People starting out with kratom can find it very confusing, I know I did in the beginning. I made a lot of mistakes, and I want to explain to you what the differences are between red, green, and white kratom so that you can avoid some of the issues I did.

Not only are the three main types of kratom vein colour, but there’s also gold/yellow kratom to consider as well. Is it a strain or vein colour?

As well as all those things to consider, you have to think about the different strains, Bali, Borneo, whatever.

And to make it worse, you’ve got Maeng Da kratom, which isn’t even a strain at all. Plus kratom extracts, and ultra-enhanced kratom, whatever the hell they are I hear you shout!

So what I’m going to do is talk you through everything you need to know about kratom vein colours, kratom effects each, how much individual strains really matter in terms of differences experience, and what the important things you need to know are to make a great choice starting out with kratom, so you don’t make the same basic errors I did that got me badly caught out financially and with my kratom experiences.

What Makes Kratom Green, Red, Or White?

 The references to green, red, or white kratom all relate to the vein colour of the leaves on the kratom tree.

It’s stated in many sources that kratom leaves can have green, red, or white veins. The colour of the veins on the leaves define the effects you feel.

However, that’s not completely true.

The truth is that most kratom has leaves that contain white veins. But then some contain green, and some contain red. But it’s not even on different trees or in different areas, sometimes the same tree can have veins of the different colours. For me, it seems to be more about exposure to sunlight than anything else.

Certainly I’ve seen images on Google of a single kratom tree with all three different coloured veined leaves. So anyone who is claiming that different trees have different coloured kratom is talking rubbish as far as I’m concerned.

You’ve also got gold kratom. I’ve looked into that and it’s murky. It seems to be that sometimes the yellow comes from white kratom leaves that have gone more golden in the sun. Other people seem to claim that it’s white leaves that go golden once they have been picked and start to dry out.

White, Red, And Green Kratom Effects Explained

 So as you can see, there really is no clear answer on where the different types of kratom vein colours come from. For me, it’s just a natural thing that occurs, and can even occur differently within the same kratom tree.

But what about the different effects these vein colours leaves produce? Well, broadly, although it’s very dose and quality dependent, these are the general effects that the different kratom colours produce, and the differences between them:

White kratom is billed as the most energising. That’s because kratom has more than 50 alkaloids in it, a lot of them stimulant (which is no surprise as kratom is a member of the coffee family). However, it’s about the main pair of alkaloids Mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine.

Mitragynine is the most predominant, and the most energising. In some strains, like those in Thailand, studies have shown it’s as high as 60% of the total alkaloids content, while Malaysian kratom seems to be lower in that and higher in 7-hydroxymitragynine.

Now for me, I’m not entirely sure how true all of that is. But what I do know is that white kratom is definitely more stimulating at the same dose as green or red.

White kratom will deliver more alertness, more physical energy, stronger cognitive response. As the dose increases (kratom is massively dose dependent), that starts to tip over into a euphoria, and then sedation where you don’t want to do anything, believe me! But at lower doses, around 5 g, white kratom can be brilliant for mental and physical energy.

Red kratom is often described as the “ying to the yang” of white kratom. Where kratom is about energy both mentally and physically, red kratom is about anaesthesia and sedation.

Now that’s not completely true. At low doses, all kratom is a stimulant. That’s because there are so many alkaloids in it similar to caffeine. It only as the dose increases that the spectrum of kratom effects diverges. At around 5 g, you will feel different using red kratom than you will from the effects of white kratom. Red kratom will start to become sedating. You’ll start to feel heavy physically, mentally you’ll start to feel deeply peaceful, chilled out, not a care in the world.

So red kratom is brilliant for pain relief and chilling right out. At high doses it brings on a euphoria that so keen to an opiate rush. But although it’s a slightly different process and feeling to white kratom, the end result is basically the same, you will start to feel tired and deeply chilled out as the dose increases and overwhelms you. To learn more about red kratom strains click here.

Green kratom is often billed in the middle between white and red. You will be told that green kratom is more mild. That’s not actually true. You’ll be told its effects are halfway between white and red, which is somewhat true.

Green kratom is slightly more energising than red. It offers some pain relief, some calmness, more so than white. It does also offer you energy. At moderate doses you’ll feel energised, calm, and get some pain relief, but as the dose increases, it feels more like red kratom, and at very high doses, just like white and red kratom, it becomes overwhelmingly sedative.

For me, green kratom, like green Malay, is perfect for any occasion. I take in the evenings when I go out, and sometimes work during the day.

For me as well, gold/yellow kratom also feels more like green kratom than any other vein colour.

To learn more about green kratom effects please read our green kratom guide.

Which Kratom Vein Should I Choose?

 So now you understand a bit more about the characteristics of each of the three main vein colours of kratom, let’s talk about which one you choose.

If you just want some stimulation, and you going to take a dose of 5 g or less, then I’m telling you that pretty much any kratom will do as long as it’s high in alkaloid content. That’s because you’ll get the energy rush physically and mentally that low doses produces because of the alkaloid balance.

It’s only at doses at around 5 g or more that the effects start diverging, you’ll feel differences between white, green, and red. But as the dose gets higher, towards 10 g, those effects start to converge again into a general physical and mental lethargy that can be overwhelming.

So we are talking about doses that are moderate, 5 g or higher, but not overwhelming. White kratom will definitely give you more of both the physical and mental rush, before gently drifting you down into calmness.

Red kratom will do the same but also drift you into a deeper physical and mental calm, with greater levels of pain relief than white kratom.

Green kratom is somewhere in the middle. You can read more about the effects and dosing of green kratom here.

That’s why white kratom is known as “morning kratom” in Thailand, green kratom is known as “afternoon kratom”, and red kratom is known as “evening kratom”.

However, it’s highly dose dependent, and you shouldn’t just think that those traits are the way to go. Experimentation is the key, and I would start with the vein colour you think is closer to the effects you want, and work up using a sliding scale of 3 g, 5 g, and then 7 g.

See how you feel each level. The be very careful at around 7 g, because anything around that level for some people can be too much, bringing on a lower heart rate, sedation, and even “whiting out” feelings of anxiety that you get when you smoke too much cannabis. I know, because it’s happened to me.

Which Kratom Strain Is The Best To Use?

 Now you understand the three main vein colours have diverging effects as the dose increases, and you understand how those effects diverges, and then converge again as the dose gets high, what about the individual strains of kratom?

When the talking about kratom strains, and which is the best kratom to use, well, that’s a difficult question to answer.

The truth is that there isn’t the big variation between kratom strains that some people will try and tell you. White Indo, White Borneo, White Malay, there really won’t be any difference in most cases.

There’s a very good reason for this. Kratom is mostly labelled up this way once it’s imported. In fact, somebody could label exactly the same batch of kratom using several names. They could either do this to be disingenuous, or it’s simply the truth because of the following reason.

Borneo is one of the biggest producers of kratom, with trees growing all over the island. But Borneo is jointly owned by Malaysia and Indonesia, in fact, specifically by Indonesian Kalimantan.

So kratom from Borneo could legitimately be called Borneo kratom, Malaysian kratom, Indonesian kratom, or Kalimantan kratom. Exactly the same batch of white kratom could be labelled up four different ways and be entirely accurate.

So there’s really not as much between the different strains of kratom as you would think. That’s not the complete story, as they can be regional variations, but they are quite minor, and the overriding goal is to get the best quality you can.

The truth is that it doesn’t matter if it’s white kratom from Borneo, Malaysia, or Indonesia. What matters is that it’s rich in alkaloids. The more alkaloids it has, the better quality it is, the better experience you going to get of a “white” kratom.

The overriding thing I’m telling you here is that quality matters more than the actual strain. This is especially true in the beginning. Once you’ve tried the different vein colours, and found one you want, you can try White Borneo, White Malay, White Kalimantan, all of them, to see if any are different. You can only do that once you have found a kratom vendors who has assured rich in alkaloids kratom so you are testing each from the same benchmark.

Is Maeng Da A Certain Type Of Kratom Or Vein Colour?

 Before I finish this quick guide to white, green, and red kratom vein colours, and the importance of them in choosing kratom, I want to talk to you about Maeng Da kratom.

The reason for that is because there is an incredible amount of confusion and outright rubbish spoken about Maeng Da kratom.

So let me clear up the misconceptions around Maeng Da effects and it’s origin here:

1. Maeng Da is not a strain of kratom. It doesn’t come from a particular region, it can come from anywhere and be literally any type of kratom.
2. “ Maeng Da” translates as “pimp” in Thai. So it’s pimp grade, allegedly stronger. That’s all the name means. It’s a marketing term, or maybe street slang, but definitely not anything recognised as an official strain of kratom.
3. Maeng Da kratom is literally any batch of kratom of any colour or strain that’s rich in alkaloids, basically stronger, than the standard powder.
4. Maeng Da can even be a blend of different types of kratom, different whites, or even different whites, greens, and reds blended together to create an overall stronger balanced effect.

The truth is that Maeng Da is mostly a marketing term probably concocted here in the West. If you buy it from a reputable kratom seller though, then you will get stronger kratom.

You can’t rely on White Maeng Da being a pure white kratom. It could be white mixed with red, giving you a slightly different feeling to a pure white kratom.

All you can do with Maeng Da is experiment. Try standard kratom powders, understand them, understand the doses that work for you, and then try Maeng Da. You will be able to see if it’s stronger, and how the effects differ.

Where To Buy Good Quality Kratom Powder, Extracts, And Ultra-Enhanced Kratom

 When it comes to buying kratom, you have a lot of choice. Unfortunately, most of those choices aren’t good.

Kratom needs to have the following boxes ticked to be good quality:

• Must be imported direct from the region and through a reliable exporter
• The company buying in the kratom must imported direct and have a good relationship
• It must be batch tested for alkaloid content and guarantees offered
• Kratom mustn’t be cut with anything else to make it go further
• The kratom must be stored well to preserve the alkaloid content

Unfortunately, not many kratom sellers actually tick all those boxes. There are a few, but then you have the choice of what to buy from them.

You can try all the standard kratom powders, and also if you want to spend a bit more money for more convenience, by them as kratom capsules (the same high-quality powder in capsule form).

You can then also buy ultra-enhanced kratom, where more kratom is boiled down to create a resin that contains a higher proportion of kratom alkaloids than standard powder. This is more expensive, but far more potent.

There’s also the option to buy kratom extracts. This is where extracted resin that highly rich in alkaloids is added to ultra-enhanced kratom to create the ultimate in potency. This is very expensive and incredibly potent if you get the real deal. As little as half a gram can be the same as five or more grams of standard powder, in terms of results.

There are a myriad of places you can try, but this is my go to kratom vendor if you want to get the best quality and deals on standard powder, kratom extracts, and ultra-enhanced kratom.

And if you want to just get started, then I’d recommend this high-quality kratom seller who do amazing variety packs. Each variety pack contains small pouches of white, green, red standard kratom powder, for a great price. That way you can experiment with all the different types of white, green, or red vein kratom powders for a very reasonable price.