Bali Kratom Leaf

by Keith | Apr 9, 2015 | Products

Shaman’s Garden proudly offers Bali kratom leaf in two different forms, both as a powdered and a crushed kratom incense. Our kratom leaf incenses from Bali are plain leaf, without the addition of a kratom extract. You can make an extract from them or use them “as-is” in aromatherapy applications or as an incense. Bali kratom leaf is rising in popularity as the gold standard for kratom incense in Indonesia, where most commercial kratom farms are located.

Now for the basics: Bali kratom is a strain of Red Vein Kratom with darker reddish leaves. As a Red Vein variety, Bali kratom leaf is generally thought to have a more relaxing aura compared to the more energizing White Vein varieties. Despite the name, these days most Bali kratom is actually grown in Borneo, even though it was probably originally from Bali, a smaller island in the Indonesian archipelago. Why did the name Bali kratom stick?

One reason might be that most of the ports where Bali kratom is exported to the West are still located in Bali. As kratom becomes more internationalized, the names that once associated kratom strains with a specific country of origin, such as Thai Red Vein or Borneo White Vein, have become more fluid; strains that used to be found only in one area are now grown on farms in multiple regions of Southeast Asia, as well as in India and some Western countries. Now origin names for kratom are more likely to refer to the strain’s appearance and chemical properties than any specific region where it was grown.

As for Bali kratom leaf, in the kratom community this variety is thought to be a good starter strain for people who have never worked with kratom before. Although environmental and growing conditions can affect the chemical properties of the leaf, in general kratom from Bali has a well-balanced alkaloid content and tends to be relaxing when used in aromatherapy treatments. A good rule to remember is that Red Vein kratoms are generally thought to be relaxing while White Vein varieties and Maeng Da kratom are more energizing. All in all, Bali kratom leaf offers a pleasant balance and aroma at a quite affordable price.

Kratom Crushed Leaf

by Keith | Mar 19, 2015 | Products

If you’ve ever perused our extensive selection of kratom products, you may have seen that we offer several varieties of kratom crushed leaf. If you’ve never seen this before on other websites, you may be wondering what exactly is kratom crushed leaf? And why would you buy it instead of a powder or other form of kratom? This little article is intended to give you a bit more information about crushed kratom leaf so you can decide on the product that suits your needs.

Basically, our kratom crushed leaf is made from coarsely ground kratom leaves. Also sometimes called “tea-cut” for its texture, which is reminiscent of loose-leaf tea, the crushed kratom leaf incense is one of several products we like to offer our customers, along with kratom powders, resins, and liquid extracts. However, our crushed kratom leaf products are not extracts—they are simply the unenhanced kratom leaf, conveniently crushed to make it easier to work with. You can buy any of the types of kratom we offer, from Thai Red Vein to Maeng Da, in either powdered or crushed leaf form.

Why Buy Crushed Kratom Leaf?

Whether you buy kratom as a whole leaf, powder, or crushed leaf is largely a matter of preference. Here are a couple reasons why someone might prefer the kratom crushed leaf to the powdered variety:

Price: Because crushed kratom leaves are less finely processed than kratom powder, they are correspondingly cheaper. Part of what you’re paying for with kratom powder is the extra processing by the manufacturer. If you’re willing to put the time in, you can take this extra step yourself and grind the coarse, “tea-cut” crushed kratom into a powder. There are a few different ways to do this: you can simply crush the leaves by hand or rub the coarse powder through a sieve, using a sheet of paper to collect the resulting powder. You can also grind the leaf pieces in a pepper mill or coffee grinder—just make sure your appliance is new or VERY clean to avoid contaminating residue. You’ll also want to clean the appliance thoroughly afterward.

Freshness: Crushed kratom leaves also present a smaller surface area to the air than the more finely micronized kratom powder. If you can get them, whole kratom leaves present an even smaller surface area. This can be important, especially if you think you might have to store your kratom for a while, because the alkaloid content in kratom will decrease over time as it’s exposed to oxygen. The less surface area exposed to air = the less area left for alkaloids to escape. Storing your kratom, in whatever form, away from exposure to sunlight, moisture, and oxygen will also help your kratom product last longer and stay fresher.

