FDA cracks down on deadly risk of kratom supplement

It seems like there is always a never-ending stream of some imported herbal supplement the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has to issue warnings on.  The latest is a relatively new drug with opioid-like effects that has been increasing in popularity called kratom.

What is kratom?

Used for many years in Southeast Asia, kratom comes from the tropical tree with the same name native to this area of the world.  The tree’s bitter leaves contain psychoactive or mind-altering opioid compounds used for mood-uplifting effects, pain relief and as an aphrodisiac.  It is easily ordered on the Internet and may be sold as a green powder in packets or sometimes sold as an extract or gum. 

In recent years, people have been using kratom, which is not regulated or approved by the FDA, as an herbal alternative to medical treatment in attempts to control withdrawal symptoms when weaning off opioids such as prescription painkillers or heroin, for pain, anxiety, and depression, all without medical supervision.  Kratom has several names that it goes by including herbal speedball, ketum, biak-biak, kahuam, ithang, and thom. 

Why is it a problem?

The problem with kratom is that it has similar effects to narcotics like opioids and carries similar risks of abuse, addiction, and in some cases, death.  Between 2010 and 2015, kratom-related calls to U.S. poison centers increased ten-fold with 36 deaths linked to this herbal product.  Kratom has also been found to cause seizures, liver damage, and withdrawal symptoms of its own.  This all comes on the heels as the United States is already in over its head in dealing with an opioid epidemic as more than 500,000 Americans have died since 2000 from a narcotic overdose. 

How is kratom used?

The primary ways in which kratom is used is chewing the leaves or brewing the dried or powered leaves as a tea.  The leaves can also be smoked or eaten in food.

The FDA and kratom

Currently in the U.S., there are no FDA-approved uses for kratom.  Like any food or drug, kratom needs to be evaluated for its potential benefits and harms.  Because people are turning to kratom as a possible safe alternative to prescription opioids and for it to ever be legally marketed for therapeutic uses in the U.S., kratom must go through the FDA’s drug review process.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb stated, “While we remain open to potential medicinal uses of kratom, those uses must be backed by sound science and weighed appropriately against the potential for abuse.”  At this time, the FDA is actively working on preventing kratom from entering the U.S.

Around the world, there are 16 countries that do allow kratom as a controlled substance.  So far in the U.S., the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Tennessee, and Wisconsin have banned kratom with several other states looking at banning it also.