Don’t use kratom products containing 7-OH, Texas health department warns
Texans should avoid kratom products containing 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, a chemical found in the kratom plant, the state health department warned Tuesday.
The Texas Poison Center Network has seen a spike in calls about kratom or other products containing 7-OH, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. So far this year, the network has received 192 reports involving kratom of 7-OH. There were 107 reports last year and 122 in 2023, according to DSHS.
Of this year’s reports, 19 involved concentrated 7-OH products, and 11 required the user to be treated at a health care facility, according to DSHS.
Kratom is an herbal extract from the leaves of a tree native to Southeast Asia. It is marketed as a product for relieving mental and physical pain, and some users say it helps with opioid dependence. An estimated 1.9 million people used kratom in the U.S. in 2022, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Kratom is easily accessible in gas stations and smoke shops, but it does not have an approved medicinal use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
In July, the FDA announced it was recommending a scheduling action to control certain 7-OH products under the Controlled Substances Act.
