Maeng Da’s Origins
Thailand is one of the world’s primary exporters of high-quality Kratom. With a plethora of jungles offering rich, acidic soil, and warm, moist air, there are plenty of places for the Mitragyna speciosa tree to grow. Known better as the Kratom plant, an evergreen tree related to the coffee plant, Mitragyna speciosa provides an important source of income for the region and has been used for centuries as a medicinal plant by the peoples native to the area. This Thai Kratom is part of the origin of Maeng Da Kratom powder.
While Kratom is not sold for human consumption in Western culture — only for research and educational purposes — interest in this potent ethnobotanical began decades ago. As the nascent Kratom industry began to mature over the last decade, suppliers have looked for any way possible to deliver more potent products that give their consumers better value. This drive for potency is what led to Maeng Da’s creation.
Translated loosely as “Pimp Strength ”– a reference to its perceived power — Maeng Da Kratom powder is a variety of Thai Kratom cultivated for ever-increasing potency levels. The result is a stable strain that, when grown and processed properly, offers higher levels of both mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine.
Harvesting The Leaves
While its cultivation began as a part of the area’s indigenous culture for personal or local usage, Kratom is now a major cash crop. Unlike other agricultural enterprises in the region, such as monoculture timber and oil palm plantations, Kratom is grown sustainably in the biodiverse rainforests or small village “backyard gardens” which allow growers to work the same lands their families have cultivated for generations.
Once the leaves of the Kratom tree are ripe, experienced farmers harvest them individually, pinching them off by hand to leave the remaining tree untouched and healthy, with plenty of strength to grow toward the next harvest. The leaves of the tree grow with different vein colors, indicating the different concentrations of their active alkaloid compounds and creating different Kratom strains. Red-veined kratom leaves are the ones most used to create potent Maeng Da Kratom powder, though green and white-veined varieties are used on occasion.
Normally, the harvested Kratom leaves are dried, the veins removed, and the remaining leaf material ground into a fine powder. While the process for preparing Maeng Da is essentially the same, the longer drying time is what makes Maeng Da Kratom so potent and complex. The drying procedure is carefully monitored and regulated to ensure the alkaloids have the maximum maturity before being made into a powdered form.
Once the Maeng Da Kratom powder is prepared, it is sealed into an airtight package. This protects it from unintentional contamination and limits the opportunity for oxidation to rob it of potency and aroma. The result should be a fine powder, fluffy in appearance, with a powerful aroma like the smell of fresh-cut vegetation.
Types Of Maeng Da Kratom
Maeng Da Kratom powder is available in several types and forms to ensure that there’s a way for everyone to find a way to fit Maeng Da into their exploration. These strains are usually referred to by a color and dosage form, such as “White Maeng Da Kratom Powder.” These labelings give you pertinent information about the strain.
- Red Maeng Da Kratom Powder – By far the most popular Maeng Da, red-veined Kratom generally offers a concentration weighted toward higher 7-hydroxymitragynine content.
- White Maeng Da Kratom Powder – White-veined leaves are prized for their increased mitragynine alkaloid content.
- Green Maeng Da Kratom Powder – Green-veined leaves often are found toward the middle level of the Kratom tree, and they exhibit characteristics equal in mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine.
- Ultra Maeng Da Kratom Powder – If you want maximum potency, an extract of Maeng Da is what you’re looking for. Formulated to isolate and deliver a greater quantity of the active compounds in a smaller volume, this is a favorite for those who want more bang for their buck.
- Maeng Da Capsules – C