Coming Back to the Light

Hello to all our readers!

It has been a while, and for this we apologize. We're back, and ready to share more fantastic ethno-knowledge with you all. In case you are wondering, we figured we'd provide a bit of an explanation for the hiatus.

As some of you may know, our head writer, the Master Flash, suffered a catastrophic illness during the latter half of 2013. It had been a long and arduous year, and she found herself facing mortality straight on almost exactly a year ago. We decided to pool our focus and our time on making sure that she came through her hospitalizations and subsequent surgeries as healthy and happy as possible... Which meant that contacting new suppliers, obtaining samples and writing reviews all took a major backseat.

We're happy to say that the Flash has made a full recovery, and then some! The only recovery left now is the financial recovery, as long hospitalizations and life-saving surgeries do not come cheap when you do not have insurance to cover you.

Right now, we're looking at getting our feet back on the ground, to make some new connections in the ethno-world and bring you more detailed reviews of products you are considering. We will review suppliers as well as products, so if you have any place that you are considering purchasing from but would like our input on, just let us know!

You can follow our reviews, updates and more by following Master Flash on Twitter, under the handle @QuasitaLynn.

If you are interested in donating to support the financial recovery and receiving updates regarding the progress of this effort, please visit: http://www.gofundme.com/dkeoz4
We're just sharing the information, there is no pressure. If you choose to help, share or otherwise support, it is most appreciated!

Here's to a new era of ethno-goodness! Headventures await :)
HH

Herbals: Extreme Thai Kratom

Hello friends!

Yes, another review this weekend. Our friends at Best Kratom USA graced us with several products, and we have chosen to spend this weekend enjoying them and letting you know how they handle.

Today's review is of Extreme Thai Kratom, a new product from BKU. Hopefully a successful addition to the growing selection offered by this provider... and a possible alternative to other Kratoms that are provided, since different types and strains affect different people... differently!

Anyway, we were provided with only 2g of product, so just one person could try it. I had my reservations as to whether it would even be enough to notice any effects. Usually, I take 4-7g of product, because my focus is mostly on pain relief and getting a bit of a heady experience out of the deal, so 2g seemed like a minor dose. However, I went forward with the experience because I figured it would be good to learn if such a small dose would help with general anxiety, energy boosts, and taking the edge off of pain.

For such a small dose, it still took a good 40 minutes to kick in. I'm learning that this just might be the standard for these plant powders. Makes some sense, since you still have to break down the plant components to get to the good stuff inside. Can't really complain though, because when a product works, it works. This one did.
The effects of this Thai variety seemed to be subtle, yet enduring. Over the course of several hours, I felt various effects. At first, it was just a general muscle relaxation and mood enhancement, which was pleasant and enjoyable. It slowly began to work on my body pain after that. It did not wipe it out completely, but its effects on the pain plus the mood enhancement made it so that by this point, I didn't care much that I was still sore.
A little while longer, and I felt particularly limber and energized. I found myself working on a project that I have had a hard time motivating myself to concentrate on with decent ease. Stretching was gratifying, and my legs felt loose and like I could go for a run if I wanted to. All these feelings were very welcome and easily enjoyed, and I would suspect most people would embrace them much like I did.
After several hours, I felt the body temperature rise that I'm used to feeling with most Kratom strains. It was not as intense or hot as I have experienced in the past, so it was not entirely unpleasant. I did feel the effects of not drinking enough water though, and struggled to balance between enjoyment and a headache. I had forgotten one of the cardinal rules of using Kratom. DRINK LOTS OF WATER!
Overall, it was a good experience.

One downside that I have found after this weekend is that I had a backlash type of response from my muscles. After all the effects have worn off, I find myself with worse tension and pain in my shoulder than I did when I started. It could be unrelated, but I would think that if you're going to take this for the relaxation and pain relief properties, you would want to have more than just one or two doses on hand. I know I wish I did!

Anyway, I enjoyed this kratom, and was impressed at its performance with only 2g. I will give it 7.5 out of 10 nods.

Pros:
Gently increasing, solid effects
Sense of well-being and flexibility
Easily enjoyed
Small amount needed to enjoy

Cons:
Strain of plant is unknown

Visit Best Kratom USA for this product and more at www.bestkratomusa.com and let them know you read this review!

Interact with the writers of this blog at www.facebook.com/herbalheadventures

Herbals: Kava and Golden Reserve Kratom

Hello friends!

It's been a while again, and we are so happy that you are still here with us to share in our experiences.

Today we are reviewing another set of products from our friends at Best Kratom USA. This time around, they have supplied us, generously, with several samples of products. They have recently added to their product line and are continuing to work on expanding their availability and operations while striving to provide good prices and great deals for their loyal customers. We are happy to be in contact with them.

After some quick conversations, they dropped these samples in the mail and they got to us quickly. They have confirmed that they find shipping to be a priority for their customers, and we're here to say that our experiences support this fact.

Anyway, on to the products. First up, Kava and Golden Reserve Kratom. Downside? I cannot tell you what strains their products are, which is something that I struggle with. However, this doesn't mean that one cannot enjoy the product.
After some consideration, I started off with the Kava leaf. Known to be a milder supplement, Kava is a relaxation enhancer. Since it has a milder effect, I started with it on an empty stomach and with no other substances active in my system. To be honest, I didn't have many expectations... I didn't even really think I would notice any effect, because I only had 2g of herb to work with. As you may know from previous posts, I'm a bigger person, and often need larger doses. However, the hope was that the Kava would have at least a mild calming effect. The point was to take the edge off the work week and start a good relaxation for the evening.
After about 20 minutes, I re-evaluated the way that I felt. The biggest difference with this product over others, such as Kratom, is that it does not have a significant impact. That is, there is no real moment where you notice the "profound" effects. Rather, it is a gentler, smoother transition to an enhanced tranquility. It does not erase all anxiety or pain, but it does take the edge off. I would say that the supplement would probably do well for people with lower tolerances or those that need a little help relaxing for bedtime. This would not be my first choice for a regular anxiety supplement or recreational relaxation.
One thing that is very common with Kava is that it is often combined with other leafs and plant parts in products, most likely because it does provide this gentle relaxation. The state it creates paves a way for the better enjoyment of other items.
It is this enhancement that led me to add Golden Reserve Kratom.
The strain of Kratom in this product is not known at this time, so it could be a blend or a pure strain. What I can say is that it was an effective and enjoyable Kratom experience. After sitting on the Kava experience for about an hour and a half, I took 2g of Golden Reserve. After about 40 minutes, I felt the Kratom kicking in, and pleasantly so. The combination of the two products definitely seemed to be a good combination, and made it so that the smaller dosage of Kratom worked quite well for me.
This Golden Reserve did a decent job relaxing me and resolving the majority of my chronic pain. It did not give me the expected increase to my body temperature, nor did it mess with my ability to keep my thoughts focused, which are both things that can happen when taking Kratom.

Overall, I would say that this was a good experience. I would recommend trying Kava and seeing how it works for you. Since it is a cheaper supplement, it could be a better alternative for people looking for help with relaxation and aren't looking for a heady experience. Golden Reserve from Best Kratom USA is a decent product, and pairs very well with Kava. I suspect that it would also pair well with other Kratom products and other relaxation products. I would guess that if one were to combine this with Couchlock, it would be one fantastically "melty" evening.

I give this experience 7 out of 10 nods. A solid performance.

Pros:
Quick release and noticeable relaxation
Timely delivery from supplier
Pain relief
Anxiety calming

Cons:
Kava may be a little too mild for experienced users
Strains of plants are not known.

You can purchase these products and more by visiting Best Kratom USA at www.bestkratomusa.com
Let them know you read this review!
You can also connect with with both our writers and BKU on Facebook.
www.facebook.com/herbalheadventures

Herbals: Extreme UEI Kratom Capsules and Extreme Platinum Liquid Full Spectrum Kratom (Indo Bali)

Hello Friends!

It's been a while since we have had a review, and for that we apologize! As some of you may know, our main supplier of well priced and high quality products was unjustly raided at the end of June, and that paired with our limited funds has made it difficult to obtain product for review.

