Multiple news media and even medical professionals have repeated the claim that 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) is “13 times stronger than morphine” as though it is a fact established through rigorous science. Where does this claim come from and how accurate is it? The claim comes from studies from 2002 (Takayama, et al) and 2004 (Matsumoto, et …
Is 7-OH Really “13 times stronger than morphine”? Read More »
The Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Nora Volkow, was the keynote speaker for this year’s Scientific Kratom Symposium. Hosted by the University of Florida College of Pharmacy at its Lake Nona research campus, the four-day event held from February 17-20, 2026, brought together roughly 100 scientists from about a dozen countries …
Fifth Scientific Kratom Symposium Held in Florida Read More »
Mohamed Gamiel, owner of Sarah Quick Stop and Liquor Corner Store in Tupelo, MS, has filed an appeal of the town’s recent decision to ban the manufacture, sale, and possession of kratom. The appeal was filed last week in Lee County Circuit Court. Gamiel argues in his appeal that Tupelo’s kratom ban is arbitrary, unsupported …
Tupelo Convenience Store Owner Appeals Kratom Ban Read More »
Disclaimer This is an article summarizing a study on kratom consumers from Thailand, who use the traditional method of fresh leaf kratom brewed into a tea. This is not how most people consume kratom in the United States and Europe. Though the alkaloid composition varies from fresh to dried leaf kratom, the closest method to …
Study: Traditional Kratom Use Not Associated with Blood, Organ Toxicity Read More »
Two men allegedly selling kratom as a supplement through the mail were arrested by police in Kyiv, Ukraine and charged with illegal sale of a controlled substance. The narcotics unit of the Kyiv police discovered the kratom after tracing it back to the residence where two men sold it by mail through a Telegram account. …
Ukraine’s Wartime Crackdown on Kratom Continues With New Kyiv Arrests Read More »
Note: There is a correlation between kratom and seizures, but causation has not been established. Kratom alone or kratom combined with other substances could very well cause seizures in some consumers, but as this study shows, there is not enough evidence to determine causation. Seizures have been commonly listed as a side effect of kratom …
Scientists find “insufficient evidence to suggest that kratom causes seizures” Read More »
Scientists from British Columbia Institute of Technology and University of Illinois published a study that examines five 7-hydroxymitragynine (the abbreviation 7-OH has become popularized, but the scientists use 7-HMG in this study) products marketed as “kratom extracts”. A kratom extract is a concentrated form of the kratom plant made by extracting its active alkaloids, of …
Scientists Test 7-OH Products Marketed as ‘Kratom Extracts’ Read More »
A new study published in Frontiers in Plant Science is presenting a clearer picture of how post-harvest processing changes the plant’s chemistry. The researchers from University of Florida and Oregon State University compared kratom varieties grown in Hawaii and Malaysia to see how factors like withering time, drying temperature, and harvest season influence alkaloid profiles—particularly …
Important to note: This does NOT mean severe health risks from kratom alone do not exist. There is a toxic amount of any substance that can be ingested, including kratom. The majority, but not all, of toxic adverse events associated with kratom have involved other substances, as well as substance misuse in general. Kratom should …
Review Finds Insufficient Evidence of Severe Health Risks From Kratom Alone Read More »
Disclaimer: Preclinical studies on compounds’ effects on test animals do not always demonstrate exactly how compounds will affect humans A new study in rats examined the respiratory effects of mitragyinine (MG), considered the main compound in most kratom leaves consumed by users, and 7-hydroxymitragyinine (7-HMG) that occurs in very trace amounts in dried kratom leaf …