Does Kratom Actually Expire?

Kratom is becoming more widely available than ever before. You can see why then, how more people here in the United States are incorporating it into their routines, seeking out its unique effects that can be extremely useful to daily life. As an influx of people invest in kratom-based products, it’s important to talk about ‘shelf life’, because even the highest-quality kratom can yield disappointing results if it has expired, or if it has fallen victim to improper storage.

What is the Shelf Life of Kratom?

Ultimately, kratom can be usable for about a year after it was first manufactured. But, after a few months, it already begins to degrade. Keep in mind that unlike most food that’s in your fridge, kratom doesn’t become dangerous to take once it has expired, unless it has been contaminated in some way. Kratom that has surpassed its shelf life will simply lose its potency, and therefore its effectiveness, similarly to supplements that’re in your cabinet.

Now, after those initial months, the properties of kratom will be past their prime, but they can still be useful. How? Well, after about a year, it’s likely that the potency is all but completely gone, meaning that consuming a kratom product that’s older than a year is basically useless.

What Affects the Freshness of Kratom?

Because kratom is an organic product, it’s sensitive to factors that affect all plant life. It’s the alkaloids in kratom that give the plant its unique effects, and it’s these same alkaloids that can degrade and expire. The breaking down process of kratom’s alkaloids actually begin as soon as the leaves are picked from the three, although the results aren’t really significant until after 3 months. Things that can speed up the breaking down process are exposure to light, exposure to moisture, and contamination, with the latter making kratom potentially dangerous as pathogens can enter the product and cause illness.

How to Extend Kratom’s Shelf Life

Naturally, if investing in a kratom product, you want to make sure that it remains fresh and potent until you’re done using it. By simply following some basic storage tips, you can likely enjoy your kratom for up to a full year, should it be in your possession for that long.

Tip #1: Keep Kratom in a Dry, Dark Place

Since moisture and light are the two factors that cause the fastest degradation process, naturally, you want to keep your kratom in a dark and dry place. Luckily, this shouldn’t be a problem for anyone who has a drawer, cabinet or closet – even a box under their bed. This also means especially avoiding places like a sunny windowsill or your bathroom, where the moisture from your shower can keep the environment humid.

Tip #2: Don’t Introduce Moisture into a Dry Kratom Product

If you’re using a dry kratom product, such as tea or powder, make sure to avoid introducing moisture into it. For instance, if you’re using a utensil to scoop out your kratom such as a spoon, make sure that the spoon is completely dry. Not only will getting your kratom moist cause it to lose its freshness more rapidly, but it also creates an environment that’s favorable to harmful fungi and bacteria.

Tip #3: Make Sure that the Kratom You Buy is Fresh

You can store your kratom perfectly, but if the kratom wasn’t fresh at the time of purchase, it won’t last for long. This is why you should always make sure that a company is selling fresh kratom at all times. Basically, any reputable company with lots of good reviews is going to send you fresh kratom, for two reasons:

1. They’ve a high product turnover rate due to their popularity, meaning their supply never sits on shelves for too long.
2. Have a reputation to maintain, and thus, are unlikely to sell expired product.

Tip #4: Don’t Mix Old Kratom with New Kratom

If you have specific types of kratom products such as loose powder or gummies, resist the temptation to add a newly purchased batch to an old one. Otherwise, you may have expired kratom mixed in with new kratom, which would obviously complicate your ability to know that you’re taking only fresh product.

Tip #5: Keep Your Kratom Sealed

Always make sure your kratom is kept in some sort of airtight container, since oxygen will cause the kratom to lose its freshness more quickly. Leaving kratom open can cause it to expire rapidly, making it lose its potency to the point of having basically no effectiveness whatsoever.

Tip #6: Don’t Overbuy

Avoid buying more kratom than you will realistically use over the course of a year, as you’ll end up with expired product. If your favorite store is having a sale, you may be tempted to stock up on loads of kratom, but if you’re not going to use it all before it expires, you’ll just waste your money.

How Other Ingredients Can Make a Difference

Kratom products that are mixed with other ingredients may expire sooner because of the non-kratom ingredients. Take gummies, for example. If kratom gummies are made with fresh fruit extracts, those fruit extracts may expire before the kratom does. View the label of the product to see if you can find an expiration date.

Can You Freeze Kratom to Make It Last Longer?

It may seem like the best method to keep kratom fresh is to freeze it. After all, this is how we keep many foods from expiring. But, this is actually a bad idea. Freezing kratom increases the risk of moisture getting into the product, and like we said, kratom and moisture don’t mix. Basically, stick to a dark and dry place, at room temperature, instead.

Store Your Kratom Properly to Keep It Fresh and Potent

Kratom can last for quite a while after it’s purchased fresh but failing to store it properly means that you can end up with a lot of wasted product on your hands. At the end of the day, making sure your kratom is airtight, dry, and kept in a dark environment; means that you might be able to get plenty of use out of it for up to a year or so.