How To Use Kratom on a Daily Basis

Howdy, I'm Chris.

I'm 41 years old. 

I've used Kratom for over 17 years which includes over a decade of daily use. 

I've learned a lot and I have a clean bill of health.

Plain-leaf Kratom is the foundation of my "Kratom Lifestyle" (daily use).

In this post, I will discuss how I approach this.

As I always preface -

My Kratom Lifestyle works for me. Everyone is different. Not everyone should consider daily use or even use Kratom at all. My experience is not atypical, however, I'm a "hyper-responder" to Kratom and user results will vary.

I will make sure to discuss the "informed decision" considerations for daily use in an upcoming post. The Kratom Lifestyle is definitely not for everyone. 

Make sure you maintain a healthy relationship with Kratom.

Unlike the comprehensive novels in the links above, my day-to-day approach is fairly simple and hasn't changed since 2009. 

I can keep this reasonably short!

Disclaimer: Kratom is not a dietary supplement or a drug. There are no accepted medical or clinical applications for Kratom. Kratom is not a substitute for prescription drugs. Please talk to your physician if you use or plan to use Kratom or any botanical compound, especially if you're considering following the "Kratom Lifestyle".

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How I Use Kratom on a Daily Basis
(Optimal Effects | Prevent Tolerance) 

I use Kratom daily and I have mostly done so since a post-knee surgery procedure (partial patellar tendon repair, left knee) in the summer of 2008 before entering Law School at the University of San Diego.

I've used Kratom every day of my life for the past decade. 

I largely use Kratom for patience, concentration, and as an "anti-fatigue agent" to give more peak attention hours to work and family. 

While I've used upward of 100 grams/day, ultimately smaller controlled daily servings are best for maximum effectiveness.

These days -

I use about 14-32 grams a day (generally closer to 32 grams) over 3 or 4 servings of 6 to 8 grams each.

Somedays, I will exceed 32 grams, other days might be closer to 12 to 16 grams.

It largely depends what's on my agenda, if I'm using other performance-enhancing compounds, and frankly, how much Kratom I "need". 

I never use more than 48 grams a day.

I rarely less than 12 grams a day. 

I've been in this serving size range since the birth of my first child in 2021.

Below are 2 primary approaches that I have followed.

Both require deliberately "rotating strains" to keep receptors guessing and manage tolerance.

The general concept is to use as little Kratom as possible to generate the largest "return on consumption" (ROC) or "effects" as possible.

Ideally, you want to keep your "baseline serving" as low and consistent as possible and never have to increase it for any period over 24 hours.

I have found both protocols below to be effective (Kratom continues to 'work') and tolerance remains in check (I can have less on any given day without a noticeable drop in performance or mood).

That is the basis for my 2 approaches to the Kratom Lifestyle -

Use a Different Kratom Strain Every Time (Current Approach)

This is what I currently do. 

Basically -

I use a different strain at EVERY serving. 

I will never repeat a strain in a 24-hour period.
(I will break this rule if a certain strain really resonates well but it's fairly rare)

Since I use 3 to 5 servings in a day, I'll use 3 to 5 different strains each day.

Generally, if I'm on the go or require physical energy - I will plan to use a Fast Leaf. The evenings and the nights are generally reserved for Moderate or Slow Leaf. 

I work from home so there's really not a lot of Fast strain use unless I'm low on sleep.
(notably - Fast strains tend to work quite well since I rarely use them)

This approach requires the user to have a lot of strains on-hand but the more strains you have, the more you can mix things up and keep your servings low.

One of the benefits of founding and working at a Kratom company is - there are always plenty of varieties on-hand and it's super easy to rotate strains. 

This might not be practical for the average person, however:

The more strains you can rotate - the lower you can keep your tolerance.

The lower you keep your tolerance - the better the Kratom works - and the less Kratom you have to buy. 

Given the choice - I would advise daily users to secure smaller amounts of multiple strains rather than larger amounts of just a few strains. 

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Notice the Pink and Green...! (that's us!)
via Chief Technology Officer (Matt) and his drone

Use a Different Kratom Strain Every Day For 1 Week (Previous Approach)

This is what I used to do and I still recommend it. 

It's super easy to plan and follow.

Basically - 

I use a different strain EVERYDAY over 7 days.

It helps to rotate daily varieties, speeds, and colors.

For example -

1. Monday: Elite Elephant - Green - Malaysian)
2. Tuesday: Rockstar Hippo (Fast - White - Maeng Da) *gym day*
3. Wednesday: Happy Hippo I (Moderate - Green - Indo)
4. Thursday: Hyper Hippo (Fast - Green - Maeng Da) *gym day* 
5. Friday: Sassy Hippo (Moderate - Yellow - Indo)  
6. Saturday: Thunder Hippo (Fast - White - Super Malaysian) *gym day*
7. Sunday: Smiley Horned Hippo (Slow - Red - Horned) *chill day*

Back when I hit the gym 3 or 4 days a week - Fast Leaf would be reserved for those days.

Thunder Hippo for squats. Rockstar Hippo for back. Hyper Hippo for bench.

Sunshine Hippo or Red Hot Hippo for less intense workouts. 

