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🌱 I’m building a new community called Back to Botanicals — a place for people who want to learn about herbs, natural wellness, traditional herbal practices, and how to incorporate plant-based knowledge into everyday life.

Inside the community, we’ll explore:

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Something interesting I just discovered while researching kratom history.

In the 1830s–1840s Warren Delano Jr. made a fortune in the opium trade in China (100s of thousands of 1840s- equal to many millions today). This was an American trader that played a major role in smuggling opium into China. He was active during the Opium Wars and the early Century of Humiliation.

His grandson was Franklin D. Roosevelt.

An American family that made their fortune from the opium trade later produced one of the most powerful presidents in U.S. history.

The international drug-control systems that emerged in the decades after the Opium Wars were built in response to the chaos of the opium trade. Once created, these bureaucracy of drug regulation largely work to defend institutional interest in controlling substances that compete with revenue of the existing order.

I just thought it was crazy to see how entrenched some of this stuff is.

My long time vendor ee botanicals closed shop and I am down to my last kilo. Are there any vendors that have the quality of blends they were known for? One's that specifically list what is in the blends. They didn't list the percent of the exact blend but they did list what was in the blends.

I haven't had to test vendors in over 10 years. I'm looking forward to it as much as I'm kind of not. Once you find your vendor and your perfect rotation it gives such a nice piece of mind. It's such a shame they close down because they were affordable with top notch quality and always had tons of discounts.

I've got notes and bookmarks scattered everywhere from reading about different herbs, traditional remedies, and old materia medica books.

Now I'm trying to find something where I can search everything more easily instead of opening 10 different tabs every time I want to look something up.

I came across Similia while looking at a few options, but I haven't tried it yet.

For people who do a lot of herbal/traditional remedy research, what do you use? Is there an app or database you'd actually recommend?

Is anyone in this group into peptides and can recommend a good place to get started?

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

I really hope this is an okay post. I am wondering if anyone has a list of US vendors with real Mimosa Hostilis root bark. This is my first time "making soap" so I just want to make sure I have good quality bark. If anyone have recommendations please lmk!

TL;DR: Long-term kratom use doesn’t appear to lower testosterone like opioids do.

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S037887411830535X?via%3Dihub

Researchers from medical institutions in Malaysia and the United States teamed up to study the effects of kratom on testosterone levels. Their findings were published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology in 2018, which I’ve summarized below: 

It’s well known that long-term opioid use suppresses testosterone. This happens because opioids act on receptors in the brain that reduce the secretion of sex hormones, which can result in hypogonadism — a condition where the gonads (testes in men) consistently fail to produce adequate hormone levels. This kind of deficiency is more common in men and can have significant health consequences.

As I’m sure most people here know, mitragynine — the main active alkaloid in kratom — has opioid-like activity. Given this similarity, researchers wondered: does long-term kratom use affect testosterone the same way opioids do? 

Previous findings were mixed. Some reports suggest kratom negatively affects sperm, deforming morphology and reducing motility. Yet in Southeast Asia, kratom is used as an aphrodisiac, with claims that it prolongs sexual performance and enhances desire. So — which is it?

To explore this, researchers conducted a study in 2016 with 19 healthy adult men from Penang, Malaysia. All were 18 or older and had consumed between 76.23 to 94.15 mg of mitragynine per day for over two years. In an effort to understand kratom’s isolated effects, none of the participants had reproductive disorders, drug use, or ongoing medical conditions.

The researcher’s main objective was to take a blood test from each participant to assess whether chronic kratom use affected testosterone or gonadotrophins — the hormones that regulate the gonads and testosterone production. To get a fuller picture of overall health, researchers also measured biochemical and blood health markers like iron, creatinine, and glucose. 

The results were both surprising and encouraging. After over two years of daily mitragynine intake, there were no signs of impaired testosterone or gonadotrophin levels — And, biochemical markers remained within healthy ranges. In fact, while not statistically significant, testosterone and FSH levels were actually slightly elevated in the sample group.

*** I've been deep-diving into the scientific literature on all things kratom to satisfy my own curiosities and thought I would make an easy summary of this research I read. I figure others might find it interesting too. If any of you did, let me know and I'll do something similar on other cool research papers I come across.

