Not All Kratom Is the Same: Why Scientific Distinctions Matter

Botanical Research Library

Few botanical products have generated as much discussion, or as much confusion, as kratom.

Part of that confusion stems from a simple problem: today, the word kratom is often used to describe products that differ fundamentally in their composition, manufacturing methods, concentration, and chemistry.

Today's marketplace includes traditional kratom leaf, kratom powder, kratom tea, botanical kratom extracts, ready-to-drink (RTD) kratom beverages, kratom drinks, and kratom seltzers, as well as products containing highly concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) or compounds produced through semi-synthetic or synthetic processes.

Researchers, healthcare professionals, regulators, journalists, consumers, retailers, and legislators all benefit from making accurate scientific distinctions. Meaningful conversations about kratom, and about botanical products derived from kratom, begin with understanding exactly which type of product is being discussed.

Whether you are a consumer seeking reliable information, a healthcare professional reviewing the scientific literature, a journalist covering the industry, or a policymaker evaluating proposed legislation, understanding these distinctions is the first step toward understanding the evidence.

Words Matter

Science begins with accurate definitions.

Before researchers can study a substance, they must define exactly what it is. Before healthcare professionals can evaluate safety, they must know precisely what a patient consumed. Before legislators can write effective policy, they must understand exactly which products they are regulating.

When fundamentally different products are discussed under the single label kratom, confusion becomes inevitable.

Consumers may assume that traditional kratom leaf, botanical kratom extracts, kratom beverages, and highly concentrated alkaloid products are chemically similar when they are not.

Scientific findings may be applied to products that were never studied.

Media reports may unintentionally blur important scientific distinctions.

And public policy may regulate an entire category based on products that differ substantially in their composition, chemistry, and intended use.

Good science, and good public policy, both begin with precise language.

What Is Traditional Kratom?

Kratom refers to the leaves of Mitragyna speciosa, a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia.

For generations, kratom has traditionally been consumed as whole leaf, brewed into kratom tea, or ground into kratom powder. Modern manufacturing has also produced botanical kratom extracts, which are created by extracting naturally occurring compounds from kratom leaf using accepted botanical extraction methods. These extracts are now used in a variety of products, including capsules, tinctures, ready-to-drink kratom beverages, kratom drinks, and kratom seltzers.

A botanical extract is not the same thing as an isolated alkaloid product.

Like coffee extract, vanilla extract, tea extract, or countless other botanical ingredients used throughout the food and beverage industry, a botanical kratom extract begins with the plant itself. The extraction process alone does not make a product synthetic or semi-synthetic.

Botanical kratom extracts are increasingly used as ingredients in modern kratom beverages because they provide consistency while preserving the naturally occurring alkaloid profile of the leaf when produced using appropriate extraction methods.

The important questions are how the extract was produced, what its chemical profile looks like, whether it accurately represents the botanical material from which it originated, and whether its naturally occurring alkaloid profile has been fundamentally altered during manufacturing.

Understanding 7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH)

One of the greatest sources of confusion in today's kratom marketplace involves 7-hydroxymitragynine, commonly abbreviated 7-OH.

7-OH is a naturally occurring alkaloid found in dried kratom leaf—but only in trace amounts.

Current research indicates that fresh kratom leaves contain little to no measurable 7-OH. Instead, small amounts form naturally during drying and curing as a portion of mitragynine undergoes oxidation. Published studies have reported naturally occurring concentrations generally at or below approximately 400 parts per million (0.04%) on a dry-weight basis.

Those trace amounts are part of the natural chemical profile of authentic dried kratom leaf and botanical kratom products.

The issue attracting scientific and regulatory attention is not the presence of naturally occurring 7-OH. Rather, it is the emergence of commercial products containing concentrations dramatically higher than those found in traditional kratom leaf, botanical kratom extracts, kratom drinks, kratom beverages, and kratom beverages produced from those extracts.

That distinction is critical because products with highly concentrated 7-OH should not automatically be assumed to represent the chemistry, safety profile, or research associated with traditional kratom products.

Not All Extracts Are the Same

Today, consumers may encounter a wide range of kratom products, including:

• Traditional kratom leaf
• Kratom powder
• Kratom tea
• Botanical kratom extracts
• Standardized botanical kratom extracts
• Ready-to-drink kratom beverages, including kratom seltzers
• Isolated alkaloid products
• Highly concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) products
• Semi-synthetic or synthetic derivatives

Although these products may all be marketed under the broad umbrella of kratom, they should not automatically be treated as though they are chemically equivalent.

A botanical extract produced directly from kratom leaf is fundamentally different from a product containing unnaturally high concentrations of isolated alkaloids or compounds created through additional chemical processes. Their chemical composition, manufacturing methods, and intended use may differ substantially.

