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Like CBD and other plant-based medicines before it, kratom is coming out of the shadows and into the public consciousness.
We’ve heard more and more about this mysterious plant from the East recently from some of our buddies in the wellness space. What’s the big fuss?
Turns out fitness gurus are loading up on this stuff, and some creatives are even using it as a replacement for caffeine, painkillers — and even alcohol.
Needless to say, kratom was definitely something we wanted to check out for ourselves.
To our surprise, kratom is already really big business, raking in about $1.3 billion per year in the US. That means there’s tons of kratom vendors out there, not all of whom are someone we want to buy from.
The solution? We narrowed it down to trustworthy kratom vendors and went for it. Because we’re relatively new to kratom, we decided to go with premium kratom capsules, since they’re more user-friendly than the loose kratom powder.
Based on quality and efficiency, here’s who made our list of the best kratom capsules for 2023.
Best Kratom Capsules in 2023
If you’re looking to buy kratom online, these are some of our favorite options for you to try.
Best Overall Kratom Capsules: Super Speciosa Red Maeng Da Kratom Capsules
Product highlights:
- Relief and relaxation
- American Kratom Association member
- Calming effect for nighttime use
- Available in 60-count to 1000-count
The best overall kratom capsules no doubt belong to Super Speciosa, a veritable leader in the kratom business known for their meticulous attention to important details like sourcing and testing. A member of the American Kratom Association, Super Speciosa famously calls their mission ‘kratom with a conscience’.
Super Speciosa is made up of a team of kratom users themselves, and the brand offers various strains to help people zero-in on what effects they want. The red strains are more on the relaxing side, while Super Speciosa’s green vein kratom strains are known for their energizing effects.
Super Speciosa sources their kratom from sustainable farmers in Borneo, where the plant has been used for ages as a natural remedy for wellness. The company is highly transparent with all their processes, and in fact, Super Speciosa was the first US kratom company to offer scannable QR codes on all their products. With Super Speciosa, you know you’re getting the best every time.
What users say: These kratom powder capsules come from Super Speciosa’s Red Maeng Da strain. This variety is high in alkaloids and is known for its calming effects. Users report a tranquility that’s perfect to round out a busy day without having to slam caffeine to make it through. Most users take these capsules in the late afternoon and evening to relax and unwind.
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Best for Focus: Just Kratom White Maeng Da Kratom Capsules
Product Highlights:
- Great for focus and maintaining presence
- Affordable
- Available in 30-count to 1000-count
- Free shipping on orders over $35
Just Kratom is a smaller kratom company out of Florida who is gaining popularity among new and seasoned kratom users alike. As their name suggests, Just Kratom focuses solely on the kratom plant and its beneficial properties for their customers.
Just Kratom sources their products ethically from Southeast Asia and provides contaminants tests upon request. The brand is known for their friendly customer service and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, making them perfect for new kratom users.
While Just Kratom offers red and green strains as well, we found our favorite of the bunch to be their White Maeng Da Kratom variety. White kratom provides stamina and cognitive support, without that caffeine-like, jittery feeling. White kratom has historically been popular with manual laborers for its positive psychological and physiological effects. It’s a great option at the start of the day or to take in the afternoon before you hit the post-lunch slump.
What users say: Just Kratom’s White Maeng Da strain is met with delight by users, some of whom claim it works as a mood booster. Just Kratom themselves claim that this kratom strain can make people feel happier in the present moment. By all accounts, these are the premium kratom capsules to take for sustainable energy and focus, without the jitters and without the crash.
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Best for All Day Energy: Kats Botanicals White Elephant Kratom Capsules
Product Highlights:
- Energy boosting
- Same-day shipping
- Available in 90-count and 250-count
- Rewards program for frequent customers
Kats Botanicals is a member of the American Kratom Association and a highly respected vendor in the kratom space. Founded by Justin Kats, Kats Botanicals hails from Tennessee with a mission to supply the highest quality in natural plant medicine. To that end, the company provides independent lab tests on all their products. Customers can simply go to the Kat’s Botanicals website to see recent lab results on all the botanics that Kat’s has to offer.
One of the most popular items at Kats Botanicals since they launched it back in 2017 is their White Elephant kratom. Made from white kratom, the While Elephant comes from Kats Botanicals network of farmers in JongKong, Indonesia. This genetic variety is known for giving long-lasting energy without jitters and without the crash.
The White Elephant Kratom capsules get their name from the specific leaves used to make them. These are bigger than other kratom tree varieties and look similar to giant elephant ears. The White Elephant strain is also purportedly more potent than most white varieties, so users don’t have to take as much to get the desired effect.
