Whether you call it a delivery vehicle, platform, or substrate, kratom needs to be formatted in such a way that it can be effectively ingested and absorbed by the body. In some cases, a different form of kratom can have a huge impact on the effects an individual experiences. Indole alkaloid molecules do not float around in some pure ether of uniform existence. They are organized into complex structures and frequently combined with other kinds of molecules for added stability.
Along with absorption and user effects, properly storing and preparing kratom also points to the importance of different kratom forms. This is also the kind of information that’s cool to share with other fans of kratom who may not be getting the maximum benefit from this supplement.
With this in mind, let’s start with Uprising’s own big three—the three formats we believe are essential to meet the goals of the entire community of bodybuilders and extreme fitness athletes. And then we’ll give you the skinny on the entire industry-wide list of available kratom formats.
Liquid shots are a stable for many kratom extract manufacturers, especially those who serve customers from the weightlifting and fitness communities. This kratom format allows the body to start absorbing and the user to feel the effects of the kratom very quickly. Liquid kratom formats are especially popular with high mitragynine extracts used as a preworkout.
Usage Tips: While these liquids can be combined with a beverage or food recipe, most people just take the kratom straight from the eye dropper or a small glass used to collect multiple eye droppers. Some manufacturers don’t even include an eye dropper, encouraging their customers to take swipes right from the bottle despite the lack of a precise serving size measurement. Because most forms of liquid kratom aren’t water-soluble, it’s important to shake well to get a consistent serving size and experience.
Storage Tips: One of the least stable kratom formats, it’s imperative you store this kratom in a cool, dry, dark place like a pantry. That said, when properly stored, even liquid kratom will retain its potency.
These tasty treats are, first and foremost, about making kratom a more pleasant experience to consume. Great for quick energy as well as longer training sessions, delicious kratom gummies are also incredibly convenient to carry and access with no need for measurements or preparation.
Usage Tips: More so than other kratom formats, gummies allow the user to influence the timing of the kratom’s effects. Because kratom is absorbed more quickly through the lining of the mouth, you can shorten the time to start feeling effects by chewing up and then sucking on the gummies. Conversely, you can swallow the kratom whole to create a more extended release experience. Experienced kratom users who know how their body reacts may also mix and match by taking a small quantity of liquid kratom, followed by a slow-release gummy.
Storage Tips: The stability of kratom gummies is slightly better than liquids, but it also depends on the type of gummy. Our pectin gummy formulations provide better protection against the heat and sunlight than gelatin gummies. Even still, we strongly recommend storing your kratom gummies in a dark, cool place to preserve its potency as long as possible. Also, while we clearly label our kratom gummies to distinguish them from candy, keep the gummies out of the reach of children.
The appeal of kratom softgels is easy to understand. They completely conceal the kratom’s taste, they’re easy to swallow, and easy to store and carry. They’re also quite discreet. If needed, you can tell acquaintances and co-workers that they’re a daily vitamin. Still, this doesn’t mean softgels are right for everybody.
Usage Tips: Compared to liquids and gummies, softgels carry the kratom further into the digestive tract before dissolving and releasing their kratom. This is especially true of the unique crosslinking action that helps form the shell of the softgel. In general, this means most users will experience a delayed onset of effects, which then tend to hit you all at once. This delayed release can also help many people absorb more of the kratom, by bypassing certain stomach acids, known as first-pass metabolism, with the potential to deactivate some of kratom’s alkaloids. More than other forms of kratom, softgels may require individual trial-and-error to understand how they work for you.
Storage Tips: The same formulation that makes softgels easy to swallow also makes them less resistant to heat and sunlight than tablets and hard-shell capsules. Proper storage is essential. There is also evidence to suggest that kratom’s secondary alkaloids are less stable than mitragynine, making it especially important to store your Descend softgels in a safe place.
