“The FDA is warning kratom users that the herbal supplement affects the brain like addictive opioids do, and is potentially deadly.
On Tuesday, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, said in a statement that scientists with the health agency have taken some significant steps to better understand how kratom works in the body. Their research revealed that the compounds in kratom have structural similarities to opioid painkillers, and some of them bind to the same opioid receptors in the brain.
“Today, we’re providing details of some of the important scientific tools, data and research that have contributed to the FDA’s concerns about kratom’s potential for abuse, addiction, and serious health consequences; including death,” Gottlieb said.”
Read more at: https://www.menshealth.com/health/kratom-opioid-fda-warning
Source: MensHealth.com – February 7, 2018
See related article: Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., on the agency’s scientific evidence on the presence of opioid compounds in kratom, underscoring its potential for abuse available at: https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm595622.htm