What users say: A lot of users talk about taking the White Elephant capsules for morning recovery — aka a hangover and/or a restless night. Unlike caffeine-laden coffee or energy drinks, customers report they don’t get that jittery, slightly anxious feeling. Also, because the White Elephant blend is so potent, less is more. Most verified users say they don’t need more than 2 to 4 capsules to have energy and focus that lasts all day. And when it’s time to turn in for the night, people are gently falling asleep. No caffeine crash here.
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Best for Relaxation: Kingdom Kratom Calm Red Blend Capsules
Product Highlights:
- Great for relaxation and sleep
- Combination of red kratom strains
- Available in 60-count and 120-count
- Rewards program for regular users
For premium kratom capsules that can help you relax and sleep well, look no further than Kingdom Kratom. The brand has been around since 2017, when founder Michael Auerbach launched Kingdom Kratom to help get this natural supplement in the hands of people who need it. Since then, Kingdom Kratom has enjoyed a robust following of people all over the US who are feeling great thanks to their plant-based supplements. Today, Kingdom Kratom is one of the fastest growing kratom companies in the world.
While many seek out kratom for energy and pain relief, the red strains of kratom have a more calming effect that helps many people relax and get a good night’s sleep.
Kingdom Kratom’s Red Blend features a unique combination of red kratom strains that can lull you into a great night’s rest. Inside each capsule is fine kratom powder cultivated exclusively from mature trees. This is not only better for the environment, it’s better for potency. After harvest in Southeast Asia, the kratom is immediately ground and shipped to Kingdom Kratom, who then uses a third-party laboratory to test for contaminants.
What users say: We expected to see reviewers talk about tranquility and sleep with Kingdom Kratom’s Red Blend. Indeed, the reviews for these kratom capsules are full of testimonials that speak of delicious rest and relaxation. We didn’t expect the other major themes in the reviews, including boosted mood and pain relief. It looks like these kratom capsules provide more than one benefit to help people feel their best at the end of the day.
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Best Blended Option: Top Extracts Revive Blend Kratom Capsules
Product Highlights:
- Blend of 40% yellow and 60% green kratom strains
- Gives you relaxation or energy, depending on your dose
- Boosts moods
- 60 kratom capsules per bottle
Coming in hot for their mood-lifting kratom capsules is Top Extracts, a member of both the American Kratom Association and the American Herbal Products Association. Top Extracts has long reigned as a trusted purveyor of both kratom and CBD, with stringent testing and sustainable sourcing as top priorities. The company is based out of Chicago and has been around since 2014, making them more established than most kratom suppliers in the US.
Top Extracts sources their kratom from Bali, Indonesia, and their products contain zero fillers. This kratom vendor also offers all different types of kratom, including blends of specific strains meant to address various wellness issues.
The Top Extracts Revive Blend features an interesting combo of green and yellow kratom. While green kratom is known for its energy-boosting effects, yellow kratom is thought to help provide focus and maintain a positive mood. The result is a particularly pleasant effect with the aptly named Revive Blend. Look forward to energy when taken in smaller doses and relaxation in higher amounts — and a good mood all day and night.
What users say: As of this article, the Revive Blend has a 5-star rating among verified users. These customers describe the effects as energy-boosting and relaxing at the same time. All in all, it appears Top Extracts Revive Blend provides a smooth feeling that lifts mood and calms the mind for day or night.
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How We Chose Our Winners
If you’re shopping for kratom extracts blindly, it’s a little overwhelming. We know because we tried. To narrow down the top contenders from the sea of competitors, we looked at a few important factors:
First, the kratom obviously needs to be of high-quality. As part of keeping quality at the forefront, we made sure each vendor is transparent about their sourcing, disclosing information as to where and how they get their kratom. Most of the kratom brands use multi-generational farmers from Southeast Asia who use clean growing practices.
Next, we only selected kratom that’s tested regularly for contaminants. Since inferior kratom has been linked to salmonella outbreaks, we will not risk going with a vendor that can’t readily provide us with a contaminants test.
And finally, positive verified reviews played a part in our selection of the best kratom products. We scanned for efficiency, value, and whether or not users reported negative effects. All the kratom on our list is glowingly reviewed, with no exceptions.
What is Kratom?
Kratom comes from the leaves of the kratom tree, mitragyna speciosa, a botanical native to Southeast Asia. Kratom has a long history of use in the area as traditional medicine. Locals historically have taken kratom, most commonly in the form of tea, to help relieve pain and boost energy.
Kratom strains contain what’s called mitragynine, an alkaloid with similar effects as opioids. Some scientists assert kratom may potentially help combat the opioid crisis by easing withdrawal symptoms. While there’s been significant scientific study that’s already gone into kratom’s effects, human trials are in their infancy.
