What Are the Best Kratom Storage Methods?

Many kratom enthusiasts tend to agree that the best kratom is fresh kratom, right? Even if you don’t care about how fresh your kratom is, there are many reasons to care about how you store your kratom.

As with most things kratom-related, the internet hosts some contradictory information on how to store kratom. For one, there are different storage methods depending on how long you want to store kratom. For example, long-term kratom storage has different requirements than storing kratom for the short term.

How Long Is Kratom’s Shelf-Life?

So, how long can you keep kratom fresh? Well, the maximum shelf-life of kratom is two years. That’s a long time for an herb, but keep in mind that you’ll only get two years out of your kratom if you store it correctly and under optimum conditions.

After two years, kratom’s chemical compounds begin to break down. If you store it improperly, the compounds may start to break down before two years. In this article, we’ll discuss not only the importance of proper kratom storage but also the best ways to store kratom for your needs. Let’s get into it.

The Importance of Storing Kratom: More than Just Alkaloids

As many kratom enthusiasts know, most of kratom’s properties come from the chemical composition found in Mitragyna speciosa leaves. Not only does kratom contain over 40 structurally related alkaloids, but kratom plants contain a variety of other compounds, including phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and tannins.

As with other herbs, the complex interaction between kratom’s compounds can be affected by temperature, moisture, sunlight, and other conditions. How you store kratom can determine how fresh it stays, how quickly it goes old, and the rate at which it oxidizes. If you don’t keep kratom fresh, not only can it lose alkaloids and potency, but it can be exposed to contaminants like mold, bacteria, and other pathogens.

Tips for The Best Ways to Store Kratom

The internet is full of life hacks, tips, and advice, but not all of it is accurate. As kratom research is lacking overall, knowing the best way to store it isn’t as straightforward as it seems. Here are some kratom storage tips and answers to common questions, which can be useful whether you plan on storing kratom-long term or just for several weeks.

1. Keep Kratom Out of the Light

Light exposure is a key process in bringing out certain alkaloids in the kratom leaves. Not only do different types of lighting conditions affect alkaloid content in growing kratom plants, but the different types of light waves play a key role in the post-harvest drying process for creating different kratom strains.

However, when you buy kratom, it has already been exposed to a specific type of light for a specific amount of time to produce its particular alkaloid profile. It no longer needs to be in the light. When kratom products are exposed to UV rays, it accelerates the breakdown of certain chemical compounds and alkaloids.

When this happens, your kratom powder, kratom leaves, or kratom extracts can start to lose their potency. Furthermore, you may find that it starts to lose the characteristics of its strain, as its ratios of different alkaloid concentrations change.

1Hanifah, H & Hadisoebroto, G & Dewi, L. (2021). Comparison of phenolic, flavonoid, and tannin contents from ethanol extract of Kratom stem (Mitragyna speciosa Korth.) and senggani flower (Melastoma malabathrium L.). Journal of Physics: Conference Series. 1869. 012002. 10.1088/1742-6596/1869/1/012002

So, it’s better to store kratom in someplace out of the sun, such as:

• Cupboards
• Cabinets
• Drawers
• Closets
• Light-proof bag

You can also find various light-proof containers for storing kratom. Just make sure that whatever storage package you choose to keep kratom in is moisture-resistant.

2. Keep it Cool, Dry, and Consistent in Temperature

Regardless of whether or not you are a cool person, your kratom powders, capsules, or extracts are required to be “chill.” Store your kratom in a location that is not only on the cooler side (at least under 70ºF), but doesn’t fluctuate in temperature.

For example, if your kitchen cabinet is right next to the stove or oven and you use those kitchen appliances regularly, it might not be the best place to store kratom. As with most goods, it’s better to avoid temperature that changes significantly throughout the day or months.

Furthermore, if you live in a humid environment or it gets humid when it rains, keeping a dehumidifier can help reduce the moisture in your place of residence, which can improve not only the shelf-life of kratom but various foods and other goods as well. Keeping the air conditioner on also helps reduce moisture levels in your home.

3. But Don’t Refrigerate Kratom

While the refrigerator might seem like a good place to keep kratom cool and at a consistent temperature, it’s not the best place to keep kratom because of the moisture content. Kratom is best preserved when it’s dry—that’s why in the US, kratom powders are more popular than kratom leaves (they’re easier to control moisture levels).

While refrigerators can be cold, dry environments, that’s only the case if you hardly ever open them. Even opening your refrigerator several times a week can increase its humidity point for the long run.

Additionally, if a loaf of bread or any other food in a refrigerator gets moldy, you risk getting the spores on your kratom container. This is not ideal as they can end up in the kratom when you open it.

4. Can You Freeze Kratom? Read These Tips First

While other online sources will recommend that you store kratom in the freezer, the verdict is still out. Some people believe that freezing kratom can preserve some of its alkaloids, there is no available research regarding how storing kratom in the freezer affects its composition.

The most significant issue with freezing kratom is the potential for moisture exposure and condensation. When you take frozen food out of the freezer, the frozen water on the outside melts and condensates. So if you store kratom in the freezer for a while and it gets exposed to water inside of it, when you take it out and it condensates, there’s a chance that water molecules from the melting ice could get inside when you open the package.

