High Tea

When the first kratom tea bars started popping up in the region about five years ago, Fort Myers couple Bryce Ivie and Claudya Aleman were working toward a healthier lifestyle and moving away from drinking alcohol. “A lot of people have been getting on the kratom train as a coffee and alcohol alternative,” Ivie says. 

Kratom, a Southeast Asian plant in the coffee family, is used for its leaves, which are often crushed into a powder and brewed like tea. More than 50 different strains offer effects that are believed to be as powerful as strong sedatives, painkillers and mood-boosters. “It’s like a tea leaf—the longer it matures on the tree, its properties change,” Ivie says. “White kratom is a great morning coffee alternative, since it provides energy and focus; green is more middle-of-the-road and helps with anxiety; red is good at night since it relaxes the body and helps you sleep and stay asleep.”

Read the entire story at gulfshorelife.com