Recently the CDC announced that some 40 cases of salmonella associated with individuals who took certain batches of kratom. I’ve checked many of the sources I buy kratom from and they have suspended sales while testing goes on. Some suppliers reported to the CDC the sources of kratom with salmonella contamination. As a result, vendors are recommending a recall of any kratom purchased since January 18, 2018 to the present.
I have reason to believe that these claims of salmonella contamination in some kratom batches poses a real threat. Salmonella food poisoning is not fun and while most people get over it in a week or so (I recommend Chinese Curing Pills or Planetary Herbals “Digestive Comfort”), some can die of the condition, especially the weak and aged.
Precautions to Kill Possible Salmonella on Your Kratom
Given this, it’s best to either comply and return the kratom you purchased from your supplier from January 18, 2018 to the present or you may want to take the following precautions:
- All bacteria including salmonella die at 160 degrees Fahrenheit. This only requires a few seconds of heating at that temperature. Simply place kratom leaves or powder on a cookie sheet in the oven briefly exposing it to the requisite 160 degrees before quickly removing it and allow it to cool.
- Taking kratom as a tea made in boiling water will destroy salmonella and all other bacteria.
- Alcohol kills bacteria but it should be high proof (at least 80 proof). Make kratom tincture by first immersing kratom powder in high proof alcohol for 10 or 15 minutes. Stir it around to be sure all the powder is saturated with the alcohol. Then you can add 10% vegetable glycerin and 40% with water and a small amount of lemon juice (to potentiate kratom alkaloids). If you are making a 1:4 tincture, this means one part by weight kratom to 4 parts menstruum (water, lemon juice and glycerin). The amount of kratom tincture you need to take is 4 teaspoons.
Note: The antioxidant properties of many spices depend on their volatile oils. This is true of delicate leaves like oregano, basil, ginger – herbs with strong scent. These will degrade when heated and about 7% of the spices of this category sold may be contaminated with salmonella. When the herbs are cooked and heated the salmonella is destroyed. The therapeutic efficacy of Kratom does not depend on any volatile substances but on alkaloids which when heated to 160 degrees in an oven would render it safe for consumption.
For further information I recommend the following: