Derived from a type of evergreen tree, kratom contains two alkaloid compounds called mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine. These act directly upon the nervous system to induce a calming, pain-relieving effect.
Although originally from Asia, kratom has slowly started to gain popularity throughout the West in the last couple of years. And a few tear-jerking stories have popped up as well.
Iraq veteran Andrew Turner came back from the war with severe post-traumatic stress disorder. By early 2015, he was barely able to leave his house. He had already tried 26 different prescription pills and none of them had helped much. That’s when Andrew decided to take a drastic step: he quit all his prescription pain medications and tried kratom.
At first nothing changed and he was ready to toss kratom in the bin after his pill bottles. But then, after his third time using kratom, he noticed that his mood was finally lifting after years of torment. His pain subsided, his anxiety eased, and his energy surged. He has continued his treatment with massive success up to this very day.
And he’s not by far the only one to have tried the plant with miraculous painkilling effects. Many other Americans are also turning to kratom to reduce their pain naturally. Most of them are saying the same thing as Andrew: “Kratom gave me a new lease on life”.
And while stories like these are always heartwarming, let’s focus for now on our main goal—creating a painkilling tincture using kratom. The first and most important step is choosing the right strain of kratom. The strain you select will directly determine how potent the final product will be and the full extent of the pain relieving effects it can deliver. After getting the right strain, it’s recommended that you get at least 5 ounces of it.
How to Make Kratom Tincture
#1. Start off by thoroughly washing the leaves. Now put your gloves on, place the leaves on the cutting board, and start dicing them until they look as pictured here.
#2. Fill ¾ of your jar with the leaves, and pour vodka on top afterwards, until the jar is almost full. Leave just enough space so you can shake the concoction. 
#3. Place the lid on top of the jar, and screw it on tightly to ensure no liquid leaks out. Next, gently but thoroughly shake the jar until the leaves start leaking oil into the vodka. 
#4. Leave the decoction to extract for at least 7 days.
#5. Once all the painkilling compounds have been extracted from the kratom leaves, it’s time to strain your tincture. Get your cup and some cheesecloth. Place the cheesecloth on top of the cup. The goal is to filter the tincture, to separate the leaves from the liquid.
#6. Unscrew the lid and gently put everything into the cup while straining through the cheesecloth. Once you’re done, dispose of the leaves how you see fit; you won’t need them anymore. 
#7. All you need to do now is place the liquid in the dropper vials and you’re done. 
You’ll be happy to know that a properly made tincture has a shelf life of many years. Some say that it may even increase in potency over time before it finally starts to lose some of its power. As with most herbs, proper storage is the key. Keep it out of extreme heat and sunlight.
Related: How to Treat Migraines with an Herbal Tincture
Growing Your Own Kratom Plant
Can you grow a kratom plant? Yes, indeed, you can grow a kratom plant at home. You don’t need to be a professional kratom grower, but you do need to know a few things to do it successfully.
Let’s start with the basics. Kratom trees are evergreens. Mature trees usually reach a height of 82 feet, and their trunks can be up to 3 feet wide.
Kratom leaves are dark green and have a glossy surface. They are elliptical, with a heart-shaped base and a hairy underside. When fully mature, these leaves are large enough to cover an average man’s entire palm.
Kratom trees aren’t necessarily hard to take care of, but they might be hard to propagate. You’ve got two options: propagating by seeds or by cuttings.
If you plan on germinating through seeds, keep in mind that those seeds have to be fresh, at most a few days old. Generally, you’ll be lucky if one plant sprouts from 5 or even 10 seeds, so get them in bulk.
An alternative option is to grow kratom plants from cuttings. A cutting is a clipping of a live plant that can be used to propagate it. In the case of kratom, you’d break off a leaf or a twig and keep it in water, moist soil, or moss until it starts growing roots. Covering them, for instance, with a plastic bag can help retain heat and moisture and thus help the plants grow. This method is much faster, and it’s definitely the one I’d recommend.
Related: Do Seeds Really Expire?
Warning: States that have imposed regulations and bans include:
- Alabama, which has marked the plant as a Schedule 1 controlled substance since May of 2016 and banned it completely;
- Arkansas, which has marked the drug as a Schedule 1 controlled substance since February of 2016 and has banned it completely;
- California, which has banned kratom use in San Diego only;
- Florida, which has banned the use of kratom in Sarasota County only;
- Illinois, which only allows the sale of kratom to those over the age of 18. While kratom is legal in Illinois, it is banned in Jerseyville;
- Indiana, which has banned kratom use completely;
- New Hampshire, which only allows the sale of kratom to those over the age of 18;
- Tennessee, which has banned kratom use completely;
- Vermont, which has banned the use of kratom completely;
- Wisconsin, which has banned the use of kratom completely.
