As part of the July 2018 Giveaway I ordered a bunch of Kratom from Gaia Botanicals. It had been a while since I experimented with Kratom so I was stoked to finally get the order in, and to take a healthy dose of course.

I ordered 5 different strains of varying colors. I got some green, red, and white veins. I’ve never tried white before so I figured I’d throw in a white vein for good measure.

With all this Kratom layed out I had to decide what strain to take. It was early in the evening, I was fairly exhausted from a long bike ride and a long day at work. I knew it had to be a red but which one? I had Red Bali, Red Maeng Da, and Red Dragon…there were many to choose from.

…But with a name like Red Dragon I had to give it the first honoring.

Enter the dragon…

I measured out 3 teaspoons and dosed myself with the ol’ toss and wash method. This is a primitive method of simply tossing all the Kratom powder into your mouth and then washing it down with a liquid of your choosing. While this is primitive it gets the job done and by far the most effective and time saving method. I’ve tried mixing Kratom into drinks before with little success. Kratom doesn’t mix well and there’s always a ton left in the glass, stuck to the sides and at the bottom. What a waste.

Kratom is downright messy and I had forgotten just how much. Powder explodes everywhere, it gets on your fingers, and stains everything it touches. Potent indeed. The kitchen is the best place to dose because you can quickly clean up the counters and anything that comes into contact with the Kratom.

After dosing I showered and patiently waited for the signature Kratom warmth and comfort to wash over my tired body. 30 minutes I begin to feel something, but nothing pronounced. At this point novice users redose because they think they didn’t take enough. True veterans know Kratom will creep up on you like a thief in the night.

+45 mins

45 minutes in, me and my friend go to the store for dinner supplies. It was night time. Sitting in the passenger seat on the way there I feel a warmth and subtle euphoria vibrating through my muscles. I sank just a little deeper into the seat, fully relaxed. The soreness in my legs from my bike ride melted away. Very calm. Very relaxed.

With the relaxation also came a boost in mood. The grocery store was much more tolerable in this new and exciting state.  I leaned deep into the shopping cart, pushing it lazily through the aisles and feeling right as rain. I found myself not paying attention at some points, lost in the richness of relaxation. I passed up things I needed and had to double back. I didn’t care.

Some say Red Dragon has all the relaxing and sedative properties of a red vein strain yet subtly energizing. I found this was true.

+2 Hours

Later a friend came over to give me and my roommates haircuts. A haircut never felt so good. As she ran her hands and clippers through my hair I melted into bliss. I was thinking how good a full massage would have felt right then. All my muscles were deeply relaxed.

I chilled out for the rest of the night watching movies, fully content to stay in one spot and do nothing. I was surprised to still feel the full power of the Red Dragon even after 4 hours had passed.

That night I got the best sleep of my life and slept right through to the morning.

The next morning

I love Kratom but the next day I feel just slightly dulled. My body moves slowly, my mind takes its sweet time with cognitive processes. Nothing a little Piracetam, coffee, and cardio can’t cure. This is a classic case of the pros outweighing the cons. I’ll stick to dosing maybe 1 – 2 times a week TOPS considering the next day dulling effects and also the addiction potential.

Final thoughts

Overall I really enjoyed this strain and would recommend it. It’s a subtle strain, a subtle muscle relaxer, and slight energizer. It’s not a strain that’s going to knock you on your ass. It’s a great early evening strain. Maybe you’re not ready to hit the sack just yet, but you want to wind down for a few hours and go into straight chill mode. This strain lasts a long time and tapers off nice and slow. Like I said, perfect to see you through the end of a long day.