Thai strains work great too.

Back when I had fewer familial responsibilities and could kick back on Sundays and watch football - Magic Hippo or Smiley Horned Hippo would be on the schedule.

This was a great approach and I highly recommend it.

There's really no reason that I abandoned this "Only One Strain Everyday" approach other than I like having the flexibility to calibrate my state and pick whichever Kratom strain/speed at any given serving of the day. 

While technically you only need (7) strains to execute this strategy, I recommend at least (10) strains so there are 10 days between use.

Having 12 or 14 strains on your shelf is even better but it's not fully necessary. 

The more strains you use (and days between use), the better you will continue to respond without increasing serving size. 

I've found that either of these approaches work great and is infinitely better than the story I'm about to tell you...

'Feeding American Heroes' local community service
(May 2024)

How I Accidentally Figured Out the Daily Use Hack (2007?)

I was a Kratom consumer long before Happy Hippo was founded in 2013.

I was ordering the sharpie-marked "plastic bags" using "send money to a friend" (PayPal) just like anyone who discovered Kratom in the 2000's.

Those were the days!

There wasn't a ton of information on how to use Kratom daily and how to keep it working.

As far as I remember -

I don't recall ever seeing a protocol published of "rotating" strains to withstand daily-use tolerance. It was mostly people commenting on how a specific strain felt on various forums, often talking in "not for human consumption" code that was hard to understand. 

I'm sure people were "rotating" strains to withstand tolerance but I discovered it by accident.

Here's the story -

I ran into a strain called "Thai ONG Phat" that I had never tried before.
(likely similar to our Atomic Green Hippo)

My first experience was nothing short of amazing.

You know when a new strain just hits so well? 

A strain that makes you feel like a totally new user all over again?

That's the "Kratom Hug".

It's the best!

"Thai ONG Phat" was him. 

Thrilled with my discovery, I proceeded to use "Thai ONG Phat" for nearly 10 weeks straight, multiple times a day with no other strains or breaks in between.

Needless to say, around week 4 - this incredible strain basically stopped working. 

By week 6 - other than my morning serving - it actually started giving me the "wobbles" (zombies). I was totally zoned out and just going through the motions in life. I had very little motivation and slammed Low-Carb Monster Energy Drinks to help my energy levels.

Yet, I continued taking "Thai ONG Phat" for another 4 weeks hoping for a different result.

Insanity!

Aside from how I felt, I was super disappointed that this amazing strain stopped working.

I thought I really found something special. :-(

As I began my 10th week, a new bag of "Thai ONG Phat" arrived in the mail. My order had a little sample of some random Yellow Kratom. I had never tried Yellow Kratom and the serving was so small that I didn't think it would do anything. 

Thankfully, I had enough sense to try the Yellow sample and it totally worked. I felt like a new person within 10 minutes.

More importantly, it dawned on me that it was my fault "Thai ONG Phat" stopped working and my "strategy" of using the same strain to "save money" for months on end may have been the problem.

Something else was going on...

The random Yellow Kratom sample totally worked, just like the Thai ONG Phat worked so well 10 weeks ago.

Damn. 

I probably lost over a month of my life as a "same-strain zombie".

* This was the "Very Early Online Kratom" era, there wasn't the trial and error user feedback like there is today.

From that point forward, I slowly began to realize that "rotating" strains as much as possible was the key to maintaining effectiveness and keeping tolerance to any one strain as low as possible. 

It was the most important Kratom insight that I ever had.

ROTATE STRAINS.

ROTATE STRAINS.

ROTATE STRAINS!

Had I not accidentally discovered this "rotation" approach, my entire life may have gone a different direction. Among other things - Happy Hippo would not exist and I would have undoubtedly gotten into "other substances" that are far less forgiving. 

So yeah... don't use the same strain for months on end.  

Rotate strains like your quality of life depends on it!

It might...

Happy Hippo Plain-Leaf Kratom Packaged in our AKA-GMP Sterile Lab

How I Make Kratom (Flavored to Sip)

In my experience, there's no way to "make" Kratom that is more effective than any other method.  

Unlike the majority of users (and the majority of the Happy Hippo team) who mix their Kratom in about 4-6 oz of water - 

• I sip Kratom in 14oz of water over 1 to 3 hours (rather than eating or drinking it all at once)
  
  
• I flavor my Kratom with mostly sugar-free naturally sweetened (Stevia, Monk Fruit) packets.
  
  Specifically, "True Lemon" (these are readily available at Walmart and Target). A single sachet of "True Lemon" is ideal when mixed with 14 fl oz of water and my 6-8 grams of Kratom powder)
  
  
• I use and reuse a glass Synergy Kombucha bottle that has a large friendly-fill mouth (I avoid reusing plastic bottles due to toxins and microplastics). Synergy Kombucha is available at Walmart and Target too.

You've probably seen these two products -

True Lemon + Synergy Glass Bottle + 14 oz Water + Kratom + Shake
(note: I don't combine Kombucha with Kratom, it will explode when shaken... I did that 1 time...)

I've prepared Kratom this way for as long as I can remember. 