If you do choose to store your kratom in the freezer, here are some tips:

1. Store kratom in a tightly-sealed package that is moisture-proof and vapor-proof.
2. Store kratom in a mason jar or freezer bag (that is meant specifically for freezer storage).
3. Wrap the mason jar or freezer-made storage container in freezer paper or aluminum foil to reduce condensation.
4. Keep a hygrometer in your freezer to monitor moisture levels.

Keeping your freezer clean is ideal, and you can reduce moisture by running a dehumidifier in the summer months and by turning the air conditioner on. You can place your dehumidifier in the same room as your freezer if you choose to freeze your kratom.

5. Use Oxygen-Absorbers

This tip for storing kratom is a bit lesser-known, but it may be helpful for keeping kratom fresh. Every time you open your kratom bag or container, it will inevitably be exposed to certain amounts of oxygen. However, it’s best to keep kratom as least exposed to oxygen as possible, because kratom oxidizes when it is exposed to oxygen for lengths of time.

So the first thing you can do is seal your kratom tightly and get as much air out of the bag as possible. If you’re using a mason jar or hard container, you can look into buying a vacuum attachment to remove the oxygen, especially if you’re storing kratom for long periods of time.

The other thing that you can do is buy oxygen absorbers, or make your own oxygen absorbers using salt and iron. There are various ways to do this, and it can be helpful to use oxygen absorbers if storing kratom for long periods of time. How oxygen absorbers work is that the iron reacts with the oxygen in your kratom container and oxidizes, which reduces the amount of oxygen available to interact with the kratom.

How to Store Kratom for Different Lengths of Time

Now that we’ve covered all of the tips for Kratom Storage 101, let’s discuss some of the various ways you can adjust your storage methods for different purposes.

Storing Kratom for Daily Purposes

If you’re taking your kratom with you somewhere or keeping it at home, you don’t have to take as many precautions as you would storing kratom long-term. If you have a small amount of kratom and plan on going through it quickly, you can keep it in any airtight, anti-moisture package and keep it out of the sun in a cool place.

Although the ideal kratom package for long-term storage is one that doesn’t let in light, it’s okay to put kratom in a transparent package for daily protection as long as it’s out of the sunlight. As always, make sure to keep it dry. If taking kratom with you somewhere, you can keep it in your backpack in a dedicated pocket that is away from any food or water.

Kratom powder is messy, so the together you can seal the package, the less kratom will come out and get all over everything you love.

Storing Kratom for Longer Periods of Time

If you buy bulk kratom quantities to keep on hand for later, you want to make sure that you store it somewhere cool, dry, and dark. One method of storing bulk kratom for lengths of time is to create a dedicated storage space that’s out of the sunlight.

If you’ve opened a large container of kratom, such as a kilo kratom bag, you may want to divide the remaining kratom into smaller containers to store it. Make sure that the containers are able to keep out moisture and air. After you’ve divided up the bulk kratom powder into smaller, airtight bags, you can then take these bags and put them into a larger container to organize them. A vacuum sealer comes in handy.

Then, when you want to open one of these bags of kratom, you don’t have to expose all of the kilo packages to the environment. Instead, you can just take a smaller bag and go through that while the rest of the bulk kratom products remain tightly sealed.

What Are the Best Kratom Storage Containers?

Now that we’ve covered all of the different ways to store kratom and the best places to keep kratom, we’ll wrap things up by comparing the different containers for storing kratom.

• Mylar Bags: When you buy kratom powders and kratom capsules in smaller quantities, they often come in mylar bags. Mylar bags can be sealed with an iron, and they are airtight, making them good for short-term storage and long-term storage if kept sealed well. However, mylar bags are not good for freezing kratom or transporting it around, as they can be torn.

• Vacuum-Sealed Bags: Vacuum-sealed bags are good for storing kratom long-term, or in the freezer if you choose to do so. They must be sealed well in order to work, however, and aren’t ideal for storing kratom short-term.

• Ziploc Bags: Ziploc bags are not as airtight as Mylar bags, so they’re not ideal for long-term kratom storage. However, large Ziploc bags work well as a consolidation bag for placing other smaller Mylar kratom bags within them.
• Mason Jars: Mason jars are an excellent way to store kratom long-term, as they provide an excellent barrier from moisture and air. That being said, you cannot squeeze the air out of them without a vacuum attachment, so if you use Mason jars, be sure to include plenty of up-to-date oxygen absorbers.

While it’s best to keep kratom out of the light, the transparency of the kratom storage container isn’t super important. Just make sure that you keep kratom out of the sunlight, whatever the container.

Final Thoughts

The quality of kratom has a lot to do with its freshness. It’s not enough to merely buy kratom from a quality vendor—you need to make sure you take proper measures storing it to maintain its freshness.

Here at Mitragaia, we strive to keep our kratom tightly sealed in every quantity so that it reaches your doorstep fresh. Our smaller kratom bags (up to 250 kg) come in resealable black mylar bags, making basic kratom storage easy.

Our bulk kratom/kratom kilos come in vacuum-sealed bags that are airtight. For optimal freshness, we recommend transferring the bulk kratom powders into smaller separate bags after you’ve opened the kilo bag. This is especially important for strains like our Plantation Maeng Da kratom varieties, which are delivered fresh from the farms in Indonesia.