Kratom leaves appear safe even at high doses when taken in capsule form, US regulators found in their first preliminary study of the popular botanical compound that they’ve targeted as a potential public health threat.
The US Food and Drug Administration research is intended to help fill a void surrounding the compound that’s been used for centuries in Southeast Asia, where people chew the leaves to get their mind-altering effects.
Important questions remain about its impact in drinks and concentrates — more common in the US — which contain higher levels of kratom and could pose greater danger to consumers. (Rutherford and Milton, 9/17)
Read more (and watch a video) at KFF Health News.
Feature image taken from Food And Drug Law Institute.
