What Is Kratom? A Botanical and Product-Literacy Guide

Kratom is the common name used for Mitragyna speciosa, a tropical tree in the coffee-family plant group, Rubiaceae. The tree is native to Southeast Asia, and the leaves are the source material behind what the United States market commonly calls kratom. That short definition is accurate, but it is not enough to understand a modern product page.

The word “kratom” is now used for very different things: dried leaf, ground powder, capsules containing leaf powder, brewed products, extracts, concentrates, products with added or elevated 7-hydroxymitragynine, and synthetic or semi-synthetic kratom-related compounds. Those forms are not interchangeable. They can differ in composition, labeling, laboratory needs, legal treatment and risk.

This guide gives adults 21 and older a label-first way to understand the category. It does not recommend kratom, provide dosing instructions, diagnose a condition or promise a health effect. FDA advises consumers not to use kratom and states that no FDA-approved kratom prescription or over-the-counter drug products are legally marketed in the United States. FDA has also warned about serious adverse events and contamination found in some products. Those agency positions belong in any honest introduction to the subject, even on a website focused on botanical-product literacy. FDA and Kratom

Kiody sells botanical kratom leaf products for adults 21 and older. Kiody does not sell concentrated 7-OH products. The purpose of this page is education: to help readers identify what a product claims to be, what documentation should match it and which questions require a more specific guide.

The short answer

Kratom is a plant, but a kratom-labeled retail item is a manufactured product. To understand the item, separate five questions:

1. Botanical identity: Is the declared plant Mitragyna speciosa?
2. Product form: Is it whole leaf, ground leaf, a leaf-filled capsule, an extract, an enhanced product or a synthetic-related article?
3. Composition: Which ingredients and measured alkaloids are actually present, and in what units?
4. Traceability: Does the package lot match a complete laboratory report and the correct product form?
5. Legal status: Is that exact form permitted for that adult customer in the destination jurisdiction on the relevant date?

A color name, leaf illustration or large milligram number cannot answer all five. A responsible product description should make the answers easier to verify rather than asking customers to infer them from marketing language.

Kratom begins with Mitragyna speciosa

The botanical name matters because common names can be inconsistent. Mitragyna speciosa is one species within the genus Mitragyna. A 2023 field study of Thai kratom describes it as an evergreen tree in the Rubiaceae family and notes that several other Mitragyna species also occur in Thailand. That is one reason a serious identity question is more specific than “does this look like green powder?” Seasonal and Geographic Variation in Alkaloid Content of Kratom

In ordinary botanical-leaf products, leaves are harvested and dried before being sold in a recognizable leaf form or milled into powder. Milling changes particle size; it does not by itself create an extract. An extract is made by separating or concentrating selected material from the plant through an extraction process. Adding an isolated compound, chemically transforming a constituent or concentrating selected alkaloids moves the product farther from simple ground leaf.

That distinction is more useful than treating every package bearing the word “kratom” as one uniform category.

A plant name is not a complete product specification

A scientifically written botanical name can still appear on an incomplete label. A full product description should also state:

• the form of the material;
• every ingredient;
• the net quantity or count;
• the amount basis for any milligram statement;
• the suggested serving used for label calculations, if one is declared;
• a lot or batch identifier;
• the responsible business and contact information;
• required warnings and age restrictions; and
• any composition information needed to distinguish ordinary leaf from an extract, enhanced product or concentrated 7-OH article.

The botanical name answers “which plant is declared?” It does not answer “how was this processed?”, “what is concentrated?”, “what does the number on the front mean?” or “does this package match the tested lot?”

The main kratom product forms

Product form is the fastest way to organize the category. It tells the reader what the physical material is and which follow-up questions matter most.

Product form	What it generally means	Label and documentation questions
Whole or cut leaf	Dried botanical leaf that remains visibly leafy	Is Mitragyna speciosa identified? Is the net weight clear? What lot is shown?
Leaf powder	Dried leaf milled into powder	Is leaf the only botanical material? Does the lot match the COA? Is the quantity accurate?
Pure-leaf capsule	A capsule filled with botanical leaf powder rather than an extract	What is the shell made from? Is the fill amount approximate or verified? Are all ingredients disclosed?
Brewed leaf product	A liquid prepared from leaf or leaf powder	What material was brewed? What is the volume, serving basis, shelf-life support and ingredient list?
Extract	Material in which selected constituents have been separated or concentrated from botanical starting material	What extraction ratio or constituent value is declared? Which unit and test basis support it?
Enhanced product	Leaf or another base with an added, isolated or elevated constituent	What was added? How much is present per gram, serving and package?
Concentrated 7-OH product	An article formulated around elevated or added 7-hydroxymitragynine	Is 7-OH disclosed per unit and per package? Does the product exceed a legal threshold?
Synthetic or semi-synthetic related product	A substance produced or modified through chemical or biosynthetic processes	What compound is present? Is it controlled? Is the label using “kratom” to obscure a different legal category?

These descriptions are category definitions, not guarantees about any particular item. The package, formulation records and valid laboratory evidence must support the actual claim.

Leaf powder is not the same as extract

Ground botanical leaf retains the physical plant material. An extract concentrates selected constituents relative to the starting material. That makes comparisons based only on scoop size, capsule count or package weight misleading.

For example, “500 mg” can describe the approximate mass of leaf powder inside a capsule. On another product, a milligram statement might describe a named alkaloid per tablet. On a liquid, the number might apply per bottle, per milliliter or per labeled serving. The number has meaning only when the label identifies what was measured and the basis of the measurement.

Three statements that may look similar can describe completely different things:

• 500 mg of botanical leaf powder per capsule;
• 500 mg of extract material in a container; and
• a named number of milligrams of an individual alkaloid per unit.

None should be shortened to “strength” without explaining the measured material. Package weight, extract weight and alkaloid amount are separate facts.

Powder inside a capsule does not become an extract

Encapsulation is a delivery format. If a capsule contains only ground botanical leaf and the disclosed shell, it remains a leaf-powder product. If the fill contains an extract, isolated compound or enhanced blend, the capsule is not accurately described as pure leaf merely because it is dry or brown-green.

Customers should be able to compare the ingredient statement, product title, front image and laboratory report without finding conflicting descriptions.

Mitragynine and 7-OH are not synonyms for kratom

Kratom leaves contain multiple naturally occurring alkaloids. Mitragynine is commonly reported as a major alkaloid in the plant. 7-hydroxymitragynine, often shortened to 7-OH, may occur naturally at trace levels, but it is also sold in products where it is added, produced, isolated or elevated far beyond an ordinary-leaf presentation.

An alkaloid is a chemical constituent, not the plant itself. A measurement for one alkaloid does not establish the botanical identity, contaminant status or complete composition of the product.

Why the 7-OH distinction is now essential

FDA’s consumer warning distinguishes trace 7-OH naturally occurring in kratom from products containing 7-OH as an added ingredient or at enhanced levels. The agency recommends that consumers avoid 7-OH products. Products Containing 7-OH Can Cause Serious Harm

The federal legal picture also contains two separate actions as of this draft’s August 29, 2026 review date:

• DEA’s July 6, 2026 notice concerning 7-OH above specified thresholds remains a proposal and notice of intent, not an effective threshold-based scheduling order. It proposes a threshold above 0.050% 7-OH on a dry-weight basis for botanical material and separate 0.050% or 1 mg-per-article criteria for certain synthetic or further-processed articles. Federal 7-OH threshold proposal
• HHS extended the public-comment deadline for the threshold question to September 10, 2026. The extension is procedural; it did not itself create a federal sales, possession or shipping ban for ordinary botanical leaf. HHS comment-period extension
• A different DEA order temporarily placed mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 and MGM-16 in Schedule I effective August 26, 2026. That order is effective, while the separate 7-OH threshold action remains proposed. Effective DEA temporary scheduling order

The practical reading rule is simple: do not use “kratom,” “leaf,” “extract,” “7-OH,” “mitragynine pseudoindoxyl,” “MGM-15” and “MGM-16” as interchangeable labels. Product identity and legal status depend on the actual material.

Natural leaf is variable, not automatically standardized

Plants are biological materials. Their measured composition can vary with genetics, growing conditions, season, plant part, maturity and postharvest handling. Grinding several leaves into one lot can reduce some visible differences, but it does not make all lots chemically identical.

The 2023 Thailand field study measured substantial variation in mitragynine and other alkaloids across seasons and geographic locations. It also reported no significant alkaloid-production difference between the red- and green-veined leaves in that study. Seasonal and Geographic Variation

A separate 2025 plant-science study found that genotype, season and postharvest handling influenced alkaloid composition and concentration in cultivated kratom. The research included factors such as withering and drying conditions. Alkaloid Biosynthesis in Medicinal Crop Kratom

Those findings do not mean every lot is unpredictable or unusable. They mean a seller should not promise that a catalog name alone guarantees an identical chemistry or experience from every batch. Lot-specific testing and transparent labels are more informative than a permanent claim about a “perfect strain.”

Variation is not the same as adulteration

Normal plant variation and improper product alteration are different issues.

• Variation means naturally produced material differs across plants, harvests or processing conditions.
• Adulteration or enhancement involves adding, substituting, concentrating or introducing material in a way that changes the product or makes the label misleading.
• Contamination means an unwanted biological, chemical or physical hazard is present.
• Misidentification means the material is not what the botanical or product label declares.

A laboratory program must ask separate questions about each issue. An alkaloid result alone cannot rule out microbes, heavy metals, pesticides, an incorrect plant species or a lot-number mismatch.

What do red, green and white names mean?

In the U.S. retail market, “red,” “green” and “white” commonly function as commercial product-family names. Names such as Bali, Maeng Da, Malay, Hulu, Ketapang and Vietnam are also used as catalog identifiers. No nationwide scientific standard guarantees that every seller’s “Red Bali” has the same origin, processing method, alkaloid profile or effect.

A 2023 study examining user reports and commercial products found that the products’ measured alkaloid profiles were broadly similar even when they were sold under different color labels. The authors also found that perceived differences were not explained simply by a unique alkaloid profile for each commercial color. Examining the Psychoactive Differences Between Kratom Strains

That does not make catalog names useless. Names help organize product families and customer records. The honest approach is to present them as commercial identifiers unless origin, processing and chemistry claims have independent support.

Color is also a poor standalone identity test. Powder appearance can change with lighting, camera settings, moisture, particle size, drying and storage. A green photograph does not prove species, freshness, potency or freedom from contamination.

What a kratom laboratory report can answer

A certificate of analysis, or COA, records specific tests performed on a submitted sample. A useful COA can help answer questions such as:

• Which sample and product form did the laboratory receive?
• What lot or batch identifier was provided?
• Which methods and analytes were included?
• What values and units were reported?
• Were microorganisms, heavy metals or other contaminants included in the panel?
• Were mitragynine and 7-OH measured?
• What reporting limits or quantitation limits applied?
• Which specification was used for any pass/fail statement?

It cannot, by itself, prove that every package contains material from the tested lot. It cannot prove the absence of anything the laboratory did not test. It cannot convert “not detected” into absolute zero. It cannot establish FDA approval, medical benefit or legality in every destination.

Identity requires an appropriate method

Depending on the material, identity work may use macroscopic or microscopic examination, chemical fingerprints, chromatography, DNA-based tools or more than one technique. Fine grinding and extraction can remove visual features. DNA may degrade or become difficult to interpret in extracts or mixed products. A marker compound can support identification without proving the complete purity of the sample.

FDA’s dietary-supplement CGMP guide explains that an appropriate identity test may be a single examination in some situations and more than one in others. Kiody can use that principle as a quality-system benchmark without implying that FDA accepts kratom as a lawful dietary-supplement ingredient. FDA CGMP Small Entity Compliance Guide

Similarly, 21 CFR Part 111 describes specifications for identity, purity, strength, composition and contaminant limits. Those concepts help explain what a complete quality question looks like; citing them here is not a claim that a kratom product is FDA approved or lawfully marketed as a dietary supplement. 21 CFR Part 111

“Third-party tested” needs details

The phrase is meaningful only when the customer can identify:

1. the independent laboratory;
2. the report number and dates;
3. the tested product and matrix;
4. the matching lot or batch;
5. the methods or method references;
6. the complete analyte list;
7. the results and units; and
8. the specifications used for any decision.

NIST’s botanical dietary-supplement measurement program emphasizes the role of specifications and reliable measurement materials in identity, purity, strength, composition and contaminant analysis. The same measurement lesson applies to product literacy: a result is more useful when its method, matrix and reference basis are clear. NIST Measurements and Standards for Botanical Dietary Supplements

A responsible adult buyer’s product check

This checklist is about information, not endorsement. FDA advises consumers not to use kratom. An adult who is nevertheless evaluating a product should not rely on a front-label color or a seller’s effect promise.

1. Identify the form

Look for explicit words such as botanical leaf powder, leaf-filled capsule, extract, enhanced product, concentrate or isolated alkaloid. If the form is unclear, do not infer it from the package artwork.

2. Read the complete ingredient statement

The ingredient statement should account for the botanical material, capsule shell, flavors, sweeteners, carriers and any added constituents. “Proprietary blend” is not a substitute for naming the ingredients.

3. Determine what every number measures

Separate net weight, capsule count, approximate fill mass, serving size, extract mass, concentration, milligrams per gram, milligrams per serving and milligrams per package.

4. Match the lot code

The code on the package should match the laboratory report offered for that product. A generic example report does not establish the status of the current lot.

5. Check the report’s product form

A powder report may support facts about powder used to fill capsules when records connect them, but it does not automatically test the capsule shell, filling operation or finished bottle. An extract report should not be substituted for ordinary leaf, or vice versa.

6. Read the test panel

Look for actual analyte and method names. Alkaloid, microbiology, heavy-metal, pesticide, mycotoxin, solvent and identity tests answer different questions.

7. Examine the dates

The sample-received, test and report dates should make sense for the lot. An old report reused across years of inventory deserves further explanation.

8. Verify the laboratory

The laboratory name, address and report identifier should be intact. If accreditation is claimed, check the certificate and technical scope for the relevant method, analyte, matrix and location.

9. Reject medical promises

A laboratory result does not prove that a product treats pain, anxiety, withdrawal, depression, fatigue or another condition. FDA states that there are no legally marketed FDA-approved kratom drug products.

10. Check the current destination law

State and local rules can regulate age, possession, sale, delivery, labeling, product form and alkaloid thresholds differently. A rule for ordinary leaf may not cover an extract or enhanced product. Review the current nationwide leaf and 7-OH trackers and follow their official-government links.

11. Inspect the package

Set aside a package that is open, wet, leaking, damaged, mislabeled, missing its lot code or visibly different from what was ordered. Preserve the product and packaging if a complaint or recall check is needed.

12. Know where to seek urgent help

If someone collapses, has trouble breathing, has a seizure or cannot be awakened, call 911. For a suspected poisoning or product exposure in the United States, Poison Help connects callers with a local poison center at 1-800-222-1222, 24 hours a day. HRSA Poison Help

What this page does not claim

This guide does not claim that:

• kratom is FDA approved;
• a natural product is automatically safe;
• a laboratory result guarantees every package;
• a catalog color predicts a particular effect;
• one alkaloid value establishes complete identity;
• ordinary leaf and concentrated 7-OH are the same product;
• a product lawful in one state may be shipped everywhere;
• a commercial “strain” name proves geographic origin;
• more milligrams necessarily means a better product; or
• Kiody’s educational content replaces medical, poison-control or legal advice.

These limits are part of trustworthy education. Product literacy improves when a company clearly states what its evidence can and cannot support.

Frequently asked questions

Is kratom a plant or a drug?

Kratom is the common name for Mitragyna speciosa, a plant. Retail kratom products may be regulated under food, drug, controlled-substance, consumer-protection or other laws depending on the claim, form and jurisdiction. FDA states that no kratom drug product is approved and that kratom is not lawfully marketed as a dietary supplement or conventional-food ingredient. A product’s botanical origin does not decide its complete legal status.

Is kratom in the coffee family?

Yes. Mitragyna speciosa belongs to Rubiaceae, the botanical family that also includes coffee plants. Family membership does not mean the plants have the same chemistry, use or risk.

Is kratom powder an extract?

Not when it is simply dried leaf milled into powder. Extraction separates or concentrates selected material from the botanical starting material. The label should state the form clearly.

Are capsules always pure leaf?

No. Capsules can contain leaf powder, extract, an enhanced blend or another formulation. Read the product title, complete ingredients and laboratory report. “Capsule” describes packaging, not composition.

