Kratom and Potentiators: Can They Be Dangerous?

 

Mitragyna Speciosa has experienced a popularity increase in recent years, especially among people who want to come off dangerous opioids, and those who suffer from chronic pain or anxiety. Although the herb can be easily found online and in local shops, it’s not a cheap product. The reason for this is that kratom is a tropical tree that grows naturally in the rainforest of some southeast Asian regions, such as Indonesia. Mitragyna Speciosa needs the environmental and climate conditions of those areas to thrive. Hence, kratom powder can’t be produced locally.

Many individuals have found a way to get the most out of their kratom by using potentiators. However, the use of kratom potentiators is not exempt from controversy. Some people use them every day and swear by their efficacy, but others find it very dangerous to mix kratom with some substances. But can kratom potentiators be dangerous? We’ll explore this subject in this article.

 

What Are Kratom Potentiators?

 

As their name suggests, kratom potentiators are substances that are used to potentiate kratom. These substances may increase the effects of a kratom dose or even their duration. Many substances can help potentiate kratom, but not all of them are safe. Many substances can even be dangerous and pose a serious risk to your health.

So, why do some people use kratom potentiators? There are various reasons why people may want to use substances that potentiate kratom’s effects or duration:

  • Price: as we said, kratom is not a cheap herb, that’s why some people use substances to help them reduce their dosage.
  • Tolerance: some individuals think that using potentiators will help them reduce their tolerance. However, this is not always the case.
  • Effectiveness: some people think that mixing kratom with potentiating substances will make it more effective.

Although the above reasons might seem appealing, using potentiators might not always be a good idea. Sometimes the risks are higher than the advantages. Let’s explore this subject below.

 

Can Kratom Potentiators Be Dangerous?

 

There’s no easy answer to this question. As you know, although things are changing slowly, we still lack a lot of research on the herb to be able to answer. However, evidence and common sense tell us that mixing kratom with other substances may hold more dangers than advantages.

Although the use of kratom potentiators hasn’t been researched, we can compare kratom with other herbs or medicines with the same properties. As you know, although kratom is not an opiate itself, it works on the opioid receptors of the brain, the same way opiates do. So, we can conclude that the risks of mixing opiates with certain substances should also apply to kratom.

 

Risky Kratom Potentiators

 

The advantages or risks of using kratom potentiators will largely depend on the substance that you use. As we said above, you should stay away from substances that have been classified as dangerous when they are mixed with substances with similar effects to kratom, i.e.: painkillers, opiates, anxiolytics.

You should not use kratom in combination with the following substances/products:

  • Grapefruit: this is probably the most popular kratom potentiator. Although you will see that many people use grapefruit to get the most out of their kratom dose (and you probably use it yourself), this fruit is considered dangerous when mixed with many medicines. The reason for this is that grapefruit can increase the absorption of other substances to an extent that it can have very serious consequences.
  • Cough medicines: some kratom users claim that mixing kratom with DM can increase its potency. But this is a dangerous combination. Like kratom, DM has analgesic, euphoric and sedative effects, so mixing both substances can be risky.

If you choose to use potentiators, it’s highly recommended to use your common sense and do some research first. Ask yourself the following question: Is the potentiator considered dangerous when mixed with substances with similar effects to kratom? If the answer is yes, you should not use it as a potentiator.

 

Safe Ways to Potentiate Kratom

 

Although mixing kratom with other substances is not always a good idea, there are some other safer ways to potentiate kratom. Let’s see some examples:

  • Kratom Stem and vein is an affordable product that many people use in combination with kratom powder to increase its effects. Stem and vein kratom is the leftover material that you obtain after crushing kratom leaves into powder. This product contains alkaloids that may help increase the effects of regular kratom powder.
  • Mixing kratom strains can also help you balance the effects of your regular kratom variety and even increase them. Many individuals combine green varieties with their red or white strains to get a more rounded experience.
  • Turmeric contains curcumin, a substance that can slow the absorption process of other substances. This way, turmeric can extend the duration of kratom on your system.
  • Chamomile tea is not a potentiator per se but using it can add up to the effects of kratom, especially if you are using it to relieve pain or anxiety.

Finally, to get the most out of kratom, some people choose to use kratom extracts instead of plain leaf powder. However, consider that kratom extracts are way more potent than plain leaf powder. For this reason, if you are new to kratom and don’t know how to properly dose them you should choose a plain leaf product instead.