Kratom is your favorite herb. It helps you relieve pain, stress, anxiety, and depression, boosts your mood and wellbeing, and increases your motivation and productivity. All in all, kratom makes your life a lot better. So, why would you even think of kratom alternatives?
Benefits of Kratom Alternatives
It may seem counterintuitive. However, having a few kratom alternatives in stock (or, at least, in mind) can actually be very beneficial. Why, you ask?
You can benefit from kratom alternatives in various ways. And none of them involve giving up on kratom!
- Keeping kratom tolerance at bay. If you take kratom regularly, you may be prone to developing kratom tolerance. It is beneficial to take breaks from kratom, e.g., a day or a few every week, when you skip your daily kratom dose. However, many people fear feeling bad during these days. Kratom alternatives can help improve your quality of lie on those days and not reach for another kratom dose.
- Getting rid of kratom tolerance. If you already have developed kratom tolerance and significantly upping your doses to get the same effect, that means that you should take a break to allow your body the time it needs to eliminate the accumulated kratom alkaloids from your system. But this means that you won’t be able to experience kratom effects. Kratom alternatives may not provide the exact same effects, but they can make it easier for you to get through this time.
- Traveling to areas where kratom is not legal. We get plenty of comments on our kratom legality post from people traveling to different states and countries with kratom. While in many locations kratom is legal, it is not always possible to travel with kratom. But that may mean having a terrible time with your favorite herb. Kratom alternatives that are legal in these areas can help you feel better without getting into legal trouble.
- Living in areas where kratom is banned. Sadly, kratom is not legal everywhere, which means that you won’t be alto to buy it and experience its benefits if you live in areas where kratom is banned. If that’s your case, there may be kratom alternatives that can ease your symptoms and improve your quality of life.
9 Best Kratom Alternatives
1. CBD for Pain, Stress, and Anxiety Relief
Cannabidiol or CBD is a component of plants that belong to the cannabis family. This includes both medical marijuana as well as hemp. Hemp of cannabis sativa is a close relative to medical marijuana. Yet, it contains very low levels of THC, the psychoactive component that makes one feel “high.”
Because of the low TCH level, hemp-derived CBD is legal in all 50 US states as well as across different countries.
Help plants are also a lot easier and cheaper to grow, which makes them more affordable as well as more widely available. Hemp pant material also has numerous other benefits, making it a more environmentally friendly alternative to medical marijuana.
CBD can be beneficial for anxiety, stress, and depression relief, improve sleep, reduce pain resulting from inflammatory conditions, as well as prevent neurodegeneration. As a result, it can be a suitable kratom alternative to the red vein strains.
It also has very few side effects, making it a relatively safe kratom alternative. It is also possible to take kratom and CBD together.
2. Kava for Relaxation and Anxiety Relief
Sold alongside kratom in numerous kava and kratom bars across the US, kava or Piper methysticum is a plant that belongs to the pepper family and native to the South Pacific and neighboring regions.
Kavalactones, the active components in kava, affect the GABA receptors in the brain. As a result, kava can help one relax, relieve stress and anxiety, induce euphoria, improve the ability to concentrate and the clarity of mind, as well as promote sleep.
Kava also has pain-relieving properties; however, they aren’t the same as those you can expect from kratom. Kava primarily affects muscles. So, it can effectively reduce muscle pain and tension resulting from stress and anxiety as well as after exercising.
Because of its properties, kava can be an effective alternative if you take red or green vein strains to relieve anxiety, stress, sleep better, have an easier time focusing and taming intrusive thoughts, as well as perform better under pressure. Kava can also help you beat social anxiety and make social situations easier.
Nonetheless, it won’t be effective in relieving chronic pain or easing opioid withdrawal. Kratom most definitely wins in this kava vs. kratom battle. So, you may need to look for another kratom alternative if you are looking for pain relief.
3. Akuamma for Pain Relief
Some refer to akuamma as the African kratom. Akuamma or Picralima nitida is a plant native to tropical Africa. Seeds from the akuamma tree have pain-relieving properties. It is also used in West Africa to treat malaria and diarrhea.
Akuammine, the main component responsible for the effects of akuamma binds to the same receptors in the brain as kratom; however, in a different way.
As a result, akuamma is an effective kratom alternative for stress and anxiety relief as well as in reducing pain in a similar way to opioids. However, akuamma can make depression symptoms worse, especially if taken in large doses. Therefore, if you suffer from depression, it’s best to avoid this kratom alternative.
