Rachel Carlson

Hey, Rachel.

Hey, Emily.

So I am here today to talk to you about something becoming more popular.

It's called kratom or kratom.

People pronounce it both ways, but a lot of the sources I talked to said kratom.

So I think that's what we'll stick with for this episode.

Kratom is derived from tree leaves.

It's been used for centuries in Southeast Asia, mostly Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

for energy and to treat pain.

But in the U.S., it's sort of an umbrella term that includes a bunch of different products like teas, pills, extracts, synthetic goods that all vary in strength depending on how they're made.

It's kind of like when someone says cannabis products, that could mean whole leaf or extracts from the leaves or synthetic products.

Okay, so the term kratom could actually mean a bunch of different things?

Yeah, I've heard it referred to as a drug, as a supplement, as an ingredient.

So I asked the FDA, the Food and Drug Administration, and they told me in an email statement, it depends on the specific product.

And on top of that, there's one compound in the kratom plant in particular that's been in the headlines recently.

People call it 7-OH, which stands for 7-hydroxymetragynine.

Some people also pronounce it mitragynine, but mostly people just say 7-OH.

7-OH.

Okay.

Where do people buy 7-OH?