Posted by Mitragynine or, simply, MIT, is an alkaloid found within the ever-increasingly popular herb called “Kratom”. The Kratom tree, traditionally grown in south-east Asia, grows Kratom leaves. These leaves are either chewed, or grounded into a brew or tea that gives the user a strong “upper” akin to coffee 2.0. This upper effect is caused by the aforementioned MIT, one of the two main alkaloid found in Kratom.
Anecdotally, users report that alongside their great sense of energy and mood increase, that they also experience an increased sense of creative freedom and a more untethered sense of problem solving abilities. If you work at a desk, either as a writer or an artist (or some vocation adjacent to those industries), you might come to wonder if Kratom and MIT are right for you. Here’s what you need to know:
Types of Kratom for Creativity
This is going to get a little complicated for anyone who hasn’t read about Kratom before and knows nothing about it or its various strains, so we’ll try to keep this as basic as possible: there are different strains of Kratom that are color coded. These color coded strains each have different effect profiles that exist on a spectrum of Energy and uplifting all the way to calming and “snoozing”. Though it might seem counter intuitive for an herb to be able to do all of that on its own, there is a reason for Kratom’s versatility and we’ll discuss it shortly.
For now, all you need to know is that one strain of Kratom might work for you, while another might be an awful choice for your personal taste, and it really all depends on what you’re looking for. So, without further ado, here’s the three basic strains of Kratom and their associated effects;
- White Kratom: The youngest of the Kratom strains. This product is processed from a youthful Kratom leaf that has a very high ratio of MIT to 7-OH. MIT = energy. 7-OH = relaxation.
- Green Kratom: The middle-child of the Kratom strains. This strain has a more balanced ratio of MIT to 7-OH, although the amount of 7-OH is still very low, and will require 5 grams of Kratom or more to gain any effect out of.
- Red Kratom: The eldest of the leaves. This aged Kratom strain has the highest ratio of 7-OH to MIT out of the three strains in the family, and is the most likely at any given dosage to give users the opposite effects to MIT.
What’s important to note about all of this is that original tip: MIT is for energy, 7-OH is for the opposite effect. Here’s the kicker, though: It could be the case that, for some people, MIT doesn’t really trigger any creative euphoria after usage, but a small amount of 7-OH might. Knowing this, it could be worth it for some users to pursue Green Kratom strains to try and get a nice balance of MIT to 7-OH, at least for their starting foyer into the world of Kratom. Green is often recommended to newcomers for its balanced, less aggressive effects compared to White Kratom which can give users energy without overbearing them. Additionally, thanks to the relatively low 7-OH presence compared to Red Kratom, it isn’t very easy to make the 7-OH, which can be unhealthy, addictive, and otherwise yields effects opposite what many want out of Kratom, dominant. That is to say, the 7-OH rarely has any effect at all, thanks to its low presence.
If the real kicker for you, no pun intended, is the energizing effects of Kratom, you can try White. The amount of MIT present in White Kratom is high, and the energy you’ll get will be throttling, so it’s best to stick to low dosages for newcomer (between 250milligrams to a gram should be just fine.) Either opt for a pre-mixed drink, or, as most people would do, buy your Kratom strain of choice as a grounded powder and mix with your liquid of choice (most commonly, water) and enjoy.
Obviously, given the nature of Kratom as an energizing herb and the reality that most people do their creative work (professional or otherwise) in the morning and afternoon, consumption is best left for the early hours of the morning to avoid hiccups with sleep patterns (and just general timing.)
You might enjoy “7-OH and Creativity: What to Know.”