It will definitely be interesting to watch future kratom-related news and events. What’s your opinion on kratom? Did you try it?
Editors’s note: Kratom can cause effects similar to both opioids and stimulants. When kratom is taken in small amounts, users report increased energy, sociability, and alertness instead of sedation. However, kratom can also cause uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous side effects. People should ALWAYS check with their health care providers about the safety of mixing kratom with other medicines.
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I think the only substance that you will have an effect from if using these instructions will be the vodka. Tinctures must sit and brew. For a while. They cannot be used immediately. After adding the vodka, I would put the jar in the pantry for at least 4-6 weeks and shake it every other day. Then filter and use.
It figures that a natural, plant derived painkiller is being banned various places, yet deadly opioids remain available. Big Pharma is behind it, no doubt!
Reading about this plant elsewhere and said people are using it as a tea drink without the alcohol. Is it necessary to use vodka? If someone is susceptible to addiction seems to me the vodka would be counter productive. Is it used to pull the medicinal properties out of the leaves? Not sure it is in a pill form right now. Will have to continue researching. These were just my first thoughts.
Alcohol is commonly used to extract resins from plants – it’s a solvent and preservative in one. Some plants you can use vinegar to steep in, same reasons. Don’t know if there is any negative chemical reaction (kratom ) to the acidity as opposed to the alcohol – best to find out before you waste your money or get sick.
My first clue about big pharm came from an pharmaceutical biologist who studied native medicines in the Amazon in the 50s. She returned in the 60s, then back again during the Carter Depression. This time, all her samples were confiscated at the airport and they tried to take her notes, as well. She wrote of her findings, including about a plant used to turn off ova production for several years at a time. Native American girls married very young, but didn’t have children till about 18, and used the herbal. To restore production of ova, they used a different plant, and usually had a child within a year. Imagine the loss of profit had she begun to import the herbals 🙂 niio
I have always read to soak the leaves for days at least. It would seem you’d want to extract as much of the oil as possible.
Also, why do you choose vodka? Wouldn’t other alcohol do the same? How about Bourbon? Or would you not be able to see the oil. If it’s green oil, it will show in just about any alcohol. Wouldn’t Everclear extract more oil?
Vodka is the first alcohol recommended for most extracts. Probably because it doesn’t add extra taste or something, I’m not sure. Also could be the alcohol percentage. I used to make some extracts, and always used vodka. Easy and cheap!
Where can the seeds be found? Or a cutting for that matter? Can this be grown in cold climates?
And I agree with the soaking process mentioned in the above comment. That is the first thing that I questioned . How long do you soak the leaves?
Where can I get seeds or cuttings? How do I know if they are the right “strain”?
where can i get seeds or cuttings
Usually these “tinture” instructions tell you how long to let the mixture steep, this one didnt. You chop the leaves, fill the bottle, shake it really hard and the strain it out immidiately?!
Most times you are to let it soak for a bit, sometimes days or I have even read weeks for some tinctures.
Please update.
Also thanks for the notifying about it being illegal in some places. I appreciate the honesty.
I dont want to do anything that attracts unwanted attention as I am sure many of the readers of these articles agree.
Why would the various states ban a friggin tree? Is the tincture considered a drug or something when made?
Hi JKS,
Thank you so much for pointing this out. Somehow that step was missed when publishing the article. I have just updated the article and added this important step.
God bless,
Claude
People are dying from it. Use CBD.
No they are NOT ! They are dying from other things besides Kratom. Evidently you’re believing the negative hype out there from news outlets and also branches of Our government.
Where do you buy kratom fresh herb? Or, the seeds? Or the plant!!
People are dying from its use. Use CBD instead.
You should get the facts! Nobody is dying from pure unadulterated kratom!
FDA Kratom Death Data: Exaggerated Claims, Discredited Research, and Distorted Data Fail to Meet the Evidentiary Standard for Placing Kratom as a Schedule I Controlled Substance
Jane Babin, Ph.D., Esq.
University of San Diego School of Law, J.D. Purdue University, Ph.D., Molecular Biology
https://www.americankratom.org/images/file/Document%2011%20Jane%20Babin%20Report%20on%20FDA%20Kratom%20Death%20Data%20March%201%202018%20FINAL.pdf
Number 4 in the list of steps says let it stay in jar for at least seven days. Not sure if that was added after you suggested an update but it is in there at the time I read it. Can’t say that is long enough but it does say at least seven days.
