Kratom living monograph
Why leaf, tea, extracts, and 7-OH cannot share one gram scale.
Amounts
There is no product-independent safe kratom dose. Leaf mass, extract mass, and isolated alkaloid content are different quantities. The figures below document research exposure and are not recommendations.
Small controlled studies examined analysed dried-leaf material from 0.5 to 4 g, or a single 2 g exposure. These figures apply only to the studied batches, populations, and protocols; they do not define a safe or equivalent real-world dose.
Pharmaceutics, 2022Molecules, 2024Gram amounts are only narrowly interpretable across comparable leaf products. Tea and swallowed leaf can produce different exposures from the same starting mass.
Pharmaceutics, 2022Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 2023Leaf gram scales must not be carried over to extracts. Independently verified alkaloid content per serving and package would be more informative, though it still does not fully capture other alkaloids or bioavailability.
Phytochemistry, 2026Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung (BfR), 2025Enriched 7-OH products can contain concentrations unlike the chemical profile of ordinary leaf. They require their own risk assessment and must not be treated as “ordinary kratom” or converted using leaf equivalents.
Journal of AOAC International, 2026ACS Central Science, 2019No extract equivalence: A break in use, illness, new medication, or product change can alter a familiar response. Tolerance does not reliably protect against breathing risk, interactions, or product errors.
Product forms
Product form is safety-critical information. Potency, predictability, and the applicability of research evidence differ substantially.
A water-based leaf preparation with a variable alkaloid profile. Human tea studies apply only to the analysed study product.
Preparation and plant material alter the actual exposure.
Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2017Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 2023Dried plant material; batches and alkaloid concentrations still differ.
Gram amounts describe mass, not a reliable active-alkaloid concentration.
Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2017Phytochemistry, 2026May contain leaf powder or concentrated material. The format alone does not establish strength.
Labelling, fill weight, and alkaloid profile must be assessed separately.
Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung (BfR), 2025Phytochemistry, 2026Concentrated products for which leaf gram amounts do not transfer.
Ratios such as “10×” are not a reliable potency measure without validated analysis.
Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung (BfR), 2025Phytochemistry, 2026Concentrated products with a declared mitragynine content. Standardizing one alkaloid does not remove all uncertainty.
Other alkaloids, analytical quality, bioavailability, and conversion to 7-OH remain relevant.
Molecules, 2024Phytochemistry, 2026Tablets, gummies, shots, or mixtures with 7-hydroxymitragynine levels that do not resemble ordinary leaf.
Greater opioid potency, rapid tolerance development, and labelling uncertainty increase risk.
ACS Central Science, 2019Journal of AOAC International, 2026Products without credible ingredient and concentration data cannot be meaningfully classified.
Unexpected substances, contaminants, or materially higher concentrations are possible.
Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung (BfR), 2025National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), 2025Trust
Each source is tied to a claim domain. “Reviewed” means editorial source review—not individual medical clearance.
Drug and Alcohol Dependence · 2017
Contributes: Large online survey of use patterns and self-reported effects.
Limit: Self-selection, self-report, no product analysis, and no causal inference.
Pharmaceutics · 2022
Contributes: Analysed 2 g leaf product; human PK for multiple alkaloids.
Limit: Only six healthy participants and one low exposure; not generalisable to extracts.
Molecules · 2024
Contributes: Controlled human PK using 0.5–4 g of analysed dried leaf.
Limit: Small healthy sample, specific study product, and disclosed industry conflicts.
Phytochemistry · 2026
Contributes: Current analytical evidence on variability across commercial products.
Limit: Product sample does not represent the entire rapidly changing market.
Journal of AOAC International · 2026
Contributes: Analytical study identifies highly enriched 7-OH products with non-leaf-like profiles.
Limit: Market sample; chemical analysis does not directly quantify clinical event rates.
