5 Best Types of Kratom for Pain Relief

Pain can be debilitating and drastically decrease the quality of one’s life. It can make even simple tasks agonizing. Therefore, merely quitting pain medication is not an option for many people.

With numerous issues and side effects, as well as abuse and overdose instances associated with prescription pain medications, an increasing number of people seek alternative pain medications.

Kratom is the answer to relieving pain for millions of people.

What Is Kratom?

Kratom, or Mitragyna speciosa, is a tree of Southeast Asian origin. It thrives in the hot and humid tropical climates of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.  You can also find it in Vietnam, Myanmar, and Papua New Guinea.

The leaves of kratom trees have beneficial properties. In fact, according to the limited studies on kratom that we have now, kratom has at least 25 alkaloids and 40 beneficial compounds.

The two main alkaloids are mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine. The latter is approximately 13 times more potent than morphine. These two alkaloids make kratom an alternative solution for pain management.

Types of Pain and Common Treatment Methods

Not all pain is the same. There are different kinds of pain and health conditions associated with pain.

Generally, you can classify pain into two categories – acute and chronic. Acute pain is temporary. It occurs suddenly and lasts for a short period of time. On the other hand, chronic pain is long-term. If you experience pain for longer than six months, then, most likely, it’s chronic.

Often, chronic pain is the result of nerve damage. Acute pain can sometimes develop into chronic pain.

Chronic pain can be either inflammatory nociceptive, or neuropathic. Inflammatory nociceptive pain happens after an injury to the muscles, bones, skin, tendons, joints, or visceral organs. Meanwhile, neuropathic pain results from injury to your nervous system.

Severe acute pain and chronic pain require potent treatment methods. Therefore, doctors often prescribe opioids as they are considered to be the strongest.  Yet, pain, especially chronic pain, can resist medication, and as it increases, people tend to up their opioid dose.

Despite past claims that opioids are not addictive, they are. Sadly, the number of overdoses and deaths caused by opioids is steadily increasing.

What Types of Pain Can You Use Kratom For?

Kratom can be an effective solution to different kinds of pain, even stubborn chronic pain. Therefore, kratom can be helpful with:

• Chronic pain,
• Back pain,
• Arthritis,
• Fibromyalgia,
• Muscle pain and soreness,
• And more.

In addition to the above, kratom can also:

• Relieve stress,
• Ease depression,
• Relieve anxiety,
• Improve sleep,
• Help focus and concentrate,
• Improve productivity,
• And more.

Is Kratom for Pain Effective?

If you consult many popular and high-ranking medical websites such as Mayo Clinic and drug abuse center sites, you’ll find it repeatedly emphasized that kratom is ineffective and does not provide any health benefits.

However, kratom users say the opposite. Positive experiences like the ones you can read here are not uncommon. Many describe kratom for pain relief as not only effective but also life-changing.

What does raise concerns is the lack of regulations on kratom.  Except for a few states (Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia, kratom is unregulated in the rest of the US where it is legal.

Kratom is a raw natural substance. Apart from drying and grinding, no other processing is done to the powder. Therefore, without proper regulations and testing, adulterated and contaminated kratom can reach kratom buyers. The same can occur with any raw food product, such as lettuce.

This can be dangerous to those who already suffer from a medical condition and have weakened immune systems. Sadly, instead of providing regulations to ensure that only pure kratom would reach kratom buyers, the authorities are focused on banning it altogether.

In addition to the lack of regulations on purity, there are also no regulations to ensure the quality of kratom. Since it can vary depending on various factors, no two batches or orders will be the same.

Kratom lab test results can determine the concentration of alkaloids and even identify different kratom strains based on the alkaloid composition.

Some vendors are more conscientious and discard any product that is weaker than what they usually sell. As a result, their product still has slight variations in potency but is generally consistent. Others, however, simply put everything on the market. With them, buying kratom is like Russian roulette. You never know how potent each shipment will be.

Because of a lack of a universal standard, the potency of kratom can vary from vendor to vendor and from batch to batch. Therefore, it is impossible to pinpoint an exact dose that an average person would need.

What Type of Kratom Is Best for Pain Relief?

1. Red Vein Strains

Reds are the go-to strains for many who struggle with pain. With a few exceptions, reds are relaxing, and sedative strains are usually taken in larger doses. This makes them great evening strains. Red vein strains such as Red Bali are long-lasting; therefore, they can ease pain during the night and help get better sleep.

Red vein strains such as Red Sumatra are more energizing. As a result, they are more suitable during the day.

2. Bali Kratom

This variety of kratom is the most widely grown. Bali kratom trees are also more resistant to the weather and diseases than many other strains, which is another contributing reason to it being widely available. This is why Bali strains are usually some of the most affordable.

Red Bali kratom is the most potent out of the different Bali strains. It also is the most potent strain of kratom for pain and provides effects that are the closest to opioid prescription medication yet do not cause respiratory depression that opioids do.

However, it is a slow and soothing strain. Thus, if you are looking for pain relief during the day, Green or White Bali may be more suitable.

3. Maeng Da Kratom

Maeng Da Kratom strains are also known as “pimp-grade kratom.” A result of the grafting process, Maeng Da trees retained the strongest qualities of the trees that farmers combined. Therefore, they are robust and can resist different weather conditions and insects. This allows Maeng Da trees to develop potent alkaloids.

Green Maeng Da is the most popular strain of this variety. It’s a moderate strain and is excellent for the morning or early afternoon. In addition to relieving pain, Green Maeng Da can also improve mood, increase energy, and focus.

4. Malay Kratom

Malay strains of kratom for pain relief are not as effective as, for example, Red Bali. Nonetheless, it can be an excellent strain for anyone who is looking for pain relief yet wouldn’t like it to interfere with their energy levels.

Green Malay is the most popular strain of this variety of kratom for pain. Because it provides mild pain relief and boosts focus and concentration, Green Malay is best taken during the day.

5. Borneo Kratom

While not as popular and widespread as Bali strains, Borneo Kratom is another potent solution for pain management. While Bali kratom has the most potent pain-relieving qualities, Borneo Kratom provides a smoother experience and has fewer side effects. Therefore, if you love Bali strains, yet are sensitive to them, Borneo Kratom may be a fit for you.

Kratom Dosage for Pain Relief

There is no universal guideline for how you should dose kratom for pain. The most effective dose for you will depend on the vein type as well as your body.

Kratom users generally take fast strains like White Borneo in lower doses and slow strains like Red Bali in higher ones. Therefore, our recommended dosage of kratom for pain relief is:

• If you are new to kratom, start with a threshold dose: 1-2 grams. It is highly likely that you’ll require a higher dose, especially if you’re looking for potent pain relief. However, starting small will reduce the risk of you going through kratom side effects. If after 30-60 minutes you do not feel anything, try adding 0.5 – 1 gram every 30-60 minutes till you reach the desired effects. Make sure to keep track of how much kratom you take.
• For mild pain relief, try taking 3-6 grams. Moderate strains such as Green Maeng Da and Green Malay can be great for that.
• If you are looking for strong pain relief, go for 6-8 grams. Such a dose is usually best with reds such as Red Bali or Red Borneo.

Keep in mind that each person is different. Therefore, some strains may not work for you.

It is also essential to give your body enough time to eliminate kratom alkaloids so that you do not develop tolerance and can keep taking kratom for pain without increasing your dose. Consider rotating different strains for that.

Make sure to buy kratom from a trusted vendor who lab-tests their products before offering them for sale. This will reduce the risk of you buying low-quality or contaminated kratom.

Are you taking kratom for pain? Which strains do you recommend and why?