For many customers, the differences between kratom formats and delivery systems tend to be about taste and convenience, but these formats also create some important differences to the kratom experience.
| Feature |
Liquids
|
Gummies
|
Softgels
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Taste | Kratom's bitterness is masked, but not undetectable | Even better tasting with strong gummy flavor | Essentially taste-free |
| Serving Sizes | 3-5ml, 25mg of mitragynine | 1 gummy, 25mg mitragynine | 1 softgel, 25mg mitragynine |
| Onset | 10-20 mins (best for rapid onset) | 15-35 mins (depending if chewed, swallowed whole, or absorbed through mouth lining) | 20-40 mins (delayed onset, rapid release) |
| Duration | Peaks after 1 hour, 3-5 hours in total | Peaks after 1-2 hours, 3-6 hours in total | Peaks after 1-2 hours, 3-5 hours in total |
| Level of Convenience | Medium, need to measure out serving size | High, especially if you don't mind chewing | High, softgels are also easy to swallow |
| Stability | Most susceptible to heat/sunlight | Somewhat susceptible to heat/sunlight | Very susceptible to heat/sunlight |
Like we said, we’ve found that pretty much every bodybuilder, weightlifter, and hardcore fitness athlete can experience kratom’s benefits from one of our three kratom formats. But there are plenty of others available, including some that may fit the goals of certain niche kratom users.
More than just a different format, these kratom products aren’t extracts at all. Dried and ground kratom leaves can be used to make extracts, brewed into a tea, or even taken as a dry powder and then washed down with a beverage. Compared to our extracts with 30% and 75% concentrations, most raw leaf kratom has a mitragynine concentration between 1-2%.
Harder to swallow, but among the most shelf-stable forms of kratom, hard-shell capsules are also designed to carry the kratom past the initial pass of stomach acids. This format can be used to encapsulate raw leaf kratom or kratom extract.
This is among the best formats for kratom that is easy to store and for a slow, extended release as the tablet breaks down gradually. You can also absorb the kratom tablet through the lining of the mouth, but beware kratom tablets generally taste horrible.
Oral strips are quite simply the fastest way to absorb and experience kratom’s effects. In theory, gummies can be one of the fastest ways to experience kratom, except they must be chewed up and then absorbed through the mouth lining. Oral strips use super-thin kratom films that dissolve in the mouth in seconds.
Unlike kratom shots, these tend to be full-sized bottles that are meant to be consumed at a normal drinking pace. Many are seltzers, but they don’t have to be. Some are teas or other flavored drinks. Most use extracts but in relatively small amounts that may make the overall potency closer to a large, strong cup of raw leaf tea.
These are essentially ready-to-make kratom seltzers that are much easier to store than full ready-to-drink bottles, which most people need to keep in the refirgerator to be truly “ready to drink.” Simply grab an effervescent tab, watch it dissolve and fizz in a cup of water, and you’re ready to go.
This is one of the only forms of kratom we recommend staying away from. These incredibly concentrated and solidified kratom extracts lack the uniform consistency of liquid or powder extracts. Along with individual differences in how much kratom can be absorbed from a substrate at one time, the effects of kratom resins are simply too unpredictable. Worst of all, resins may create kratom tolerance and reduced efficacy more quickly than other kratom forms. It’s also telling that the vast majority of kratom manufacturers don’t even produce a resin product.
Nano kratom is just kratom that has been very finely ground—as in 100 nanometers or less. This is done to potentially reduce the contaminants in the kratom—and without numerous rounds of extraction. It makes the kratom super-easy to absorb especially when combined with an absorption-friendly kratom format.
Many experienced kratom users are aware that kratom will separate from its liquid substrate in a shot because the extract isn’t water-soluble. Though it costs more and is unlikely to improve the kratom experience, there are ways of making water-soluble kratom that fully dissolves in liquid.
Certified by the American Kratom Association, Uprising combines
the latest in kratom cultivation practices with the reverence of ancient practices to provide the highest quality products on the market.
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