So, you may wonder, how have we come to have something to review now? Well, our new friends at BestKratom USA have generously provided us with free samples. As a new to the online market provider, they are currently trying to generate relationships with customers by providing samples on occasion, so that potential customers can try before they buy. It seemed a great time to try product from a new provider. Since this is a retail operation, I'm not 100% sure as to where they are getting the product. That is, I am not sure as to whether they are getting it through a wholesaler, or raising the product and deriving the tinctures themselves, but the important part is to know the quality and efficacy.

At first glance, the sample package looked like any other piece of mail, which in itself was nice. Sometimes it is nice to know that there are real people working to give you real products. I was a little skeptical because the sample was not large. I was pleasantly surprised to find a tincture as well as pills though. Seeing as I've never tried a tincture of Kratom, I was instantly looking forward to seeing how well it worked in comparison to pills.

This free sample included 4 .5g pills and one vial with approximately the same amount of liquid kratom (that is, the equivalent of 4/.5g pills). Based on my previous experience with Kratom, I decided to take all of the provided sample. Starting off with the pills, I took all 4 on a pretty full stomach. Since there has been a chunk of time since the last time I had enjoyed Kratom, it seemed to start kicking a little within 30 minutes. I had taken a couple droppers worth of liquid by this time, because I was pretty sure that it was not going to be enough on just the pills alone.

During the time that I was processing and digesting the Kratom into my system, I was in direct contact with the moderator of the Facebook page of BestKratom USA. I find this pretty cool, that they are willing to have direct conversations with consumers and answer questions. There was some difficulty in actually getting the information but after a few tries, I got the information I was looking for. What was I looking for? I was wondering what the actual strain of Kratom was. It was finally established that this product was Indonesian Bali. I have not tried an enhanced Indo blend before, so I was even more looking forward to the experience.

After about 40 minutes, a noticeable relaxation effect was established. Using a specific spot in my back for pain management impact, I began flexing and moving my muscles to gauge the effect. My pain levels have been pretty escalated over the last couple of days, so I was really hoping for a good amount of relief, if not complete relief.
While the owner insisted that only one pill was needed for a successful dose, I will say that one should continue to dose as personally needed. As is pretty well established in the Kratom industry, 2g is considered the active dosage level. This is why I started with all 4 pills instead of taking just one, and by my experience, these pills are not much more potent than others that I have tried. There's no doubt in my mind that a .5g dose of this product would not have had much, if any, positive effect. That's not to say that it's a crappy product. It's more to say that it's completely adequate, and one should have discretion when dosing in order to have a positive experience.
I added the tincture because while the 2g worth of pills I took were having a calming effect, they were having little to no effect on the pain points in my body. At most, this amount was maybe soothing the outer edge of some of the sharper pains. This, I will say, is a good thing, as most Kratom (for me) needs significantly more product in order to really touch my body pain.
The addition of the tincture was a huge plus though. The flavor was a very strong grape-like flavor, rather tart and definitely in need of dilution. This was easily accomplished with water and soda, so I would not be concerned over the flavor impact. When the liquid made contact with my tongue, it did numb it, much like the gel used by a dentist prior to a novacaine shot, so that was a bit pleasant, and showed me that it had some concentrated numbing properties. I imbibed the entirety of the vial provided, and settled in to monitor the effects as they came.

I am happy to say that this product did pretty well. After about an hour and a half, the full effect had settled in. While I still had a modicum of body discomfort, the main pain point that I was gauging by was significantly relieved. Compared to other strains, this was definitely a bonus, as it took 2-3g less than what I generally take to achieve this effect.
My mood was noticeably elevated, and my body felt pretty good. I was able to stretch, twist, and was almost annoyingly bouncing around a bit. Ultimately, I have decided that this was definitely a decent product, and worth the experience.
After a while, the typical body heat increase happened, so I felt warm for a while. This is usually a good thing for me because it makes my body relax even more.

The only particular downside to this product, as far as I have seen, is the price. Compared to other suppliers of infused Indo, it does seem a little expensive. I'm not sure if my experience warrants the price of $5 a pill. Granted, it is cheaper as you increase the amount you purchase, and this supplier does provide the option of buying in bulk to their regular customers (up to a kilo), so for people who want to buy in bulk, it could be a good option. The other bonus of purchasing from this supplier is that they are freely offering customers to buy in bulk and then create their own "brand" so they can sell under the name of their choosing, instead of being a distributor of their brand. So, one can take from it what they will when making a decision to buy. Personally, I would not be able to buy from them at an amount that would make it financially beneficial at this time, so I cannot definitively say that I would choose them for purchasing.

It has been several hours since I took the product, and I'm still feeling the beneficial effects. Pain relief, anxiety relief, and general relaxation are all still pretty well established, and I expect to get a good night of sleep once I finally go to bed.

All in all, I would rate this as a positive experience, and if given the opportunity to experience more of their product, I would be happy to do so. Again, I encourage those reading this to investigate their options, possibly obtain a free sample, and decide for yourself if the cost is reasonable. You can connect with this supplier by contacting them on Facebook here http://www.facebook.com/best.kratom?fref=ts or visit their website at http://bestkratomusa.com/.

If you choose to purchase from them, please be sure to let us know about your experiences!

Overall, I give this product 8 out of 10 nods

Pros:
Effective anxiety and pain relief
Easy to swallow/taste is manageable
Long lasting
Personalized experience with supplier

Cons:
Price
Not necessarily more intense or potent than other suppliers
Origins of products are not clearly stated

Supplements: Mega Bliss Caps 2x Power

Hello Friends!

I'm writing this from "Holy Shit Land." This review is of Mega Bliss Caps, a energy and euphoria supplement that is sort of new to the market and promises some pretty lofty things. Just like many of you, I had my doubts, but I wanted to try this product so I could give you all my honest opinion in case you were interested in trying it as well.

To be honest, I've tried taking this a couple times. The first couple of doses didn't do much for me. I can't say exactly why. It could be because of the other substances I had in my system. It could have been what I've eaten, had to drink, my energy, any number of things. I thought, this stuff is disappointing. Then, success!

Recommended dosing is 4 pills, and I originally stuck to this despite the fact that I'm an above average sized person. My success occurred when I took a double dose on a primarily empty stomach.
This is pretty uncomfortable for me. For some reason, these pills cause almost immediate stomach discomfort for me, regardless of what size dose I swallow. This is pretty easily offset by eating some food and drinking some water, but I would say don't overdo that either. It seems to be a precarious balance.

After 25 minutes or so, I was suddenly hit with a profound and full body lift of euphoria, unlike anything I've felt from anything I've tried legally. I couldn't believe it. Practically struck dumb, I reveled in this feeling for a solid 15-20 minutes, brag-worthy pain free sensations. Touch was heightened, flavors more intense, my whole body felt amazing.

Thinking it was too good to be true, I waited a day, and did another double dose, this time eating more to keep my stomach from hurting. The delay in processing of the pills was longer, maybe 40 minutes, but the same profound full body euphoria struck.

I'm practically speechless to explain how this stuff makes me feel. All I can say is that for my intense pain issues, it's gives me 100% of a break from feeling pain and discomfort.

The effects last maybe an hour, with a fairly easy come down and a lingering relaxation. I'm hoping that more food will mean a longer feeling of euphoria. I highly recommend trying this product and finding the right dose for you. If you are sensitive to caffeine, it may not be right for you.

I give this product 9.5 out of 10 nods. For sure!

Pros:
Established euphoria and feelings of bliss
Effective on pain relief for a modest amount of time
Price
Smell raspberries initially when digesting

Cons:
Can cause stomach upset
May be too much for people with certain sensitivities.

Herbals: Kratom Therapy's Superior Red Dragon Kratom

Hello Friends!

Today's review is featuring Kratom Therapy's Superior Red Dragon Kratom. As mentioned in previous entries, this strain has been touted as several individual's favorite strain of kratom, and I was eager to try it. Kratom itself has an enthusiastic following, and each person has their favorite strain, or mix of strains, to enjoy. This strain, however, is one that is not necessarily available through every retailer, so I looked forward to seeing what might be different about it as compared to others that have come across the trial desk.

The first thing I noticed is that this product does, in fact, have a mild reddish hue to it. The quality of the capsules is on par with other products from KT, so a very favorable appearance indeed. At less than $20 for 30 pills, the price was quite acceptable as well.

Still sitting in a state of pretty intense pain, I was sincerely hoping for some relief of pain and stress. I can safely say that for me, this strain had a mild pain relieving effect, and a significant stress relief effect. Within 40 minutes of swallowing 4g, I found myself zoning out to the point of catching the giggles. This euphoria state was quite enjoyable, and seemed to last for a longer time than experienced with other strains. Unfortunately, it didn't do a lot for the neuropathic pain but it did at least take the edge off. I suspect that combining this strain with Maeng Da would be a very pleasurable experience.

One thing that I did get to experience this time was what it was like to take a prescription narcotic with kratom. My doctor gave me Vicodin for the pain. Taking it with Red Dragon created an intense relief that completely erased all pain for at least an hour, if not longer. I honestly lost track. Unlike other substances I've admitted to using, my doctor did not have a problem with this one, and it did not keep him from prescribing pain killers. I cannot vouch for all physicians so proceed with caution. For the sake of being responsible with one's own healthcare, it's important to let them know when you are taking these types of things, but it's also important to be educated about it enough to tell them the what, why, and how of the supplements you choose to use.

I found that this strain, more than others, inspired copious sweating and elevated heart rate. I suppose this means that for some, it would act as a waking stimulant. For me, this effect usually inspires relaxation and sleep; a natural attempt to calm the heart rate I suppose. I recommend keeping your dosage  modest until you are aware of how it might affect you. Last thing we want to see happen is an unfortunate side effect for a great product.

Another experience I had with this strain was using some undefined incense with a decent dosage of Red Dragon. This, my friends, nearly floored me. On almost an empty stomach, I partook of this combination at a location away from home. I found myself struggling to keep myself together enough to get home and get something to eat. If you plan to do this particular combination, please do so with caution. Do not drive if you can at all help it! Plan to stay put for a little bit so that you can enjoy it while being safe at the same time.

Other things I recommend trying while enjoying this strain of kratom: stretching, watching a favorite movie or show, music, a nap, and eating. Even though the pain aspect was not significantly affected, I enjoyed using this strain quite a bit. I can understand why people have chosen it as a favorite. Depending on what you're looking for, Red Dragon could be your favorite too!

Overall, I will give it 7 out of 10 nods.

Pros:
Euphoria
Heightened daily experiences
Potentiator for other substances
Price

Cons:
Not as potent for pain
Over-stimulating in some cases

For a great price on this enjoyable strain, visit my friends at Super Fun Cave!


Buy Kratom Online!

A Few Words for Thought

Hello Friends!

As momentum builds with our blog, I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for visiting, reading, and for any potential content additions.

It has become clear that we are starting to gather some attention from the Kratom community. This is wonderful! It's encouraging to see how many people are really interested in enjoying and promoting this fantastic plant.

That being said, this is not the place for any and all promoters to advertise their wares. Yes, we promote specific suppliers, but this promotion will (hopefully) become a means to fund our reviews. We are not trying to trick anyone, nor are we looking to get rich off of our readership. We just realize that when it comes to these types of products, it can be difficult to find a supplier or shop that provides decent prices and quality products.

If you read our blog and find yourself wanting to be featured for kratom or other supplements, by all means, send us a message! We would be happy to consider trying products from other sources, as long as things are done on the up and up.

Taking all of this into account, please let it be known that if anyone abuses our automatic publishing of comments by attempting to piggyback on our posts for advertising, those comments *will* be removed. If it continues to happen, we *will* be inclined to block said individuals from posting comments at all, and we will no longer consider doing business with them.

To recap, this is a blog for reviews and to provide information for those interested in trying the products featured. Any advertising done is solely to attempt to cover the costs of said products. We will continue to do this regardless. It is not a place to sneak in free advertising for your company.

Connect with us on Facebook! We are there, Herbal Headventures, and you can get up to date notices when we release new reviews and also interact with us! Hope to see you there :)