Exploring the Concerns Around 7OH: Is 7-Hydroxymitragynine Safe?

Key Takeaways:

• 7-hydroxymitragynine (7OH) is a naturally occurring kratom alkaloid, but it’s also sold in highly concentrated extract-style products, which are the primary source of concern.
• Governmental bodies, such as the FDA, have expressed concerns about these products and urged their classification as controlled substances.
• Many experienced kratom users, retailers, and advocacy groups share these concerns.

Before exploring 7-hydroxymitragynine (7OH), let’s remain clear on one thing: natural leaf kratom is not the target of FDA or DEA efforts. The focus of most new regulatory and legislative pushes is concentrated extracts, such as 7OH. These new products, including some 7OH-only items, are separate from the traditional kratom leaf that has been used for centuries.

Recent years have spawned an increase in modified extracts advertised as stronger and promising faster responses. In the largely unregulated kratom and supplement industries, this increase meant more products going to market without adequate production standards or safety research.

Now, consumers, legislators, and regulatory bodies are asking if 7-hydroxymitragynine is safe. Answering that question and encouraging the strategic push toward fair kratom regulation is essential for consumer trust and necessary for the industry as a whole.

What Is 7OH Exactly?

You may already know that the kratom leaf contains numerous alkaloids that work together and give it its appeal. 7OH is one of these alkaloids. In the leaf, it occurs only in trace amounts. The problem with the concentrated products on the market is the manipulation of this natural state.

A Natural Compound vs A Concentrated Product

In the natural leaf, 7OH is a trace alkaloid. It typically makes up less than 0.05% of the dry leaf mass. The balance of over 40 alkaloids in the plant is believed to provide a more nuanced and potentially safer experience, minimizing the potential negative effects of separate alkaloids.

Concentrated products mitigate these natural safeguards. By isolating the single compound and strengthening it, manufacturers effectively amplify any potential 7OH side effects or drawbacks. The pharmacological experience may appear beneficial in the short term, but long-term use may entail increased risks.

Relation to Mitragynine

As a premier retailer of natural kratom leaf products, The Kratom Company is committed to complete transparency. Consumers need to understand the difference between natural levels of 7-hydroxymitragynine and concentrated extracts.

Mitragynine is the primary active alkaloid in the natural plant. It’s a partial agonist and acts on several receptors in the brain. Consumers and researchers report that mitragynine, at lower doses, is associated with a sense of increased energy and alertness, and that it has calming or relaxing properties at higher doses.

7OH is a metabolite of mitragynine. When you consume the mitragynine compound, some of the alkaloid turns into 7OH. Even after this transformation, the concentrated 7OH products still far exceed natural levels.

The Developing Interest and Concern

It’s precisely this amplification and manipulation of natural levels that have people concerned about the safety of 7-hydroxymitragynine. Consumers, regulators, and researchers are sounding the alarm about producers who are recklessly isolating this single, concentrated alkaloid. It’s a new development and one that doesn’t have the support of traditional kratom retailers, producers, or consumers.

What Are the Governmental and Regulatory Concerns About 7OH?

This growing interest hasn’t gone unnoticed by federal and state officials. The developing concern over these new concentrated products is now attracting significant governmental and regulatory pressure, as agencies begin to take a hard look at the safety of these 7OH extracts.

The FDA’s Stance on Concentrated 7OH Products

In July 2025, the FDA made its stance on concentrated 7OH products abundantly clear, recommending that they be scheduled under the Controlled Substances Act. The push for the scheduling is in response to what the FDA phrased as “opioid-like effects” and “high-abuse potential.”

As the FDA cannot schedule 7OH on its own, it made an official request to the DEA. It will review the request and likely hear public comments before making its final decision.

State-Level Actions

The legal landscape for natural kratom and concentrated products is ever-evolving. Currently, seven states have outright bans on the possession, sale, and use of all kratom products, or more specifically, its alkaloids (mitragynine and 7OH). However, Rhode Island’s ban is set to lift in April 2026.

About half of the US states took a more diplomatic approach, favoring regulation, often under the banner of the Kratom Consumer Protection Act. The regulation implements age restrictions, concentration limits, labeling and testing requirements, and marketing restrictions. 

The act’s concentration limits typically cap 7OH at less than 2% of the alkaloid content, effectively restricting access to the more dangerous, higher-concentration extracts. That said, many states are now considering an outright ban on most modified 7OH products.

Legal Gray Areas

The problem now, or the remaining one, is a lack of uniformity. There exists a conflict between federal inaction, differing state laws, and local ordinances. Without a unified response, consumers, retailers, and producers are left in limbo. 

How Is the Public and the Kratom Community Responding?

Growing concerns over 7OH safety are leading many consumers to consider quitting 7OH altogether. From negative user experiences to increasing regulatory and governmental pressure, it seems like now is the time to explore alternatives.

Concerns From Within the Kratom Community

The general kratom community views concentrated 7OH products as fundamentally different from the traditional kratom leaf. Many within the community, including The Kratom Company and other kratom advocacy groups, see the manipulation of the 7OH compound and lack of oversight over production practices as a direct threat to public health and the future of the natural kratom industry. 

Reported User Experiences and Side Effects

7OH users have reported that the extracts caused nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, confusion, rapid heart rate, and muscle aches. These are not all the symptoms or adverse side effects described. 

Consumer Hesitation and Re-Evaluation

Because of the growing public outcry and regulatory pressure, many 7OH consumers are re-evaluating the use of extracts. They’re looking for safer alternatives, substances with a long history. Many are turning to natural kratom leaf products.

Our Commitment: Education, Quality, and Traditional Kratom

The Kratom Company focuses on providing premium, lab-tested, traditional kratom capsules, powders, and extracts. 

The 7OH found naturally in the kratom leaf is only a small part of a complex structure used in traditional practices and rituals for hundreds of years.

That said, the highly concentrated 7OH products now on the market are a different story entirely. They represent a direct and purposeful manipulation of the natural compound. It’s a manipulation that carries valid concerns of dependence and adverse side effects. When coupled with a lack of research, it’s easy to see how many in the kratom community, including us, are pushing for regulation and the implementation of basic safety standards. 

Lab-Tested, Quality Products

We want you to trust the product you buy and use. That’s why we only sell kratom products created using a clean manufacturing process, one we prove by providing third-party lab tests for quality and potency. Shop The Kratom Company today and experience the natural difference.