Once marketed as a benign herbal aid, kratom is facing renewed scrutiny as regulators zero in on a powerful derivative, 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH. The plant-based substance, derived from Southeast Asian trees, is used by some Americans to manage pain, fatigue and even opioid withdrawal, and remains legal or regulated in many states. But a spike in poison center calls and reports of more than 240 kratom-linked deaths in California alone has intensified concern over high-potency, semisynthetic 7-OH formulations, not natural kratom leaf. The Food and Drug Administration says isolated 7-OH can be up to 13 times more potent than morphine and has urged that certain 7-OH products — rather than natural kratom itself — be scheduled under the Controlled Substances Act. You can read the original report at The Hill.
FDA Targets Potent 7-OH Kratom Products Amid Growing Safety Fears
