U.S. Marshals have seized more than 25,000 pounds of raw kratom material worth more than $5 million from Rosefield Management, Inc. in Van Nuys, California. Kratom is a botanical substance native to Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. It is not approved in the U.S. for any medical use but is marketed for its opioid-like analgesic effects and in the treatment of morphine and heroin addiction.
Consumption of kratom can cause health problems including respiratory depression, nervousness, agitation, aggression, sleeplessness, hallucinations, delusions, loss of libido, tremors, skin hyperpigmentation, nausea, vomiting, constipation and severe withdrawal signs and symptoms.
“We have identified kratom as a botanical substance that poses a risk to public health and has the potential for abuse,” said Melinda Plaisier, the FDA’s associate commissioner for regulatory affairs. “This action was taken to safeguard the public from this dangerous product, and FDA will continue to take aggressive enforcement actions against products that are promoted for uses that are unapproved.”
After being told not to distribute the product, Rosefield distributed kratom to Wholesale Shamanic Herbs. Wholesale Shamanic Herbs which promoted it on its website as a product that could cure, mitigate and treat disease.
This post isn’t about food poisoning is it?
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If it’s ingested by mouth, we report on it.