The instructions I’ve seen for most tincture suggest letting the mixture steep 4-6 weeks. But I had never seen instructions for Kratom before.
It says leave at least 7 days before straining.
Mayo clinic article stated that Kratom has minimal help when considering the side effects.
Extended use of Kratom will cause an addiction.
Don’t think I’m gonna go there.
I need something for chronic neuropathy pain, but this isn’t it.
I do not listen to anything the Mayo Clinic says. They are paid for by Big Pharma and the AMA and do NOT have your best interests at heart. Most things for pain are not made to be used indefinitely. Tylenol and Ibuprofen are NOT made to be used indefinitely either, but people do it. And think it is okay. But it is NOT! They harm your body. Most herbs that are not processed to a white powder, have nutritive value for your body. But you still don’t want to take them all the time for something.
I recently began using Conolodine 1 by PharmOrigins for migraines and it works! If you go to PharmOrigins Facebook you can see real people’s testimonials (that is why I tried it) as well as just Goggling Conolidine (it’s made from a tree bark). Good luck ~
Did you actually read the entire article? They said to let it steep for 7 days, then strain. I would think that 7 days would be a minimum.
it let soak, occasionally shaking at least 7 days . maybe they added after ?
It said about 7 days in the article.
The author did write to let it sit (steep) for 7 days.. You must have missed that..
If you read the comments under the posting, you will see the author stated “Somehow that step was missed when publishing the article. I have just updated the article and added this important step.” So, at the time the commenter asked about the time line, it was not in the article.
It says leave the concoction for at least seven days.
said 7 days
JKS you need to read closer it said to let it sit 7 days
My wife and I made Lobelia tincture and we shook it every day for 3 months. I don’t know if Kratom tincture needs that long but 7 days seems too short a period.
I believe the article said to let the leaves sit in the vodka for at least a week.
Would you please inform us as to which strain of Kratos is the “right” one? Also, what would be the amount consumed per dose?
Actually, the article say:” leave the decoration to extract for at least 7 days”
Article says to let sit for seven days.
She said it needed to sit for 7 days.
Refer to direction # 4. Minimum of 7 days.
It stated in the article to leave it to extract for 7 days.
The article says to let the mixture “extract” for 7 days.
This plant sounds like the perfect solution for me, I’m just concerned about where to buy the leaves. I’d like to know where I can buy the leaves and get the right plant? I look forward to hearing from you. Awesome information! Thank you and have a great day!
How do you know how much to use?
With most tinctures the strength can vary from batch to batch… the best way to use it it to begin with the lowest possible dose, usually a drop or two, and increase gradually until you get to the MINIMUM effective dose. Overdoses of herbals as well as allergic reactions are entirely possible, but a lot of people don’t think of that because they’re “natural”.
That being said, I don’t think dosage information was in this article as to how much and how often. I will try to find out and post here if I have success.
Missy: Oh, yeah! You hit it. People don’t think. I tell them that arsenic and cyanide are perfectly natural, as well. Then they think. If someone can’t find an herbalist–licensed–then I can send them to people who are. niio
It said about 7 days in the article.
A lot of sites claim to sell this product. Where do you recommend to purchase this at?
Where can we buy the right type of seeds and/or cuttings?
Please note that care should be used here. There are studies that show kratom is addictive. https://americanaddictioncenters.org/kratom/dangers
I think used properly it’s very helpful. But like many things, if misused it can be dangerous.
Use CBD. Kratom has killed people. The result you want can come by CBD. Take this down before a person dies from bad advice.
Just read a webMD article on Kratom. It is what ti is and like MANY herbal “drugs” it has a downside. Remember y’all that opioids are derived from either natural or synthesized opium compounds…do not know of any one that has been killed by smoking or eating opium. It becomes dangerous when processed or in pharmaceutical form. That said, the FDA is aware of kratom and there are pill and powder forms available.