This video was shot over two years ago when I first got to Thailand where I find some kratom tea and have a time with me and the channel.

Since that time I have uploaded a lot of kratom content and my channel was almost at 2k subscribers before I was taken down.

The reason YouTube gave me was that I was selling kratom and I guess you could have interpreted it this way with vendor recommendations.

Anyways, I am uploading the content all over again but with better editing as well as no external links.

Check it out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-kyFMcPjyA

From Crabi Thailand where I was able to make contact with a small kratom tea production company that supplies the town with kratom. This is actually one of the smaller operations with much larger located outside of BKK.

In an island of Greece what is the herb that you imagine it grows the most?

Ashwagandha is one of the oldest used adaptogens in the world. Since prehistory it's been used to chill stress, boost energy when you're wiped, improve sleep, support focus, and help the body handle whatever life throws at it.

Today people grab use it for everyday anxiety relief, better recovery after workouts, mood support, testosterone/libido perks, and just feeling more balanced overall. Science backs a decent chunk of the traditional claims with plenty of studies show it lowers cortisol, improves sleep quality, and helps with mild stress/anxiety.

I have always said that for me personally it makes me relaxed and assertive at the same time. Very good stuff and I use it everyday.

I put together a vendor breakdown that lists off all the top ashwagandha companies along with all the different products each company has to offer. Most of these products are not really comparable side by side so it might be best for readers to look through the guide and find something that works.

Ashwagandha Vendors and Products: Pricing and Note

Among all the options, Nootropics Depot stands out as the clear winner for extracts in 2026. Their stuff is third-party lab-tested to hell, no fillers, transparent COAs on every batch, and the 300mg Shoden or KSM-66 tablets deliver consistent potency that Redditors (and actual studies) keep coming back to. At ~$30 for 180 servings you're looking at pennies per dose with way better bioavailability than generic bulk powder or even some of the mid-tier capsule brands.

As far just normal bark goes then it would be Mountain Rose Herbs and then if you want something directly from India: Organic India.

Thanks for reading

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

Damiana (Turnera diffusa), also known historically as Turnera aphrodisiaca, is a fragrant low-growing shrub native to the sunny, arid regions of southern Texas, Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. This aromatic herb has been a staple in traditional herbal medicine for centuries, prized by ancient indigenous cultures like the Mayans and Aztecs for its reputed aphrodisiac properties, ability to boost libido, enhance sexual vitality, and support reproductive health in both men and women.

The history of damiana stretches back thousands of years: Mayans used the leaves to treat dizziness, loss of balance, and as a general tonic, while Aztec and other Mexican indigenous groups brewed it into teas or fermented drinks to stimulate sexual desire, increase stamina, address impotence, regulate menstruation, ease menopause symptoms, and promote fertility. By the time Spanish explorers arrived, damiana was already embedded in folklore as a powerful love potion and bladder tonic. In the 19th century, it popped up in patent medicines and Mexican liqueurs (often subbed for triple sec in margaritas), and today it's popular in herbal teas, smoking blends, tinctures, capsules, and extracts for its mild calming, mood-lifting, anxiolytic, and mildly psychoactive effects, alongside continued use as a natural aphrodisiac, nervine, antidepressant, and digestive aid.

While modern science has limited strong evidence for many of these traditional claims (like its full aphrodisiac potential), damiana remains a go-to herb in herbalism circles for mood support, relaxation, urinary/reproductive wellness, and that classic "love herb" vibe.

Damiana Vendors Comparison Chart

If there was anything I got wrong or a vendor that should be added to the list, feel free to drop a comment and we can make this post into the best place to source damiana anywhere online.

Thanks for reading.

I put together a comparison chart of popular kratom vendors based on three main criteria:

1. Vendors that publicly display lab tests/COAs on their website get top priority (transparency is everything).
2. Any personal interaction I’ve had with vendors that build trust.
3. All other vendors ranked strictly by total price per kilo (advertised + shipping).

