Overview:
Coffee beans are produced from a fruit called a coffee cherry. Once brewed, the beans provide a mild stimulative effect due to its caffeine content. The taste is both bitter and slightly acidic. Because of its widespread usage, coffee has been studied thoroughly and has well documented evidence surrounding both its effects and health benefits.
Kratom, on the other hand, is a tropical evergreen tree with leaves that contain psychoactive properties. Kratom is usually taken in its powder form (derived from dried up Kratom leaves), typically brewed into a tea or mixed into drinks, or through capsules. Studies have shown that low amounts of Kratom, like coffee, tends to cause stimulative effects, increasing alertness and sociability.
Differences:
Despite coffee being known specifically for its stimulative effects through its high caffeine content, Kratom can mimic similar effects at lower dosages. The main difference in the stimulative effects between the two substances is that Kratom contains no caffeine.
Excessive caffeine intake can lead to overstimulation of the body, along with tremors, jitters and anxiety. Because Kratom does not include caffeine and only a lower dosage leads to stimulative effects, risks of overconsumption are minimized when using the substance. In addition to Kratom’s stimulative effects, it can also provide relaxing and calming properties, leading to a more natural-feeling stimulation when compared to its counterparts.
Kratom can also be seen as a more flexible solution to energizing your day. Kratom tea can typically be prepared with lemon and sugar to mask the plant’s native flavor profile, along with any other additives that you may prefer to include in your hot drinks. Coffee can even be mixed into Kratom to both enhance the taste as well as pronounce the stimulative effects; Kratom doesn’t have to be a competitor to any existing substances, it can also be used as an additive!
Conclusion:
Kratom and coffee are far from related, however, under the right circumstances they can be substituted, or even complimented with one another. Unlike coffee, which boasts caffeine as its main source of stimulative effects, Kratom utilizes psychoactive properties of its native leaf to not only provide energy, focus and attention at lower doses, but also provides a boost in mood and anxiety relief for regular users.
