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Loosely translated from the Thai language as
the colorful, colloquial English moniker “Pimp’s Kratom,” maeng da kratom is
noted to be both a stimulant and a depressant, but with a different "edge" to
it. With our extensive testing of this new and curious strain of Kratom,
we have come up with some interesting results.
To summarize, this is the main thrust of our
extensive research: Maeng Da Kratom is often said to be a "genetically
modified" strain of Kratom. In actuality, this strain of Kratom looks no
different than any of the higher-quality Kratom available on the internet, such
as the Thai Kratom found everywhere, or even the "Private
Reserve" Kratom found at Shaman's Garden. But, in one key
aspect, compared to the commercial Kratom that everyone and their mom seems to
be offering on the internet, the Maeng Da Kratom does actually contain more
mitragynine than either the Rifat Strain or the Thai Kratom that's widely
available. But, just as interestingly, it has slightly LESS Mitragynine
than the Private Reserve Kratom that is grown and harvested by
Shaman's Garden
or IAmShaman Shop,
as well as a few other key alkaloids that are thought to be responsible for the
paradoxical effects of Kratom.
This would verify the anecdotal reports that
the Maeng Da Kratom seems to be more "energizing" than other strains of Kratom
that are typically available, but something else that we discovered is this: The
Maeng Da Kratom has an extremely similar structure to the New Guinea Kratom that
was available for a year or so, and has since disappeared.
This opens several questions for us: Did
the New Guinea strain of Kratom get renamed to "Maeng Da", and if so; why? Or,
is this an invention or marketing tactic to set some venders apart from others,
in the eternal struggle for market dominance?
In fact, we went to the company that we are
typically affiliated with, and asked them why they didn't carry this fancy new
Kratom strain, that, since they didn't carry, might actually be losing them
business since its popularity seems to be exploding across the internet.
Their response was simple: "We grow our own strain of Rifat Kratom on our
farms in India. This is made into our extracts, and is also offered for
sale as "Private Reserve Kratom" on our website. We've tested the Maeng Da
Kratom and the results came up vividly clear: We have complete confidence
on our Private Reserve Kratom as well as our New Guinea Kratom, and after
putting these up against the "Maeng Da" Kratom, we chose not to carry it,
trusting that the products will speak for themselves."
Since both IAmShaman Shop and Shaman's Garden
offer 100% Satisfaction Guarantees, we took them up on their offer and found
that, in all honesty, we couldn't really tell the difference between the Maeng
Da and the Private Reserve Kratom that they offer, as well as the extracts made
from Maeng Da and the New Guinea 20x.
Does this mean that they're all the same
product with different labels? - Probably not, since the extracts do look quite
a bit different from each other. Does that mean Maeng Da isn't a potent
strain of Kratom? - Not at all. To us, it comes down to personal
preference. For our money, knowing that Shaman Garden and IAmShaman Shop's
Private Reserve products are grown organically, sustainably, and on a private
farm, ensuring that their cropa will not only be consistent batch after batch,
harvest after harvest, but that we're part of a larger cause that is working
hard to make a positive difference, while providing an exceptional product at an
equally exceptional price.
Maeng Da Kratom's main active constituent is
mitragynine, as well as several flavanoids, all of which can be found in any
reasonably potent Kratom leaves. The dried leaves can be smoked, chewed or made
into an extract, or powdered then brewed with hot water and drank as a tea, just
as any other commercially-available Kratom. The fresh leaves of Maeng Da have
even reportedly been chewed together with
Betel Nuts, often salted, but this is the same no matter the strain
of Kratom you choose for yourself.
In fact, typical users in Thailand and
Malaysia chew three to ten mouthfuls of this Kratom-Betel mixture throughout the
day. Kratom is even used in traditional Thai medicine, as well as in Malaysian
folk medicine, but Maeng Da kratom is often used as a substitute for other
well-known, and far less desirable stimulants in Thailand. We found the
exact same thing true of the New Guinea 20x Kratom Standardized Extract as well.
We don't know why the different alkaloid structures between commercial Kratom
and the Private Reserve, Maeng Da, and New Guinea Kratom make such a difference
in "feel" for Kratom, but it actually does.
As a side note: Maeng Da Kratom’s main
alkaloid mitragynine is chemically related to psilocybin and other ergo
alkaloids just as the New Guinea and Private Reserve strains do.
Overall, the more potent strains of Kratom
mentioned above all have both stimulant and sedative properties that work in
tandem, simultaneously calming users while perking them up, making them more
alert and refreshed feeling. A sense of euphoria has also been noted, as has an
aphrodisiac effect, since some users report taking these specific strains to
prolong sexual intercourse. The effect of this paradoxical combination has
sometimes, and most-likely inappropriately described as if one were chewing coca
leaves while smoking opium. We, of course, mention this in a strictly
academic context as a reference point and as anecdotal evidence only, and in no
intend to compare Kratom or any of its strains such as Rifat, Thai, New Guinea,
Private Reserve or any others to any street drugs, "legal highs" as they oare
often called, or or illegal drugs of any kind whatsoever.
All strains of this tropical tree, indigenous
to Thailand, are almost identical in appearance, growing anywhere from ten feet
tall up to heights of fifty feet or more. Its trunk is straight with forked
branches and large, green leaves. The leaves are oval in shape and taper down at
the ends. The deep yellow flowers grow in spherical clusters and the seeds are
winged. Indigenous peoples who use Kratom tend to be peasants, day laborers,
farmers and transient workers who use the plant to surmount the long hours of
their hard labor and the reality of their paltry social standing. Female users
in the plant’s homeland are apparently quite rare.
Another method of preparation specific to Malaysia involves powdering the leaves
and boiling them in water until it turns into a thick syrup. This syrup can then
be mixed with finely chopped palm leaves and made into pills. Users then smoke
the resulting tar ball “pills” in long bamboo pipes.
Specific to Mitragyna speciosa
(Kratom):
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