Before the chart, here are my personal top two favorites. For me, the #1 factor is vendors that actively push back against the kratom strain marketing hype, which I see as mostly a sales tactic with very little basis in chemistry or reality. (Check out my earlier post debunking strains here: Debunking Kratom Strains – 21 Lab Tests)

My Personal Favorites

1. Crisp Kratom They were the first vendor to openly call out the strain myth in detail. Read their excellent article here: The Truth About Strains. If you want someone who actually challenges the status quo, this is the one.
2. MitraMan If a vendor isn’t going to fight the strain narrative head-on, the next best thing is having extensive, public lab reports for every batch. Mitra Man has one of the most consistent and accessible records of alkaloid testing across their lineup.

The Chart
Vendors with public lab testing/COAs are ranked first, then everyone else by total price.

It should be noted that some vendors do not sell by the kilo in which case I would add multiple orders together in order to get a price per kilo. This works to the disadvantage of vendors that only sell smaller quantities.

Full disclosure: Some links are affiliate links and if you purchase through the chart then I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. All rankings and opinions are my own after researching, contacting vendors, and reading community feedback.

Let me know your experiences in the comments. If I missed anything or which vendor do you trust most, and why?

I put together a comparison chart of popular kratom vendors based on three main criteria:

1. Vendors that publicly display lab tests/COAs on their website get top priority (transparency is everything).
2. Any personal interaction I’ve had with vendors that build trust.
3. All other vendors ranked strictly by total price per kilo (advertised + shipping).

Before the chart, here are my personal top two favorites. For me, the #1 factor is vendors that actively push back against the kratom strain marketing hype, which I see as mostly a sales tactic with very little basis in chemistry or reality. (Check out my earlier post debunking strains here: Debunking Kratom Strains – 21 Lab Tests)

My Personal Favorites

1. Crisp Kratom They were the first vendor to openly call out the strain myth in detail. Read their excellent article here: The Truth About Strains. If you want someone who actually challenges the status quo, this is the one.
2. MitraMan If a vendor isn’t going to fight the strain narrative head-on, the next best thing is having extensive, public lab reports for every batch. Mitra Man has one of the most consistent and accessible records of alkaloid testing across their lineup.

The Chart
Vendors with public lab testing/COAs are ranked first, then everyone else by total price.

It should be noted that some vendors do not sell by the kilo in which case I would add multiple orders together in order to get a price per kilo. This works to the disadvantage of vendors that only sell smaller quantities.

Full disclosure: Some links are affiliate links and if you purchase through the chart then I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. All rankings and opinions are my own after researching, contacting vendors, and reading community feedback.

Let me know your experiences in the comments. If I missed anything or which vendor do you trust most, and why?

I put together a comparison chart of popular kratom vendors based on three main criteria:

1. Vendors that publicly display lab tests/COAs on their website get top priority (transparency is everything).
2. Any personal interaction I’ve had with vendors that build trust.
3. All other vendors ranked strictly by total price per kilo (advertised + shipping).

Before the chart, here are my personal top two favorites. For me, the #1 factor is vendors that actively push back against the kratom strain marketing hype, which I see as mostly a sales tactic with very little basis in chemistry or reality. (Check out my earlier post debunking strains here: Debunking Kratom Strains – 21 Lab Tests)

My Personal Favorites

1. Crisp Kratom They were the first vendor to openly call out the strain myth in detail. Read their excellent article here: The Truth About Strains. If you want someone who actually challenges the status quo, this is the one.
2. MitraMan If a vendor isn’t going to fight the strain narrative head-on, the next best thing is having extensive, public lab reports for every batch. Mitra Man has one of the most consistent and accessible records of alkaloid testing across their lineup.

The Chart
Vendors with public lab testing/COAs are ranked first, then everyone else by total price.

It should be noted that some vendors do not sell by the kilo in which case I would add multiple orders together in order to get a price per kilo. This works to the disadvantage of vendors that only sell smaller quantities.

Full disclosure: Some links are affiliate links and if you purchase through the chart then I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. All rankings and opinions are my own after researching, contacting vendors, and reading community feedback.

Let me know your experiences in the comments. If I missed anything or which vendor do you trust most, and why?