MAENG DA and HORN kratom

The underside of a maeng da kratom leaf. Notice the multiple points along the edges.

MAENG DA ... in the house!

There's horn kratom and maeng da. In the powder world they are thought of as two separate strains. But in the plant world, there is only one mitragyna speciosa, and these terms don't refer to separate strains of plants at all, but rather visual characteristics expressed in some kratom leaves.

Maeng da is a colloquial Thai term that means "pimp grade," and is used at the farmer's discretion to indicate his stronger powders. Leaves that feature horns and ruffles are anecdotally considered to be higher in alkaloids than unhorned kratom (Indonesian farmers separate them into distinct batches during harvest), and the words horn and maeng da insinuate you're getting stronger powder.

The horned protrusions are the result of a genetic mutation that affect some, but not all, kratom specimens. Horned leaves and unhorned leaves can appear together on the same tree.

The Thai plant in the photo above is a beauty and we are enjoying watching some of her leaves develop into the crown jewel of the kratom family. We will take a few cuttings in the coming weeks that may produce more of these beautiful leaves, because the mother from which they will be cut has that genetic mutation.

NOTE: the picture above was taken from the underside of the leaf as the light from a row of T5 bulbs penetrated through it. The top of the leaf is dark green. The red veins are visible from both the top and bottom. In the photo below, dark green leaves are reflecting an LED grow light.

Beautiful horned kratom leaf on a tree grown from seed at Magick Powers Potions. Horned leaves are the result of a genetic mutation.