The FDA & Kratom’s “Health Risks”

Anyone who has been researching Kratom may have run into several articles outlining the product’s potential “health risks.” While there are risks with any health product, many of these claims are false or have not been accurately substantiated. One of the primary sources of information outlining the potential adverse effects of Kratom is the FDA. The FDA has long stood against Kratom, acting as the primary antagonist. Many researchers find their stance and claims to be exaggerated or dramatic. If you want to ensure that you are getting the right information on this ethnobotanical, you need to be looking to Kratom advocacy groups for the right information.

What Are The Origins Of Kratom?

Kratom comes from a plant that grows primarily in Southeast Asia. The plant is called mitragyna speciosa and is the subject of many of the FDA’s adverse claims about Kratom. Unlike many chemical drugs and over the counter medications, Kratom is an entirely natural substance with no chemical additives. The plant grows in hot and moist jungles that are very prominent in Southeast Asia. The soil in these areas is responsible for promoting active compounds in the plant, including mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine.

For this plant to become a sellable product, the leaves must be harvested and processed. After the leaves reach an ideal maturation level, they are picked by farmers. These leaves are then dried and ground down into a powder. The powder is sold as-is or further processed into extracts or put into small gel caps. For the product to be high quality, the growers, sellers, and vendors need to practice the right techniques. Many vendors will be working with farmers in Southeast Asia, who have been harvesting the leaves for generations and use special techniques.

Throughout the maturation of the plant, the concentration levels of the active compounds change. The leaves begin with white veins, and over time these change to green and then to red. At each point, the concentrations increase and are picked to achieve the various kratom strains that you see available online. These shifts in concentration may be why the FDA sees Kratom as an unpredictable substance. They see it as an inconsistent product rather than considering that this is the plant’s maturation’s natural flow. As they can not determine the ideal dose of Kratom, they instead just exclude it from the list of acceptable natural herbs.

The FDA does not currently accept the use of Kratom as a therapeutic substance. They also prevent certain information from being published by Kratom vendors. Even though indigenous communities have been using the product for hundreds of years, they are currently restricting suppliers from talking about the primary uses for Kratom. As there is a restriction on information, inaccurate data is spread and clouds the research waters.

Kratom: Is It Safe?

The FDA’s primary mandate is to ensure that all the foods and drugs available in the U.S. are safe for public use. However, they have taken a strong stand against Kratom. Even though many substances are approved by the FDA that can be harmful when abused or taken in large amounts, they still won’t regulate Kratom use. As any substance can have adverse effects when abused, their stance is a bit unwarranted. There have been many claims by indigenous communities around the world that this plant provides pain relief, increases focus, and reduces irritability. Even American soldiers fighting in the Vietnam war claimed that chewing these leaves helped them in long stakeout missions.

While the FDA has spread some information about the substance’s potential risk, they are not telling the full story. Many researchers and advocates are trying their best to spread the right information and sway the FDA to take a more lenient approach to the substance.

The Disprecianies In The FDA’s Data

Many question the FDA’s data and motives. They are in large part tied to large pharmaceutical companies who see Kratom as competition. A former head of the FDA, Scott Gottlieb, had financial ties to these companies, and he could have faced some financial loss if he were to have given the green-light on Kratom use.

The primary source of the FDA’s information comes from computer modeling. Instead of performing trials as is what happens in standard research, the FDA has been using a computer to evaluate the plant compounds’ chemical shape and how they bind to receptors in the brain. In doing this, they leave out all the other anecdotal data and accounts of millions of people worldwide.

When the FDA releases this data, it is in large part not released in context. For example, press releases about heavy metals in Kratom were released, but no information outlining how safe these metals are. Thus many people read the FDA reports and start to believe that there are many more risks than there are in actuality. These tactics are in line with other fear-mongering techniques they use to keep people in the dark regarding Kratom.

Protect Your Access

You can protect your access to Kratom by purchasing from a reputable source. Ensure that they are operating an ethical business as there are many shady businesses out there that are only helping to bolster the negative rumors about Kratom. You can also work with groups like the American Kratom Association to find out more about the product and current legal updates.