The Royal Kratom Guide to the Different Kratom Colors & Veins
Buying kratom can feel overwhelming for the newbie. You’re not just dealing with different strains; you also have to make sense of the color assigned to each product: Red vein, green vein, white vein, and beyond. What are these kratom colors all about? Once you understand the basics, it’s actually pretty simple.
The Anatomy of Kratom Veins
The first thing to understand is that those colors aren’t just arbitrarily assigned to kratom products. They do signify actual colors—for the most part.
The kratom you know and love grows on a tropical evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia. As the leaves bloom and mature, the leaf veins take on different colors. Young leaves tend to have white or off-white veins (white vein kratom). As the leaves start to mature, the kratom veins take on more of a greenish hue (green vein kratom). As the leaves reach full maturity, the leaves appear red or brown (red vein kratom).
The age of the leaf is important because the leaf has a different alkaloid concentration at each stage of maturity. The alkaloids are the active compounds in kratom. There are over 40 of them that we know of, but the two primary alkaloids are mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH).
Early in their maturation, kratom leaves have a higher concentration of mitragynine and a lower concentration of 7-OH. But as the leaves mature, the concentration of 7-OH increases. So by assessing the color of the leaf vein, we can estimate the stage of maturity and therefore the approximate alkaloid ratio.
- White vein kratom (made from immature leaves) has a high concentration of mitragynine and a low concentration of 7-OH. Therefore, white kratom is commonly used in the morning or earlier in the day.
- Green vein kratom (made from slightly mature leaves) has a high concentration of mitragynine and a moderate concentration of 7-OH. Therefore, green kratom is regularly used at any time of day.
- Red vein kratom (made from mature leaves) has a high concentration of mitragynine and a high concentration of 7-OH. Due to the high level of 7-OH, red kratom is commonly used in the evenings or at night.
If you’re brand-new to kratom, green kratom is an excellent place to start because it gives you a well-rounded kratom experience.
Other Kratom Colors
Although red, white, and green are your primary kratom colors, there are some additional colors you might encounter when shopping for kratom.
For instance, while exploring the various kratom veins and products, you may have noticed some vendors offering yellow kratom for sale. Though yellow is not a natural vein color, some manufacturers claim to achieve the yellow hue by subjecting white vein kratom to a specialized drying process.
While yellow kratom might seem like a unique and intriguing option, it’s usually rooted in hype. In most cases, yellow kratom products are just a combination of white and green kratom powders. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that (and in fact there are benefits to blending different kratom varieties), there’s nothing rare or exclusive about it.
Beyond Kratom Vein Colors
In some cases, kratom manufacturers will use colors and other signifiers that have nothing to do with vein color. For instance, the term “Gold Kratom” is sometimes erroneously conflated with yellow kratom. But gold kratom isn’t so much about color as it is quality.
At Royal Kratom, we use the term “gold” in this quality context when we’re talking about our Gold Kratom Capsules and Gold Kratom Tincture. They have the highest mitragynine concentration of any non-extract product in our inventory (at least 1.5% mitragynine), so they represent the gold standard for kratom. We use a similar quality identifier for our Silver Kratom Capsules (at least 1.2% mitragynine).
So when a kratom vendor refers to a color outside of the normal spectrum, make sure to read the product description carefully. Oftentimes, the color refers to something other than vein color. However, if a manufacturer claims to have stumbled on a rare or hard-to-find vein color, know that they’re probably taking you for a ride.
Kratom Colors vs Strains
Make sure not to confuse kratom colors with kratom strains. The strain refers to the regional genetics of the plant. The color refers to the leaf’s level of maturity. Popular strains include Bali Kratom, Thai Kratom, and Indo Kratom.
It can be confusing to make sense of all the strains, the vein colors, and the factors that differentiate each. If you need help finding exactly the right product for your needs, feel free to contact our knowledgeable customer service team at any time. We’re here to help!
Find Your Favorite Kratom Colors
Different kratom veins offer different benefits. You ultimately have to decide what you’re hoping to experience and shop accordingly. When you buy kratom online from Royal Kratom, you can expect premium-grade, lab tested kratom straight from the source. We offer free, fast shipping and world-class customer service.
Browse our full selection and find your favorite kratom colors today.