A tree in the coffee family, not an opioid.

Kratom is the common name for Mitragyna speciosa, a tropical evergreen tree in the coffee family (Rubiaceae) native to Southeast Asia. For centuries, people in the region have chewed its leaves or brewed them as tea — traditionally used by farmers and laborers for energy, stamina, and relief of pain and fatigue.

In the United States, kratom is typically consumed as dried leaf powder — brewed like tea, mixed into beverages, or taken in capsules. Its two most-studied active compounds, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, interact with several receptor systems in the body. At lower amounts, consumers report mild stimulant-like effects similar to coffee; at higher amounts, they report calm and relief from discomfort.

What the pharmacology does — and doesn't — mean

Kratom's pharmacology is frequently mischaracterized. Although its compounds interact with opioid receptors among others, a comprehensive 2024 review in Frontiers in Pharmacology concluded that kratom is more accurately characterized as a substance with diverse and complex pharmacology — not as an opioid. That distinction matters for policy: it is central to why federal scientific reviews have repeatedly declined to recommend banning the plant, and why federal research agencies are now studying its compounds as potential medicine.

Where the AKA stands

There are no FDA-approved uses of kratom, and the American Kratom Association does not make therapeutic claims for kratom products. What the AKA advocates is straightforward: accurate information, honest labeling, and enforceable product standards through the Kratom Consumer Protection Act.