The popularity of kratom is rapidly growing. As an increasing number of people are becoming aware of the numerous powerful benefits of this herb and few manageable side effects compared to other supplements and prescription medication, the demand for kratom is on the rise too. So is the number of kratom suppliers and vendors.
While increased supply is often a good thing for buyers as it provides them with more choices, options, and better prices, things are a tad bit more complicated when it comes to kratom.
Despite the expanding popularity and countless testimonials from satisfied buyers, the FDA does not want to regulate the herb. This opens a loophole of possibilities for bad players interested in earning extra cash from those looking for kratom. They do so through various scams and selling old, fake, or adulterated products.
Because of this reason, it is extremely important to be extra vigilant when selecting a kratom vendor. Below are our top tips to help you select the best possible vendor and buy kratom that’s pure and high-quality.
Tips to Buy Pure High-Quality Kratom
1. Buy from US-Based Vendors
Kratom is a tropical herb that originates from the jungles of Southeast Asia. Nearly 95% of all kratom in the west comes from Indonesia, making it the biggest kratom exporter in the world. Approximately a decade, there were only traditional harvesters and farmers who worked specifically with kratom. Now, however, things have changed.
Many farmers have abandoned their usual crops and transitioned to growing and producing kratom. Sadly, many have no experience with this herb, follow unhygienic practices when producing kratom powder, and even scam buyers by collecting payment and never sending the product.
Buying from a trustworthy US vendor reduces the risks. More established vendors import their kratom from Indonesia and test in third-party laboratories to ensure that the product is genuinely kratom and that there are no contaminants or dangerous substances such as heavy metals present.
That being said…
2. Look for Kratom Lab-Test Results
As a raw botanical, kratom is safe. Yet, depending on how it was grown, harvested, and produced, it may become exposed pathogens like salmonella, E.coli, mold, or heavy metals, much in the same way that can occur with products like lettuce and eggs.
Lab-testing is essential to ensure kratom does not contain any of them. Unfortunately, due to the lack of regulations, testing is not mandatory in the country. Some vendors consistently test their products, some test occasionally, others never do.
Trusted vendors tend to make their lab test results easily accessible on the site. So, be sure to click around and inspect those. As you do so, you may also want to Google the lab to verify that it is an authentic one as well as check the dates on the tests to ensure they are recent and accurate.
3. Choose Vendors from States with a Passed KCPA
Passed what? Worry not, we’ll explain. Since the FDA does not regulate the herb on the federal level, its supporters have taken matters in their own hands. The American Kratom Association, a non-profit that works on different kratom issues, has drafted legislation to regulate kratom and lobby it to individual states. It’s called the Kratom Consumer Protection Act or KPCA for short.
This legislation makes testing mandatory and incompliance a felony, thus considerably reducing the risks for buyers.
Some have passed it, a dozen are reviewing it, and even more are considering. Yet, for now, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada are some of the states that have the KCPA in place. To learn more about your state and the KCPA situation there, you can check this detailed kratom legality post.
4. Choose Prices that Are Midrange
Everyone likes a good bargain. With kratom, it’s not necessarily a good thing. Importing and testing require resources on the vendors’ part. If any kratom is not pure or quality, it must get discarded. This can mean thousands of lost dollars for a business due to a single contaminated batch.
Unreliable businesses that significantly lower their prices aren’t able to cover that. Therefore, they may put old and impure products back on the market. Or their product quality may be completely unpredictable. Once your product may be excellent, other times, it could be old and lack potency, requiring you to increase your doses and burn through your reserves.
Paying top-price is also not necessary. Expensive doesn’t always equate to best. So, choose prices that are neither too low nor excessively high.
What about savings, then? Reliable vendors take care of their buyers and plenty of options for kratom buyers to save through coupons, loyalty programs, and discount bundles. Browse through the vendor’s website and see what they offer.
