Being caught in this cycle is expensive and hard on the body. The only way out of it is to abstain, detox, and try again later with a hopefully greater respect for the plant and yourself. Over the years, we have been able to stay on the same regiment, and even reduce the amounts while still experiencing the same benefits. Respect the plant, and it will respect you. In our opinion- the largest factors in keeping tolerance down are a healthy diet/lifestyle, healthy bowel movements, and a conservative regiment.
Troubleshooting
After consuming, take note of how you feel. If you feel there are no noticeable differences- DO NOT immediately take more. In the case the dose may have been a bit too strong, drink plenty of water, eat some food, and make sure to take less if you try again later. Kratom takes anywhere from 10 minutes to 1.5hrs to feel. Wait a minimum of 4-6hrs (preferably wait until the next day) before trying again or else you'll pose the risk of adverse effects from taking too much. Move the dose up or down in .5g or 1g increments every attempt until you have reached the MINIMUM amount of kratom to reach desired benefits. Kratom has a ceiling effect, so once desired effects are attained, taking more will not be beneficial. Duration of effects varies between individuals. Typically, 4-6hrs is the window in which most people will say kratom's effects wear off. Others say it lasts all day. Another good practice is to note the time your dose was consumed, so you don't make the mistake of taking too much too soon. Normally, smaller doses are more stimulating, while higher doses are more sedative. We recommend starting smaller because you can always take a little more on the next go around. If you take too much, the only way your body knows how to fix that is to puke it back up.