Learn more about kratom vs. akuamma.
4. Guarana to Boost Your Energy
Guarana, or Paullinia cupana, is a tropical shrub native to the Amazonian rainforest. Its fruits have seeds that contain four times more caffeine than an equal weight of coffee beans. In fact, guarana is the most caffeine-rich plant product in the world. Guarana seeds also contain tannins and other stimulants.
Guarana can help fight fatigue, increase mental awareness, and promote weight loss. Because of its stimulating properties, it is often used as one of the ingredients in sodas and stimulating beverages such as Monster and Red Bull.
Due to its effects, guarana can be a great alternative to white or green vein kratom for those who are looking for more energy, increased productivity, and better cognition, as well as ways to stay alert.
Keep in mind though that guarana can produce some side effects such as stomach irritation, increased blood pressure and heart rate, nervousness, and agitation.
5. White Willow Bark for Pain Relief
The bark and leaves of white willow, also known as Salix alba, contain a compound known as salicylic acid. This is very similar to acetylsalicylic acid, one of the main ingredients that make up aspirin.
As a result, white willow bark can help relieve pain, especially resulting from inflammatory conditions such as arthritis. In addition to that, white willow bark can also reduce fever and boost your immune system.
Because of that, white willow bark can serve as one of the most effective red vein kratom alternatives. It is, however, not recommended for people who take blood thinners and will not help you fall asleep as red vein kratom strains do.
6. Kanna for Mild Pain Relief, Better Mood, and Decrease in Anxiety
Kanna, or Sceletium tortuosum, is an African herb that, similarly to kratom, contains potent alkaloids. Due to their effects, it is a popular means of boosting the mood and helping with depression and anxiety. Kanna can also suppress the appetite aiding in weight loss.
The effects of kanna are similar to those of white and green vein kratom, yet it does not have the pain-relieving properties you may know kratom for. Kanna can provide relaxation in higher doses. Therefore, it can help one manage pain more effectively. Yet, in the kanna vs. kratom pain relief debate, kratom definitely wins.
Similarly to white vein kratom, some people may find kanna too stimulating. Moreover, people who are already taking prescription anti-depressants should avoid it as the combo can cause unpleasant side effects.
7. Phenibut for Anxiety and Stress Relief and Better Sleep
Phenibut is a chemical used primarily in Russia and Ukraine with similar effects to those of the brain chemical GABA. It helps to reduce anxiety, stress, and depression, relieve PTSD and ADHD symptoms, and help manage fear. It also has nootropic, improving cognitive function, memory, thinking, and learning.
While Phenibut can replicate some of the green vein kratom effects, it’s not one of the kratom alternatives if you are looking for pain relief.
8. Chuchuhuasi for Pain Relief
Chuchuhausi is another tree native to the Amazonian rainforest. It’s leaves, bark, and roots can help relieve pain resulting from conditions such as arthritis. It can also ease back pain and pain from joint issues, broken bones.
Natives also use chuchuhuasi to ease pain after difficult childbirth and even apply it to their skin to slow down the development of skin cancer.
Chuchuhuasi can also provide some stimulation. Because of that, it can serve as one of green vein kratom alternatives.
9. Marijuana for Pain Relief and Relaxation
Marijuana, also known as cannabis sativa and cannabis indica, is a type of cannabis. However, in contract with hemp, it has high levels of THC. Because of that, the legality of marijuana is only limited to a number of states and select countries.
Some locations only permit the use of marijuana for medical use if prescribed by a physician whereas, even a smaller number of locations permit recreational use of marijuana.
Marijuana is a potent pain reliever, especially when it comes to chronic pain. It also has euphoric and sedative effects. As a result, it can be one of the most effective red vein kratom alternatives.
Nonetheless, marijuana is even more controversial than kratom. Therefore, make sure that you are legally allowed to use it, or you risk putting yourself in serious legal risk.
Final Words on Kratom Alternatives
Keep in mind that these kratom alternatives will not produce effects that are identical to those of kratom. Therefore you are not going to experience exactly the same effects as you would alter taking kratom.
Moreover, make sure to properly research how and how much of each alternative you would need as the usage and dosage would differ from kratom.
If you are taking any prescription medication, look into the interactions that they may have with the kratom alternatives that you are considering trying. Some combinations may have serious side effects that are best to avoid.
Have you ever experienced any of these kratom alternatives? Which ones would you recommend, and why?
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