People should ALWAYS do very thorough research on things they want to use or grow or whatever. We are where we are today, because DOCTORS don’t do even minimal research on anything; they blindly believe EVERYTHING they are told by Big Pharma Reps, the AMA, etc. Most of them don’t know squat. Which is why WE have to do things ourselves (like grow our own Kratom). But WE have to investigate and research everything first. It’s really hard and time consuming to research everything we need to, but that’s where they have left us now. The most important thing is to find the CAUSE! Which is what the doctors no longer do. Don’t take a pill for a headache. Find out WHY you got the headache, and take care of it, and you won’t get them anymore! I used migraine medications for years, until one day when I used it my knees fell out from under me and I fell to the floor (I was in my early 40s at the time). I quit taking the meds as of that second. Later, I realized that whenever I ate (fake) maple syrup, I would guaranteed get a migraine 2 days later. So guess what? I quit eating it (ate my pancakes with butter only, and like them even better). NEVER got another migraine! Doctor’s didn’t even ATTEMPT to help me find out what was causing them. If you are lucky, you will live in an area where you have access to a good functional doctor, that actually WILL help you find the cause of what is wrong. But I am WAY far away from an area like that. (I think I just went off on a tangent.) Most herbs can be your best friends. But you MUST investigate and research them. Oh, and for goodness sakes, if you are pregnant do NOT just arbitrarily take anything, especially herbs or essential oils. If you are pregnant you are doubly responsible for doing your research.
I do not listen to anything the Mayo Clinic says. They are paid for by Big Pharma and the AMA and do NOT have your best interests at heart. Most things for pain are not made to be used indefinitely. Tylenol and Ibuprofen are NOT made to be used indefinitely either, but people do it. And think it is okay. But it is NOT! They harm your body. Most herbs that are not processed to a white powder, have nutritive value for your body. But you still don’t want to take them all the time for something.
Wisdom, thank you. niio
friendly: I can’t say anything about kratum, I never heard of it before. But, Jack Kerouac was found in an alley with a needle in his arm, drowned on his own vomit. That’s how that whirley bird hippy, Proff. O’Leary died, as well. Opium doesn’t just kill, it steals the soul. People have murdered, prostituted themselves, stolen, anything to get another ticket (small pouch of heroin) or another pipe. When the USSR invaded Afghanistan, the Afghanis caught a lot of soldiers, and kept them stoned on opium till they were addicts. After that, the Russians were allowed to wander free, never leaving because they’d not get more opium. They sold themselves into slavery for it. Ask LLC about the tent cities in Kali-fornia. I attended a lot of funerals of heroin addicts who died in an overdose, or committed suicide because they hated being addicts. When Hitler ordered all people getting social security to their doctors to die, the doctors used acid and heroin to kill. niio
Opiates are compounds derived from the sap of the opium poppy that effect the opioid receptors in the brain. Opioids are chemicals not derived from opium poppies that effect the opioid receptors in a way similar to opiates. Kratom extract is by definition an opioid and will no doubt soon be subject to the same regulations as Hydro, Oxy, Fentanyl, etc…so try it while you can with the understanding it can be addictive and dangerous when overused.
Anything, when used in excess, can be addictive. Even food!, especially processed foods.
One issue not mentioned in the article is that not all Kratom trees give the same results. So if you do intend to grow one, make sure of the quality.
I live in Thailand, where Kratom trees grow in the wild. One of my friends had a tree next door to her, and before the government demanded its demise, she took a sample. Apparently, the government shouldn’t have bothered with this one.
Just found a really good article on this. Apparently it is NOT opium; it acts on receptors that opioids act on, but that does NOT make it a form of opium. This guy seems to be pretty good–he’s a pharmacist who has studied Kratom for years. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/neqn4b/fda-declared-kratom-an-opioid
Like all opioids and opioid mimickers, there are two dangers. The first danger is becoming addicted. Addiction is a spiral downward to death. Like alcohol, some folks can take opioids and avoid addiction. Other folks fall down the addiction rat hole after only a few uses. It isn’t until you are in the rat hole that you realize you are in the group that can’t use opioids or alcohol or smoke or drink coffee or any of the other addictive substances that humans like to ingest.
The other danger is the danger of overdose. Whatever credible stones one may throw at the pharmaceutical industry, the doses that are recommended are safe doses for the vast majority of humanity. Sometimes experience proves them wrong. That doesn’t necessarily make them evil. When was the last time you did your job absolutely perfectly with no errors? I had a colleague who testified under oath that he never made a mistake. Everyone who worked with him was aghast. I said it was easy. He was just too stupid to realize when he had screwed up majorly in the past, therefore, he did not commit perjury. One has to knowingly utter an untruth under oath in order to fulfill the requirements to prove the crime of perjury. If one is too stupid to realize that he has failed to recognize the truth even though it is sticking straight out from between his eyes like a yard long arrow, he has not fulfilled the necessary elements to commit perjury. Thus our colleague had not committed perjury simply because he was too stupid to recognize the truth.
So sometimes drug companies screw up with dosages. That doesn’t per se make them evil. Like all of us, sometimes they screw up and like all of us they hate to admit it in pubic.
With “natural” drugs, there is no research about what constitutes a “safe” dosage. Is it one teaspoon full every four hours? Is it one tablespoon full once in the morning and once in the evening? Is it one drop in an eight-ounce glass of water once a day? Ahh, the devil is in the details.
There is, of course, anecdotal evidence. “My Aunt Sally used to drink four ounces every day and it cured her of xxxx” Except we don’t know how many ounces of leaves Aunt Sally soaked in 80 proof? 100 proof? vodka for how long? Is 180 proof Everclear better than 100 proof Smirnoff? Does it make the natural concoction more or less effective? If it is an analgesic result that is sought perhaps 180 proof Everclear would be more efficacious than 100 proof Smirnoff. There is plenty of evidence that after quaffing significant quantities of ethanol, one feels no pain and one’s inhibitions are lowered. I can certainly attest to the latter. This site doesn’t have the word power to list all the really stupid things I have done under the influence of ethanol. I was even able to walk on a broken ankle after I had imbibed sufficient quantities of Gallo Brothers Hearty Burgundy. That was definitely not recommended by the attending orthopedist. He had derogatory comments to make about the advisability of that course of conduct.
The problem with all natural remedies is that the attending testimonials are all anecdotal. There are few really genuine, peer-reviewed studies of sufficient subjects to lend real validity to, “My Aunt Lucy etc etc etc”
My personal philosophy is that you have the absolute right to walk on a broken ankle if you so desire. Total, absolute stupidity should be among the choices guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. If you choose to imbibe Dr. Feelgood’s Wonder Elixir and ignore conventional treatment for your prostate cancer, you should certainly be free to do so. If you choose to inject the maximum amount of heroin into your veins every day my personal philosophy is that you should be free to do so and it is none of any government’s business. I don’t want you flying the plane I am in when you have done so, but if you do it in the privacy of your home, so be it.
So if you choose to chug down tincture of Kratom (a tincture of anything is that substance dissolved in alcohol. Tincture of paregoric is paregoric in a solution of ethanol.) Whenever someone touts a cure with a high alcohol content I always wonder if it is the herbal concoction or the ethanol that effects the cure. Maybe you are not cured, but because of the ethanol you just don’t give a damn and for a while aren’t feeling any pain either.
All us wise old folks are saying Yeah yeah you’re right to LCC, younger folks are asking, where can I get me some Kratom?
So far as I can tell everything that is good for pain is bad for the body.That requires some serious thought as I slug down 4 Excedrin Migraine with a couple of Margaritas while waiting for my mesquite fire to burn down to coals for cooking.
Buy cheap sneakers and you won’t blow out a flipflop and step on a pop top when wasting away in margaritaville.
What’s for dinner? Doctors are saying beef.
LLC knows his stuff. viva la tequila, every man’s bro. niio
So, about one shot, every four hours, for three days, leave alone for two days, then repeat?
Thanks, Chuck. I do appreciate what you write. Keep it up.
I have a simple request to ALL writers of botanical articles. Please please put the botanical name of said plant up there with the common name you’re using. These articles are read around the world so the common name can change from place to place, region to region. The botanical name is universal.
I don’t have a thyroid.
Kratom use made my thyroid medication
of no use. Interred with the absorption. My TSH level hit 14. Could have caused major organ problems and organ failure. Kratom May have many uses. Be sure to check all your conditions
It’s still a drug! Even if it comes from a leaf.
my mother was in hospice. she got addicted to fentanyl.
I got her some kratom and she stopped the bad drug. kratom is a natural substance . it is not crack cocaine.
I had my leg removed 13 yrs ago due to cancer. I have painful fathom pain and have to wear a Fentynl patch and take Gabapentin every 5 hrs. Sometimes I get like electrical shock pain and my leg will jump around. When it gets this painful I have to resort to using Hydrocortisone every 6 hrs. If SHTF I’m really frightened of running out of these meds. I already know how I feel if I get behind on meds, it’s horrible. With all the restrictions on these meds can’t run out and buy a bunch. I can only get a monthly supply. I’m desperate to find alternatives. Will this work for me or is it only a milder form of pain relief?
Hey Can you take down the image of the seed pods on the white ipad. That is my photo and i do not give permission to use it. If you want to talk to me about using it please email me as I am willing to work with you.