Traditional kratom consumption and commercial 7OH products share a plant but very little else. Understanding the difference is foundational.
Traditional kratom tea
Leaf is dried, ground and brewed in hot water, often with additives to mask the bitterness. Preparation is a skill, doses are measured in grams of leaf, and the alkaloid content of any given batch of leaf is variable – which means the strength of a cup varies with every batch of leaf.
This is the traditional format, and it is what most early research into kratom looked at.
Concentrated 7OH tablets
A pressed tablet containing a measured milligram dose of concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine – an alkaloid that occurs in leaf at well under 0.1%, which is precisely why it has to be extracted rather than brewed. Flavoured, pre-dosed, batch-tested and labelled.
Side by side
| Kratom tea | 7OH tablets | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Brewed whole-leaf preparation | Pressed concentrated extract |
| Scale | Grams of leaf | Milligrams of alkaloid |
| Alkaloid profile | Full spectrum of leaf alkaloids | Isolated 7-hydroxymitragynine |
| Precision | Variable – depends on the leaf | Fixed per tablet, batch tested |
| Convenience | Requires preparation time and technique | No preparation |
| Margin for error | Wider | Narrow – milligrams matter |
Why the difference matters
The gap between grams and low milligrams is roughly a thousandfold. Treating a 12mg 7OH tablet as “a strong cup of tea” is a category error with real consequences – it is why these products are pre-dosed and labelled per milligram, and why our dosage guide exists.
Where mitragynine sits between them
Mitragynine products – tablets, hot chocolate, powder – are closer to the traditional end of the spectrum, because mitragynine is the alkaloid the plant produces in quantity. They are still concentrated and measured in milligrams rather than grams, but the relative potency is lower than 7OH.
Which to choose
- You want the traditional format and are willing to source and brew leaf: tea. We do not sell leaf.
- You want no preparation and a fixed dose: pre-dosed 7OH tablets.
- You want a lower relative potency to start with: mitragynine products.
- You are new altogether: read What is 7OH? and 7OH vs kratom first.
Do not treat them as equivalent
Whatever you choose, do not stack products or substitute one for another on the same day. One product, one measured serving, one per day maximum.
Related reading
Compare and choose
Every product page states the alkaloid and the milligrams per unit.
