The U.S. Food and Drug Adminiswellingtonretreattration on Tuesday waded once again into the hotly contested debate over the safety of kratom, a botanical substance that advocates say can help ease pain and reduce symptoms of opioid withdrawal, but which critics say can lead to addiction and death.
The regulator said it was aware of 36 deaths associated with kratom, which can have similar effects to narcotics like opioids.
Kratom, a natural plant grown in parts of Asia, is available in the United States as a dietary supplement and the FDA has said kratom products have been crossing into the U.S. in increasing amounts.