Ultimately though, buying kratom crushed leaf or kratom powder is largely a matter of preference, as these two forms of kratom will contain the same range of alkaloids. If you prefer a finer texture for an incense preparation, then powdered kratom is the way to go. But if you don’t mind putting in some extra effort and can spare the time to process your kratom—for instance, if you want to make your own kratom resin at home—then crushed kratom leaf is a very versatile and effective option.

Maeng Da Kratom

by Keith | Feb 27, 2015 | Products

Of all the types of kratom currently available, probably none is more highly sought after than Maeng Da Kratom. However, one thing we’ve seen over and over in our years in the kratom business is that customers, even other vendors, can be confused about what the Maeng Da label actually means! We’ve seen Maeng Da kratom advertised as both a strain and a grade of kratom, but these are very different things. To make an analogy using one of our other favorite herbs, kava, there are both different strains or varieties of kava–Mahakea, Isa, Melo Melo, etc.—and different grades of kava. For instance, Waka kava is harvested only from the young lateral roots and is considered the finest grade of kava; however, any strain of kava can be harvested to make a Waka-grade kava.

It’s exactly the same with Maeng Da kratom: this label simply means that the product was made from kratom leaves that have been harvested at the peak of richness, in the fall or early winter when the leaves contain the highest concentration of alkaloids. Maeng Da Kratom is not a distinct strain of kratom any more than Waka kava is a distinct strain of kava. For many kratom connoisseurs, what sets Maeng Da kratom apart from other grades is its combination of both energizing and relaxing properties in one leaf; it’s great as a daytime incense for when you want to get focused, yet it also has a smooth, relaxing quality that can be great to unwind with. The name “Maeng Da” comes from a Thai slang term that means, loosely, “pimp’s kratom”—we’ll leave it to your imagination how this translates to quality!

Perhaps because it’s so highly sought after, various rumors have sprung up around Maeng Da kratom, including the wild theory that it’s a Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) created from a gene splice of different kratom strains. This is probably how the whole confusion with Maeng Da—is it a distinct strain or a grade of kratom?—got started in the first place: according to the Kratom Bible, a few years back an Indonesian kratom farm started experimentally grafting cuttings of various kratom strains to create an ultra-alkaloid-rich plant. However, according to the story, this original Maeng Da strain was not a GMO: instead, the farm was using much older grafting techniques that have been employed in horticulture to breed new varieties of many useful plants. The various types of apples available in your supermarket are mostly products of grafting.

Grafting takes advantage of a plant cell’s totipotency, a fancy term meaning that adult plant cells can be induced to diversify into any type of cell with the right chemical or physical stimulation (such as pruning, which induces the cut stem to proliferate cells that eventually produce new leaves). Supposedly, this Indonesian farm successfully grafted a cutting from one strain of kratom onto another strain and created a whole new variety of kratom, which they named Maeng Da. However, this original strain has now been lost. These days, Maeng Da kratom simply refers to any high-quality strain of kratom harvested at peak richness.

Working With Maeng Da:

We recommend Maeng Da incense only to those already experienced with kratom. As a rule, Maeng Da kratom is more alkaloid rich than other grades of kratom, so it often requires extra care when working with it. Here are some general pointers: when working with Maeng Da, estimate beforehand the smallest effective amount, and start with that first. Because Maeng Da is especially rich, as little as 1-2 g of unenhanced leaf is sufficient for most users. With enhanced Maeng Da extracts, this amount should be adjusted downward according to the strength of the extract. In general, we think it’s better to start with a conservative amount of any kratom strain the first time you use it, and titrate the amount upward if necessary.

Of course, the richness of Maeng Da kratom is another plus: it makes for a very economical grade of kratom, because you can use much less to achieve the same results. Shaman’s Garden sells this uniquely rich variety of kratom incense in multiple forms, including the original Maeng Da enhanced extract and our new “Gold” Maeng Da kratom incense, which has an almost silky feel and an extraordinarily smooth burn. Namaste!