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Before kratom was processed and sold commercially, the natives of Southeast Asia chewed on its leaves after removing the veins. They also dried the leaves before crushing them into a powder that could be swallowed or brewed into tea.
Fast forward to today, and you’ll find different forms of kratom on the market. Among the most popular are kratom capsules, which are preferred by many kratom enthusiasts for their ease of use and discrete nature. Another option similar to kratom capsules is kratom tablets. Despite the broad similarities between these two products, each one of them has merits and demerits that may sway the preference of different kratom users one way or the other.
Below, we’ll compare them against each other so you can make an informed decision.
What Is a Kratom Tablet?
Kratom tablets are made up of raw kratom powder that’s been compressed under extremely high temperatures to form a solid, smooth pill that disintegrates in the digestive tract. Kratom powder on its own cannot maintain its solid shape when pressed. Thus, a binding agent is used to hold the pressed pill together until it reaches the stomach.
Most kratom tablets feature binding additives such as gelatin, sucrose, starch, microcrystalline cellulose, and polyvinylpyrrolidone. They also come in various shapes and colors, and some have breaker lines so you can split your dose in half or uniform quadrants.
On the downside, kratom tablets don’t mask the bitter taste associated with kratom powder. In fact, they may take up the taste of the used binding agent, among other nasty flavors.
What Is a Kratom Capsule?
Kratom capsules are no different from other capsule medications. They feature powdered kratom enclosed in a digestible capsule. Unlike kratom tablets, capsules are odorless and tasteless. And therefore, suitable for anyone who doesn’t like kratom’s bitter taste.
There are two types of kratom capsules:
- Hard-shelled: The casing of a hard-shelled capsule is made up of two halves. Both halves fit into each other perfectly to form an enclosed outer shell. Inside, there is packed dry kratom powder.
- Soft-gel: The outer shell of soft-gel kratom is made of gelatin. And unlike hard-shelled capsules, they feature liquid instead of powder kratom.
Comparing the Unique Selling Points of Kratom Tablets and Capsules
Unadulterated Kratom Experience
If you want a pure kratom experience, kratom capsules are the winner, hands down. The capsules come with a 100 percent vegan, plant-based gelatin casing, which does not alter the powdered kratom inside. So what you get is a pure, strong kratom pill.
On the other hand, kratom tablets depend on a binding agent to maintain their solidity and shape. Often, the binding agent is not pure kratom powder. They may include another part of the kratom tree. At worst, it could be synthetic and horrible-tasting. Consequently, kratom tablets deliver a somewhat diluted kratom experience.
Taste
One of the major complaints among kratom users against kratom powder is its earthy, bitter taste. Fortunately, kratom capsules offer a reprieve. The easily digestible gel caps are tasteless and hide the bitter taste of the kratom powder they enclose.
But with kratom tablets, you shouldn’t expect much. They’re just powdered kratom pressed into pills. And since they have no casing, you should brace yourself to experience the full bitter taste of kratom. While some manufacturers may use additive ingredients to mask the flavor, this further diminishes the strength and effectiveness of the kratom tablets.
Higher Dose Capacity
Let’s assume you want to have 1,000 mg of kratom powder in a single capsule or tablet. That amount would be impossible to fit in the largest-sized capsule that most kratom users would easily swallow. It would take at least two capsules to accommodate the 1000 mg dose.
But the 1000 mg would easily fit in a single kratom tablet and wouldn’t be too big to swallow. Therefore, it makes sense to go for kratom tablets if you’re looking for a higher dose capacity from a single pill.
Affordability
Kratom tablets are less costly to produce than capsules. The tablet presses run quicker, cutting down production timelines and expenses on big batches. For example, tablet presses generate up to a million or even more tablets per hour.
Moreover, the manufacturer does not need to purchase the outer shell casing unlike in capsules. As a result, buying kratom tablets is more affordable if you’re strapped for cash.
On the other hand, producing kratom capsules is slow and expensive. The fastest capsule machine may generate about 210,000 capsules per hour. The soft gels are even more costly to produce than their hard-gelled counterparts. So the consumer would have to fork out more when buying kratom capsules at a store.
Fast-acting
Once in the body, a kratom capsule is absorbed much faster than a kratom tablet. This is because the gelatin casing on the kratom capsule is smooth and breaks down quickly when exposed to your stomach’s acid. Generally, this may take a few minutes.
While the body breaks down kratom tablets right away, the stomach takes relatively longer to absorb them completely due to its densely compacted nature. This means that they take longer to work compared to kratom capsules.
Shelf life
Kratom capsules have a shorter shelf life compared to kratom tablets. They’re also less durable and react to heat and moisture in the environment. So you need to store your capsules in a cool, dry, dark place so they don’t deteriorate quickly.
That being said, if you like buying your kratom in bulk, you should consider getting kratom tablets since they last longer than the capsules.
The Bottom Line
There’s no clear winner between kratom tablets and capsules. It all boils down to your preference. If you want a pill that can deliver a pure kratom experience, flavorless taste, and fast-acting effects, kratom capsules are your go-to option. But if you’re looking for something cheaper with a longer shelf life and higher dose capacity, then you should go for kratom tablets.