Kratom products can come in a variety of forms, including:
- Kratom powder
- Kratom capsules
- Kratom extracts
- Kratom tablets
Types of Kratom
There are a few different strains of kratom currently in circulation in supplement form, all with varying benefits:
- Green: The green kratom strains are known chiefly for their energy-boosting properties.
- White: White strains of kratom are thought to boost mood, improve focus, and provide long-lasting energy.
- Red: Red kratom produces more calming effects and is used more for relaxation and sleep than an energy boost.
- Yellow: Yellow kratom is not as widely available as other strains, but purportedly has significant mood-boosting properties.
- Blends: Various companies will blend different strains together to produce specific effects. For example, the Red Blend on our list features multiple red kratom strains for the ultimate relaxation.
Benefits of Using Kratom
People in Southeast Asia have been using kratom products for centuries to treat all sorts of ailments. Now, people across the globe are using this plant medicine in the form of kratom powder, capsules, and teas. Here are the purported benefits of kratom based on both its historical use and current applications as a supplement:
- Naturally boosts energy
- Eases pain and inflammation
- May help anxiety
- May help opiate withdrawal
- Good for coughs
- Anti-diarrhea
- Relaxation
Potential Side Effects of Using Kratom
According to this scientific survey on kratom use, the most frequently reported side effects from kratom products include nausea, vomiting, constipation and headaches.
In a separate published survey, of 8,049 regular kratom users, less than 1% had physical or psychological events impactful enough to require treatment by a physician.
While neither the World Health Organization nor the FDA has officially deemed kratom as a safe supplement, the current literature available points to quality kratom as relatively safe with a low incidence of side effects.
Many negative side effects reported for kratom products have been linked to salmonella outbreaks among the supply, not the plant itself. It’s therefore critical to get your kratom from a reputable provider who is intimately familiar with their sourcing and who regularly tests for contaminants.
How to Take Kratom Safely
While kratom products are generally considered a safe supplement, it’s still a good idea to know how to dose it — and how to buy kratom online safely.
Make sure you’re buying from reputable online kratom vendors.
This is the most important thing, as online kratom vendors supplements can contain dangerous contaminants or be sourced unethically overseas.
Check the contaminants tests.
Reputable vendors like those on our list conduct comprehensive contaminants panels on every shipment of raw material from Southeast Asia. Check the brand’s website to find a recent contaminants test. If you can’t find one, reach out to the company. The legit brands will send you one.
Check for dosing suggestions from the manufacturer.
Some kratom products will provide dosing suggestions for their kratom products on their website and/or the packaging of the supplement. This is usually a good benchmark to figure out how much to take.
Start low. Go slow.
Since there is not a lot of solid information when it comes to dosing throughout the kratom industry, the best advice for taking kratom safely is to start low and go slow. From the literature we’ve seen on documented kratom use, the following is a good starting place:
1-3 grams kratom taken 1-2x daily
Don’t overdo it.
As this review explains, there’s a correlation with adverse effects of kratom use at 8+ grams taken more than 3x per day. So don’t overdo it. It’s best to stay at or under that threshold of 24 grams per day until further human trials are available.
FAQs
Is kratom the same as CBD?
Kratom is not the same thing as CBD, as they come from different species of plants. Kratom comes from mitragyna speciosa, a tree native to Southeast Asia, while CBD comes from hemp, specifically the cannabis sativa plant.
However, though kratom and CBD come from different plants, they are both considered nutritional supplements and therefore largely unregulated by the FDA. For both of these trendy wellness boosters, it’s super-critical to buy from a trusted source.
Can I take kratom products every day?
Kratom affects people differently, as this article by a UNC student clearly suggests. While some may thrive from taking kratom everyday, others can experience unwanted effects. The best advice is to listen to your body and stay on the low end of dosing if you want to use kratom every single day.
Will kratom make me high?
Kratom has documented stimulant effects that are often described as opioid-like. While not described as a marijuana-type high, there’s definitely some mood-altering effects at play when taking kratom powders or kratom extracts at high doses.
We hope that our foray into the world of the kratom industry can help you get a handle on all these little capsules have to offer.
Remember that kratom is an unregulated industry, so stick to reputable vendors like the ones on our list when you’re looking to buy kratom online. Different kratom strains have different effects, which is why we categorized our top 5 winners based on what they do best.
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At the end of the day, we think that supplementing with premium kratom capsules is an excellent way to get natural energy, focus, and relaxation. Stick with our picks and say hello to the next best thing in plant-based wellness.