However, flavored stevia and monk fruit sweeteners (and Kombucha bottles) weren't around in my earlier Kratom days. At that time, I would use and reuse a 16 fl oz Gatorade bottle (reused plastic, no bueno) and cheap sucralose or aspartame water sweetener (also no bueno, repeated neurotoxins). It wasn't a healthy combo and I'm glad I got away from it.

Related: 

We are big on living a healthy plain-leaf Kratom Lifestyle.

We have a sugar-free flavored plain leaf powder (naturally sweetened with stevia and monk fruit). 

We are very proud of this product.

If you are considering purchasing, please read the 'product description'. Our Flavored Hyper Hippo is ideal if your serving size is 4 grams or less but might be too sweet for vets who exceed 4 grams per serving.

 
The funny thing is - most people assume it's Kombucha

Do I Ever "Get Off" Kratom?
(Kratom Washout / Reset to Reclaim Effects) 

Nope.

Not intentionally anyway.

I did week-long "intentional washouts" in the past and that is definitely a way to reclaim the full effects of the Leaf for a while. 

To be honest, these days, with work and familial responsibilities (and annual proof that my health is just fine) a total washout is not necessary. The good news is - my "mega rotation" keeps the effects coming and tolerance in check. 

While a new strain or new mix might be a 9/10 or 10/10, I accept that my Kratom experience is likely to be 7/10 or 8/10 over most servings. 

If your daily servings are "still pretty good", you are doing just fine in my opinion.

The Kratom Lifestyle won't produce optimal experiences every time.

There's some amount of tolerance and an "effects ceiling" that we are signing up for.

No question. 

However, sometimes, I do "unintentional washouts".

Like most people, I catch a cold once or twice a year. 

During those periods, I will generally not use any Kratom (or a very small amount) and just stay in bed or keep myself occupied until the cold passes. 

Keep in mind though -

By temporarily discontinuing use, I'm coming off 14-32 grams, not 100 or 150 grams.

Besides, when I have a cold, Kratom barely works anyway. I use the week to lower my tolerance. I can always tell when I'm over my cold - Kratom "starts working" again.

That's a great feeling!

COVID knocked me out for nearly 4 weeks in 2021 and I got off Kratom for nearly a month. I haven't had a significant period without Kratom since and have no plans to do so.

If I intentionally want to lower my tolerance (with the goal of reclaiming ~optimal effects) I will consider using -

Stem & Vein for 4 or 5 days 

or

The same strain for an entire week.

I know...

I'd consider using the same exact strain for a week (or until it stops working), which I literally just said to not do.

Truth is, all the other strains will hit better if you adjust yourself to a single strain (alkaloid profile).

I used to do this with Happy Hippo II once a year. I would just take Happy Hippo II for an entire week and all the other strains would be more effective thereafter.

I haven't done that in a while though. I have no reason to reset my tolerance at my relatively modest 14-32 grams/day protocol.  

There are various adjacent approaches that involve combining Stem & Vein with a continuous strain (e.g. Stem & Vein + Happy Hippo II for a week) that will also gain back a few points of effectiveness to your Kratom Lifestyle.

At the end of the day - discipline and daily rotation are key to preventing tolerance and keeping your servings working reasonably well. 

Stem & Vein Has a Very Different Alkaloid Profile Than Plain Leaf
Stem & Vein is the "Stems" and "Veins" (not the Leaf) of the Kratom plant. 
Previously considered less desirable, Stem & Vein can have unique utility for daily users to mitigate tolerance.

Do I Use Kratom Extracts as a Daily Plain-Leaf User?

Yes, I use extracts, but in very specific situations and only intermittently. 

Here's the post to check out if you want to know how I strategically incorporate extracts and why. 

I respond better to plain-leaf but extracts have a place in my Kratom Lifestyle. 

My Kratom Lifestyle (Pour Conclure)

As I approach nearly 20 years of Kratom use in 2026 (including well over a decade of using Kratom on a daily basis), there will come a point where I have spent the majority of my life on Kratom.

That's pretty crazy.

Looking back and reflecting has been fun.

My final thought is -

There's a very real sedated "going through the motions" effect the daily Kratom Lifestyle can foster - no matter what strain you use. 

A "perpetual overly-content indifference" can be a real thing. 

This state can be rather subtle and it's not necessarily a "bad" feeling.   

These days, from smaller serving sizes this "perpetual indifference" isn't really a huge risk but I've definitely experienced this full-on state in the past.

If this "perpetual indifference" resembles your baseline Kratom state - it's not the way it's supposed to be.

It could be time to examine your approach to the Kratom Lifestyle - strains, serving sizes, serving frequency, rotation (key), and why you use Kratom in the first place.

I've had to do that in the past to break out of the semi-fog.

Still, unlike other compounds, I feel that my nearly 2 decades of Kratom use have been decisively positive and that is likely to continue.

Thank you for reading, if you found this post insightful or would like to suggest future topics - please comment below!

Legal note: As a business, we are not allowed to publish comments that contain "medical claims" (or medical conditions) or content that Kratom is a replacement for prescription medications. 

As of May 2024, unfortunately, our blog commenting system only supports individual comments so we can't specifically reply to questions. We will read every comment though!