Kratom and Pesticide Use: The Harsh Reality (3 minute read)

We do not have a published industry failure rate to quote. What we do see, from travel and from the lots we refuse, is that many imported kratom lots never get a full third-party panel, and many companies cannot say where their leaf was grown or how it was cultivated. We have made it a core part of our mission to be completely transparent every step of the way, from the jungles of Indonesia to your doorstep.

While a lot of companies do claim to test their products they leave out some very important tests. How can you be sure they are really testing their products? Most vendors in the industry will get their products tested one time and continue to use those same lab results for every batch imported.

The majority of vendors that do lab tests are not testing for pesticides. There are a few reasons for this.

• If they did test for pesticides chances are their Kratom would be deemed unsafe for consumption.
• Pesticide contamination is a lesser-known issue to the average Kratom consumer due to the mainstream hype surrounding E. coli and heavy metal contamination.

The Reality:

To this day many Indonesians continue to use very harsh pesticides that have been banned in developed countries. Part of this issue is foreign influence, while the other main issue is the rapid influx of new “Kratom plantation operators” that are trying to capitalize on the new cash crop.

While “Kratom harvesting” is an age-old art throughout Borneo, “Kratom cultivation” is a relatively new practice. This has resulted in a transition from the older generation of Kratom users that uphold the ancient traditions, to a new wave looking to farm and cultivate the trees as fast as possible. This is where the issues of pesticide use merge with the growing industry.

Through our own travels and research, we were very disturbed to find the large majority of operations using very toxic pesticides to cultivate their Kratom, with many even trying to hide the fact.

So, what can you do about this as a Kratom consumer in the USA?

• Only buy from reputable vendors that can provide comprehensive lab tests for EVERY BATCH imported.
• Only trust vendors that can provide lab tests from ISO 17025 accredited laboratories. Avoid vendors that claim to test their products “in-house”.
• Opt for “Wild-Harvested Kratom” through our research we have concluded that Wild-Harvested Kratom is the most consistently potent, safe, and environmentally friendly Kratom on the market!

Thanks for reading and we hope you enjoyed this quick read! Stay tuned for our upcoming post regarding heavy metal content in Kratom.