Does kratom naturally contain 7-OH?

7-OH may occur naturally at trace levels. That is different from a product with added, isolated or enhanced 7-OH. FDA and current federal actions expressly distinguish ordinary botanical material from elevated or further-processed products.

Does Kiody sell concentrated 7-OH?

No. Kiody does not sell concentrated 7-OH products. Kiody’s 7-OH content is educational and helps readers distinguish ordinary botanical leaf from concentrated, enhanced, synthesized or semi-synthesized products.

Are red, green and white kratom standardized strains?

No nationwide scientific standard makes every commercial red, green or white product chemically identical. The names are useful catalog families, but they should not be treated as guaranteed effect or chemistry categories.

Can a COA prove a product is safe?

No. A COA reports results for named tests on a submitted sample. It cannot eliminate all risk, cover untested hazards, prove every package is identical or predict an individual response.

What does “not detected” mean?

It means the laboratory did not detect the analyte at or above the method’s stated reporting threshold under the test conditions. It does not necessarily mean the analyte is absolutely absent.

Is kratom FDA approved?

No kratom prescription or over-the-counter drug product is FDA approved and legally marketed in the United States. A laboratory logo, facility registration or private quality certificate is not FDA product approval.

Is kratom legal in every state?

No. State and local laws differ, and many rules are product-specific. Some prohibit botanical leaf; some regulate age and labeling; some impose 7-OH thresholds; and some treat delivery differently from possession. Check current official sources before any transaction or travel decision.

Can this guide tell me how much kratom to take?

No. This page does not provide dosing or medical advice. Questions about symptoms, medications, pregnancy, dependence or stopping use should be discussed with a qualified health professional. Urgent suspected exposures should be directed to 911 or Poison Help as appropriate.

The bottom line

Kratom is best understood at two levels. At the botanical level, it is Mitragyna speciosa, a Southeast Asian tree whose leaves contain a variable mixture of naturally occurring constituents. At the product level, “kratom” can describe forms ranging from ground leaf to concentrated, enhanced or synthetic-related articles.

The responsible way to read the category is to identify the form first, then examine the ingredients, measurement basis, lot code, laboratory scope and destination law. A commercial name is not a chemical guarantee. A COA is not universal proof. A natural-leaf package is not the same as concentrated 7-OH. A pending federal proposal is not the same as an effective scheduling order.

Kiody’s educational standard should remain simple: adults 21+ only, botanical leaf described accurately, no concentrated 7-OH sales, no medical promises, and clear links to the deeper label, laboratory and law-tracker pages.

Primary and authoritative sources

1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA and Kratom, current page reviewed August 29, 2026.
2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Products Containing 7-OH Can Cause Serious Harm, July 29, 2025.
3. Drug Enforcement Administration, Schedules of Controlled Substance: Temporary Placement of 7-Hydroxymitragynine Above a Specified Threshold in Schedule I, proposed amendment and notice of intent, July 6, 2026.
4. Department of Health and Human Services, 7-Hydroxymitragynine Above a Specified Threshold in Schedule I; Extension of Comment Period, August 26, 2026.
5. Drug Enforcement Administration, Temporary Placement of Mitragynine Pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and MGM-16 in Schedule I, effective August 26, 2026.
6. Sengnon N, Vonghirundecha P, Chaichan W, et al., Seasonal and Geographic Variation in Alkaloid Content of Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) from Thailand, Plants, 2023;12(4):949.
7. Zhang M, Lyndon A, Kanumuri SRR, et al., Alkaloid Biosynthesis in Medicinal Crop Kratom Varies with Postharvest, Genetic, and Seasonal Factors, Frontiers in Plant Science, 2025;16:1653916.
8. Huisman G, Menke M, Grundmann O, Schreiber R, Mason N, Examining the Psychoactive Differences Between Kratom Strains, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2023;20(14):6425.
9. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Small Entity Compliance Guide: Current Good Manufacturing Practice in Manufacturing, Packaging, Labeling, or Holding Operations for Dietary Supplements.
10. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR Part 111.
11. National Institute of Standards and Technology, Measurements and Standards for Botanical Dietary Supplements.
12. Health Resources and Services Administration, Calling Poison Help.