Kratom concerns

Use of an herbal and nutritional supplement called Kratom is raising the concern of doctors and appears to be on the rise in the Twin Cities. Hennepin County Medical Center's Poison Control Center has had about 20 calls so far this year, double the number as usual. Some of the callers with symptoms of withdrawal and addiction.

“Kratom can be addictive just like Vicodin or oxycodone,” says Dr. JoAn Laes, a medical toxicologist at HCMC. “The fact that the calls have increased makes me think we have a product that's growing in popularity here.”

Kratom is a tropical tree in the coffee family that grows in Southeast Asia. Its scientific name is Mitraguna Speciosa. In addition to having a stimulant effect, its active ingredient 7-Hydroxymitragynine hits the brain's opioid receptor in a way similar to morphine, but with effects far less dramatic and intense.

It is sold in a liquid, powder and pill form, and because it is considered a nutritional product it is not regulated by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

The Fox 9 Investigators went undercover and found Kratom was widely available in the Twin Cities in head shops, herbal shops, and nutrition stores. Some of the product didn't contain any label or dosage recommendation. Apparently for legal reasons, clerks were unwilling to tell us much about Kratom.