# Mile High Kratom Review



## Mike Arnold (Dec 6, 2015)

*Mile High Review



*​For those of you who haven't yet used Kratom, or are still largely unfamiliar with the reasons for its use, allow me to provide you with a brief description of its character and effects. Legal to possess and sell in most parts of the world, Kratom is an opiate-like plant with a rich history of medicinal and recreational use. Originating in the indo-pacific, kratom grows naturally in countries such as Thailand, Borneo, Malaysia, and others. However, unlike poppy-based opiates, kratom comes from the leaf of the kratom tree and is what's known as a _partial_-opiate agonist. Partial opiate agonists, although fully capable of activating the opiate receptor, do not possess the same degree of addiction/withdrawal potential as traditional opiates. Furthermore, kratom contains a mixture of dozens of different alkaloids in varying ratios, unlike poppy-based opiates which typically derive most or all of their effects from a single alkaloid. Although research is still in its infancy, there is evidence to suggest that kratom's diverse alkaloid profile is at least partially responsible for its reduced addition/withdrawal potential relative to traditional opiates. As an added perk, many of these alkaloids possess distinct health benefits, making kratom unique among opiate-like plants.

However, there are other differences between kratom and traditional opiates, particularly in regard to its acute effects on the user. Traditional opiates, in addition to their euphoric effects, are nervous system depressants, leading to a decrease in respiration and heart rate, as well feelings of tiredness. Kratom differentiates itself in this area by providing a mixture of not only euphoria, but sedation and/or nervous system stimulation. The degree of sedation/stimulation that takes place is dependent on two factors: strain-type and dosage. Some strains, such as those of the red variety, bear a closer resemblance to traditional opiates in their overall feel, providing a calm, sedating effect, while green strains provide greater nervous system stimulation, resulting in wakefulness and increased energy. None the less, all strains provide some degree of nervous system stimulation and sedation, as all strains contain both mitragynine and 7-hydroxy mitragynine. Research clearly shows that mitragynine, in all cases, acts as a stimulant, while 7-hydroxymitragynine acts much more like a typical opiate, causing sedation and drowsiness. Therefore, it is the plant's ratio of mitragynine to 7-hydroxymitragynine which determines its general character. In plants with a higher ratio of 7-hydroxymitragynine to mitragynine, or larger dosages of any strain, the 7-hydroxymitragynine tends to overpower the stimulating alkaloids, resulting in a more sedating effect. Still, even when using large dosages of more stimulating strains, some degree of nervous system stimulation will always be present. For this reason, it makes sense to choose a strain suitable for your needs.

At this point, I have used kratom dozens of times, including red, green, and white strains, enhanced products, concentrates/resins, and various combination products. During this time, I have experimented with products from at least 4-5 different manufacturers. As some of you may know, I suffered with a serious, prior addiction to opiates, with my last use dating back about 10 years ago. Since that time I have been using a medication called buprenorphine, which, like kratom, is a partial-opiate agonist. Unlike kratom, it is also a traditional opiate of the synthetic variety. This particular drug is used for opiate maintenance--for people whose brain chemistry has been permanently altered as a result of long-term opiate use. While regular use of this medication does not supply a "high", sudden discontinuation will result in withdrawal symptoms--potentially quite severe, depending on the dosage being used. 

In my own experience, I was led to kratom more out of necessity than by choice. Each time I used it, it was when I had been prevented from filling my prescription for various reasons (doctor on vacation, insurance issues, medication out of stock, etc). Without access to buprenorphine, I was left in a very bad position. I used Kratom to avoid withdrawal symptoms, as kratom's opiate-like alkaloids activate the same receptors as traditional opiates, preventing/minimizing withdrawal. Over the years, I have had to depend on Kratom numerous times and as someone with VERY extensive opiate experience, I am a pretty good judge of what is good and what is not. In my next post, I will talk about my experiences with Mile High products.


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## Mike Arnold (Dec 19, 2015)

Over the next few weeks I will be reviewing 4 different trains of Mile High Kratom, which will include Enhanced Bali Blast, Private Reserve Green Indo, Private Reserve Maeng Da, and the 25X Resin Extract.



*Night #1:*  Upon receiving my package I decided to go all-out and try a combination of 3 different products all at once--the Enhanced Bali, Private Maeng Da, and 25X Resin.  Of all the products I received, I was the most excited about the resin, as all of my previous experiences with other resin products where underwhelming, to say the least.  With most companies, I could not tell any significant difference between their resin and their regular ground leaf.  In terms of texture, color, and consistency, the vast majority were virtually identical.  Of course, this was not a good sign, as true 25X extract actually looks and feels like resin, with a completely different texture than regular ground leaf.  In each of these instances, taking a full gram yielded very little in the way of positive effects, confirming the fact that they were either:

A.) Made from extremely poor quality leaf

B.) Nowhere close to being a true 25X extract.  


When I opened the Mile High Extract, it was readily apparent that this was not the same stuff I had encountered previously.  It was in big, black, hard, sticky chunks.  I promptly measured out 1 gram and set it aside.  After that I busted out the Maeng Da and Enhanced Bali and weighed out about 7-8 grams each, totaling 14-16 grams of ground leaf/enhanced ground leaf and 1 gram of extract.  Certainly, this is FAR too much for a novice kratom user, so do not attempt this yourself--you will almost certainly end up ill and possibly vomiting within a short period of time. 

Anyway, it didn't take long for the effects to become noticeable, and at about the 60-75 minute mark the effects had reached their peak (this would have happened sooner, but I had a considerable amount of food in my stomach at the time of ingestion, prolonging the digestion process).  By that point there wasn't even a trace of sickness left, which I found remarkable given my strong tolerance to opiates and how horrible I felt one hour prior.  In fact, not only did I no longer feel sick, but I actually felt the typical kratom high--something I had never experienced before in similar situations, even when using substantially greater amounts of kratom from other vendors.

The experience lasted quite a few hours--longer than normal.  Whether this was due to the fairly dosage or mixing several strains, I couldn't say, but it lasted a good 8 hours before the effects were no longer perceptible.  Although consuming a variety of strains at once made it difficult for me to pinpoint exactly what was doing what, I can say without doubt that these were some of the better kratom products I had used.

Next up I will review my experience with the 25X extract/resin as a standalone.


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