The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an advisory Tuesday after finding “disturbingly high levels” of heavy metals in the herbal product kratom.
Field scientists tested 26 separate kratom products during a multistate outbreak of salmonella infections and during other investigations. They found lead and nickel at “levels not safe for human consumption,” the FDA stated.
“While the levels of the specific products we’ve tested so far are not likely to result in immediate acute heavy metal poisoning from a single use, some of these products included levels that, with chronic use, could cause some people to suffer from heavy metal poisoning,” Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said.
Kratom, derived from the leaves of a Southeast Asian tree that is part of the coffee family, has gained popularity in recent years. The FDA has said the active ingredient in kratom, mitragynine, is an addictive substance that acts on the brain’s opioid receptors.