Recognizing those differences is essential for meaningful scientific research, informed consumer education, responsible product development, and evidence-based public policy.

Researchers Are Drawing These Distinctions

The scientific community has increasingly recognized that today's kratom marketplace includes products that differ substantially from traditional botanical preparations.

Dr. Christopher McCurdy and his colleagues have published research demonstrating that certain commercial products marketed as "kratom extracts" contained concentrations of 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) far beyond those naturally present in traditional kratom leaf. Based on their analytical findings, the researchers concluded that some of these products should not be characterized simply as authentic botanical kratom extracts.

That conclusion was based on analytical chemistry - not marketing, public opinion, or commercial interests.

It underscores an important principle that extends beyond kratom: scientific terminology should describe what a product actually is. When products with fundamentally different chemical compositions are grouped under the same label, research becomes more difficult to interpret, consumers receive less accurate information, and meaningful discussions about quality, safety, and regulation become more challenging.

Federal Agencies Are Making the Same Distinction

Federal agencies have likewise begun distinguishing between traditional botanical kratom products, including botanical kratom extracts used in beverages, and concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) products.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has publicly stated that its recent enforcement efforts are directed toward concentrated 7-OH products rather than traditional kratom leaf, botanical kratom extracts, or other naturally derived kratom products. Federal officials have also warned that some enhanced 7-OH products are marketed in ways that may lead consumers to believe they are purchasing traditional kratom products when they are not.

These statements do not represent an endorsement of kratom or kratom products. Rather, they recognize an important scientific distinction: traditional botanical kratom products and concentrated or chemically manipulated 7-OH products are fundamentally different categories with distinct chemical compositions, manufacturing methods, and regulatory considerations.

Why This Matters for Public Policy

Several states have enacted broad restrictions or outright bans affecting kratom products.

At the same time, researchers have increasingly emphasized that today's marketplace includes products that differ substantially from traditional kratom leaf, botanical kratom extracts, kratom beverages made from those extracts, and highly concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) products.

Organizations such as the American Kratom Association have made educating legislators, regulators, and the public a central part of their mission so that policy discussions reflect current scientific understanding rather than treating every product marketed as "kratom" as though it were identical.

The Halo's Edge Botanical Research Library shares that educational objective.

We believe consumers, journalists, healthcare professionals, regulators, legislators, manufacturers, and retailers deserve access to clear, evidence-based information that accurately reflects the available scientific evidence.

When fundamentally different products are treated as though they are identical, scientific evidence can be misunderstood, consumers may become confused, and public policy may not accurately reflect the products actually being discussed.

Good public policy begins with good information.

Why This Matters to Halo's Edge

Halo's Edge kratom seltzers are made with a botanical extract derived directly from traditional kratom leaf. Like other responsibly manufactured kratom beverages, our products begin with botanical kratom extracts rather than chemically altered alkaloid formulations.

That makes accuracy around botanical kratom extracts especially important.

Not every substance sold as a "kratom extract" belongs in the same category. A leaf-derived botanical extract is fundamentally different from a product created by chemically converting mitragynine into highly concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) or by other processes that fundamentally alter its natural chemical profile.

Our commercial interest in this distinction is obvious, and we do not pretend otherwise.

That is precisely why every factual claim we make should be supported by primary sources, peer-reviewed research, or official government publications.

The appropriate standard is not whether a statement benefits Halo's Edge.

The standard is whether the available evidence supports it.

The Purpose of the Botanical Research Library

The Halo's Edge Botanical Research Library exists to improve the quality of the conversation surrounding kratom, botanical kratom products, kratom beverages, kratom seltzers, and emerging scientific research through evidence-based education.

We are committed to:

• Quoting primary sources accurately.
• Citing peer-reviewed research.
• Linking readers to original source material whenever possible.
• Distinguishing established evidence from interpretation.
• Updating our work as new research becomes available.
• Presenting complex science in language that is accessible to everyone.

Our audience includes consumers, researchers, healthcare professionals, journalists, regulators, legislators, retailers, manufacturers, and anyone seeking reliable information about kratom and botanical kratom products.

Our goal is not to tell readers what conclusions they should reach.

Our goal is to ensure that those conclusions are informed by the best available evidence.

Because good decisions begin with good information.

References

Brown PN, McCurdy CR, et al. Elevated 7-Hydroxymitragynine Levels Found in Products Misrepresented as Kratom Extracts.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Takes Steps to Restrict 7-OH Opioid Products Threatening American Consumers.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Hiding in Plain Sight: 7-OH Products.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. HHS and FDA Support DEA Action Against Enhanced 7-OH Products.

American Kratom Association. About the American Kratom Association.

Todd DA, Kellogg JJ, Wallace ED, et al. Chemical Composition and Biological Effects of Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa).