What is Kratom? What Does it Do?
(Good Looking Loser's Guide to Kratom - Part I)

None of this presents any health claims nor medical advice whatsoever. This is just my experience with the all natural compound in a country where it is legal to buy, sell and use. 5952 Digital Productions, LLC and Good Looking Loser makes no representation or warranty regarding the accuracy, reliability, completeness, currentness, or timeliness of any information provided. See our Medical Disclaimer for more information.

A short message to you!

I like to recommend things that have an immediate impact on your life.

Selfishly, I know that it will reflect well upon me and our community.

You'll come back for more, you might even put a picture of me (or Rooster) up in your room.

While not every recommendation on Good Looking Loser or "Get-A-Life" will be life-changing, I'm going to say, with complete confidence- Kratom (and our recommended vendor - I own this brand) will be nothing short of life-changing for a lot of people.

And Believe me - I know how overplayed the term "life-changing" is in the self-improvement community.

In this case, while results will certainly vary, I'm not exaggerating.

For the others that don't quite find this "life changing", you'll have something that you really like.

The vast majority of you guys will love Kratom.

Table of Contents for 'All About Kratom'

• We cover the basics of What Kratom is, what it does and rave about it on this page.
• We cover the basics of How to dose kratom and the 'Kratom Lifestyle'  in Part II.
• We cover the basics of Kratom's effects and what you can expect in Part III.
• We cover the basics of combating Kratom tolerance in Part IV.
• We cover specific scenarios that you might benefit from Kratom in Part V.
• We cover a host of frequently asked questions in the ongoing Part VI.

This guide is long overdue.

This guide, while comprehensive, is by no means the full extent that we will cover Kratom.

We both have a lot more to say about it.

If you have further questions, please post your questions in our Kratom forum .
(we are happy to answer whatever questions you may have)

Forward by Good Looking Loser

What makes our site unique is that 99.9% of the stuff we discuss is from REAL experience.

Anytime I recommend something, one of my criteria is to be able to tell you specifically and EXACTLY WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT.

Our ongoing coverage of Kratom will be no different.

I credit Kratom for helping me to accomplish just about everything I've achieved in the past 5 years.

This compound has BY FAR made the biggest impact on my life out of ANY SINGLE COMPOUND. That includes anabolic steroids, for which I have over a decade of experience with.

There are tens of thousands of people that feel the same way, for a variety of reasons.

Kratom is my #1 recommendation of anything on this site.

This is because it has the potential to benefit your life beyond Bathmate, picking up women or even getting in great shape.
(all of which you should make a part of your lifestyle, don't get me wrong)

That's a pretty big game I'm talking huh?

That's right, I'm all in. I know what this stuff can do.

Without Kratom would I have gotten my sex, financial, social, and everything in my life together?

The answer is - I don't know.

I do know one thing though-

It would have been a lot different and might have been a lot harder to accelerate my life. It was especially helpful during the lonely times when I lived all by myself in Los Angeles, was somewhat depressed, and socially anxious since I didn't get much social interaction on a daily basis.

While it would be hyperbole to credit Kratom for all my achievements and progress, it is undeniable that it directly enabled me to change my life.

Good Kratom vs. Bad Kratom

The last thing I want to mention before I hand you over to Rooster is-

There is a HUGE DIFFERENCE in the quality between different Kratom vendors.

Your experience will almost solely reflect the quality of leaf you have.

A lot of people try Kratom from a random inexpensive source and end up disappointed and completely dismiss the leaf.

Get it from where we suggest or don't expect the benefits that we describe.

LISTEN TO ME ON THIS.

Get quality Kratom or no Kratom at all.

Lastly - there will be a trial and error process with this leaf. 

You will have to play around with it for a couple of weeks until you figure out what works for you.

Different varieties, amounts and combinations affect people differently.

Every time you use it, your Kratom IQ will improve.

You'll have a lot of fun with the trial and error process, it's nothing to worry about if you don't figure it out right away.

Good Looking Loser & Rooster's Guide to Kratom

What you should know about our favorite plant.

"God's Plant."

“That’s just like... your opinion man.”

Yes it is my opinion. But I stand by it.

I don’t know of any plant that can increase the quality of life in all areas is as few side effects.

Working out, socializing, relaxing, working, and approaching women are just some of the benefits of Special K.

Kratom Can Be A Lifestyle

If you use Kratom on a daily basis, it becomes a part of your life.

You plan responsible doses beforehand to give you the drive/focus/mental clarity when you need it most.

You definitely don't have to use it on a daily basis, but unlike other compounds, if you use it correctly, you can avoid side effects, dependency and general tolerance.

Kratom’s Popularity 

Mitragyna Speciosa, aka Kratom, is not widely known in North America.

For one, there’s a lot of bunk/low-quality Kratom out there.

The majority of Kratom vendors sell a product that is either just average or straight up bad. Some vendors could even have some good reviews, but they’ll have an overwhelming amount of strains – some being great, others not so much. Since this is the reality, a lot of people will try it once, end up using a low quality strain, then believe that it’s nothing special.

Another reason is many people want to keep this plant a secret.

They know if it were to get a lot of attention, it increases the risk of making it illegal. Even though there are no major health risks, or no reports of any serious health complications, the media likes to attack things they don’t understand or compounds that present real alternatives to the pharmaceutical monopoly we have in North America.

Kratom has been used for centuries in the South Pacific.

Before we get deep into Kratom...

There’s some lingo that you should be familiar with-

• How people talk about Kratom
  (Forum Thread)

Although you do not risk self-incrimination by talking about using Kratom online, we still encourage you not to say the words "take" or "use". Legally, Kratom is sold as an ‘incense’ that’s not intended for consumption. When we refer to “burning” Kratom (use or how you take it) or “aroma” (the effects) or “incense” (the kratom itself) we are ensuring your protection.

What You Should Know About Kratom

If you want to maximize your Kratom experience or lifestyle, it’s important to learn some of the basics so you have some idea of what to expect.

Chris & Rooster Use & RECOMMEND Happy Hippo.

What Is Kratom?

In short, Kratom, is a plant formally known as 'Mitragyna Speciosa'.

It's a tropical tree that is actually part of the coffee family.

It is thought to have a lot of antioxidants, much like most 'greens'. It grows naturally in the hundreds of thousands in the South Pacific, Indochina and Southeast Asia regions.

It also has been used in Eastern medicine for centuries to uplift mood, treat various health problems, increase worker production and relieve mild to moderate pain.

Unfortunately, Kratom is not well-studied in the West. Our community at Good Looking Loser probably knows more about it than most botanists do.

What Does Kratom Do?

Kratom is a psychoactive compound that tickles opioid receptors in the brain (and stomach).

Although Kratom stimulates opiate pleasure receptors and delivers a similar but less narcotic-esque experience, it is not an opiate. It doesn't contain morphine and it is not derived from opium (poppy plant) like prescription drugs or other opiates.

The active compound in Kratom, ''7-hydroxymitragynine' acts on both the μ-opioid  [mu] receptors (euphoria, pain relief, sedation) and the lesser studied δ-opioid [delta] receptors (mood, pleasure, motivation).

The general consensus is that Kratom acts primarily on the delta receptors and only on mu receptors in high doses.

The lesser-known delta receptors are considered to be much safer and don't seem to multiply when they are stimulated through external means and are therefore much less likely to cause dependency and addiction.

That is why Kratom is so valuable.

The addiction and dependency potential is much lower and relatively mild compared to other opiate compounds that act nearly entirely on the mu receptors that increase rapidly when stimulated on a daily basis.

In fact, Kratom has been a lifesaving compound for opiate addicts, allowing them to wean off hardcore drugs and still feel a sense of well-being with a vicious withdrawal.

It is a life-changing compound for people with depression that don't like or didn't respond favorably to SSRIs.

For Kratom enthusiasts, in countries where it is legal to consume, they consume or chew the plant and experience a very significant increase in mood and a very significant decrease in anxiety.

There are different types (strains) of Kratom and each produces it's own unique blend of effects. We will discuss this later.

Types of Kratom

Don't feel you have to memorize or fully understand this section if you are planning to try Kratom.

Your Kratom IQ will grow from experience.

There's literally hundreds of different types of Kratom.

Unfortunately, from just the names, you usually won't be able to tell quite what it does.

But it's a good idea to figure out what does what, so you can try strains that fit your lifestyle and avoid wasting money on strains that you don't want.

LOCATION

Generally speaking, Kratom is categorized and distinguished by the location it grows in.

The 4 most popular locations are-

Thailand – Indonesia – Malaysia – Borneo

Certain locations tend to produce leaves that have similar effects.

• Thai leaves tend to be energetic or "fast".
  (Maeng Da, Red Vein Thai, etc.)
• Indonesian leaves can be energetic, moderate or sedative.
  (Sumatra, Sudanese, Bali (from Indonesia), Kali Varieties, Riau, Indo, etc.)
• Malaysian leaves tend to be less energetic or "moderate".
  (Super Green Malaysian, Ultra Green Malaysian, etc.)
• Bali leaves (from Borneo) tend to be sedative or "slow".
  (Bali, Borneo)

There are certainly exceptions to these rules however.

COLOR

Also, while the final product of Kratom will usually be some shade of green, it's original leaf was either -

Red - White - Green - Yellow

Each color exists in every location.

Like location, certain colors tend to produce similar effects, but there's definitely exceptions.

SPEED

"Speed" is how energetic or stimulating the strain is.

The LOCATION and COLOR determine the speed.

You can't always tell what a leaf will do just from these two criteria however.

You'll either have try it or ask someone who has used the strain you are interested in.

From there, each type can be sub-categorized from their overall effects-

Fast – Moderate – Slow

This is how you will want to categorize your strains.

Fast strains will give you energy, encourage pro-social behavior and make you productive.

Moderate strains will generally do the same, but without the energy kick.

Slow strains tend to be the most euphoric but usually aren't super productive.

This is discussed in-depth in Part III.

Once you gain some experience, you can start blending different strains of Kratom and achieve the EXACT effect you are looking for.

Rooster's Kratom Map

Often you will see Bali, which is the staple strain and generally the most popular. Bali doesn’t actually come from the province of Bali in Indonesia, but from the island of Borneo, which is owned by 3 different countries. The name ‘Bali’ stuck as a nickname a long time ago it tagged to export Borneo Kratom from the Balinese ports. If you ever see Borneo kratom, like Red Vein Borneo, it’s likely the exact same strain as Bali. Also, other strains like ‘Kalimantan‘ refers to other Indonesian parts of the island.

Indonesian Kratom is the only type you can use for consecutive days because there are so many different varieties that vary considerably. You just have to rotate the right strains. As you see on the picture above, there are 3 separate Indonesian islands that produce different types of Kratom.  If you ever see a strain just labeled ‘Indo’ without giving a specific place, it’s likely a blend.

While almost all major commercial Kratom comes from the South Pacific, in and around Indonesia, the effects can vary significantly.

You will simply have to try different type to see what agrees with you.

• Continued in
  "How to Use Kratom, Lifestyle & Dosing (Part II)"