FDA Moves to Restrict Opioid Extract Derived From Kratom Plant

The agency said the substance is a concentrated, synthetic form of the plant’s extract and had the potential to be highly addictive.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary speaks alongside US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., at HHS headquarters in Washington on July 29, 2025. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

The Department of Health and Human Services announced on July 29 that it is looking to restrict sales of a widely available substance commonly used as a pain reliever.

The substance 7-Hydroxymitragynine, commonly known as 7-OH, is a synthetic, concentrated form of kratom, a plant extract that is a stimulant at low doses, but has sedative effects when taken in high doses.