The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that Kratom, an herbal drug available over-the-counter, has been associated with nearly 100 overdose deaths in recent years.
Grown naturally in Southeast Asia and sold in powder capsules, Kratom is responsible for causing 91 overdose deaths in the United States between July 2016 and December 2017. The CDC released the findings Thursday.
The CDC officials have found that Kratom was the only drug that tested positive in a toxicology report among seven of the other drug overdoses.
The agency analyzed the data of 27,338 overdose deaths from July 2016 to December 2017. The researchers found that 152 deaths tested positive for Kratom, although it was not a cause of death.
According to a study published in February, phone calls associated with Kratom overdose increased by more than 50 times from 13 in 2011 to 682 in 2017.
The CDC said that in recent years, people in the United States have started using Kratom on a regular basis, although it is not considered a regulated substance.
The Food and Drug Administration and Drug Enforcement Administration have warned about the use of Kratom in the past.
Sold as a dietary or herbal supplement. Kratom powdered capsules are used along with tea to prevent or ease opioid withdrawals, pain, fatigue
Often marketed as an herbal or dietary supplement, kratom is commonly used in tea to ease opioid withdrawals, cough, pain, fatigue, and diarrhea.
Kratom interacts with opioid receptors in the brain to soothe pain, cause sedation and pleasure, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The CDC officials said that in most of the overdoses related to Kratom, Fentanyl has also been listed as a cause of drug overdose death.
