If this question is urgent for you, these come before the rest of the page.
If someone is difficult to wake, is not breathing normally, is having a seizure, or is unresponsive, call 911.
1-800-222-1222. Poison Control, around the clock, for a reaction that worries you or a question about a product you are holding.
988. The crisis lifeline, anywhere in the United States, by call or text.
Treatment. The federal treatment locator, findtreatment.gov.
Two things stated once. Kratom is not a treatment for opioid use disorder or for opioid or kratom withdrawal; the medicines with an evidence base for opioid use disorder are buprenorphine, methadone and naltrexone. And every clinical question this page raises belongs with a clinician rather than with us.
Checked 7 October 2026. This page covers what "synthetic kratom" means, how DEA, the Justice Department, FDA and three states use the words, what is federally scheduled and what is only proposed, and what a label or a lab certificate can tell you. Every quotation was read in the named document.
Who wrote it, and what we sell. GRH Kratom, which sells kratom powders, capsules, liquid extracts, shots and drinks, among other products, and KING K PRIME Extract Tablets, a pressed extract tablet. That is the form DEA's threshold notice names as "pressed pills". The certificate linked from that product's page (lot 080826, 14 September 2026) reports the minor alkaloid that notice covers at 226 ug/g with the specification "Report Results" in its derivative panel, meaning no limit was set there. Its Florida panel prints PASS against the 1 mg/g limit and the 100:1 ratio. It reports the three federally scheduled compounds as ND (not detected above its detection limit of 7.72 ug/g), and carries no metals or microbial panel. The product page says "No synthetics, ever." and "Every batch tested for contaminants and alkaloid content." That certificate cannot show the first, and has no contaminant panel for the second. This article links to no product.
Next review 7 January 2027.
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"Synthetic kratom" is not a defined legal or chemical term, and the agencies that use it do not define it. In practice it points at two things: compounds made by chemically changing kratom's own alkaloids, and products concentrated beyond what the leaf naturally contains. Three compounds DEA calls synthetic derivatives, mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 and MGM-16, have been temporarily in federal Schedule I since 26 August 2026. A separate proposal covering a minor kratom alkaloid, which DEA's notice names as "7-hydroxymitragynine", above a set threshold is still only a proposal. Natural kratom leaf and mitragynine are not federally scheduled. Unscheduled is not the same as safe: FDA has "warned consumers not to use kratom because of the risk of serious adverse events, including liver toxicity, seizures and substance use disorder."
The agencies also use "synthetic" and "semi-synthetic" differently for the same compounds, so this guide uses each source's own words. And we sell kratom, including a pressed extract tablet; the box above says what its certificate shows.
Where the phrase "synthetic kratom" comes from
Four public sources we read use the phrase, and none defines it. New Jersey's Attorney General titled a 25 September 2026 alert "Three Types of Synthetic Kratom". FDA's page has a heading on "Synthetic Kratom-Related Compounds". LA County Public Health warned in October 2025 about "the synthetic kratom compound known as 7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH)", and the news outlet WHYY ran an April 2026 explainer on "the 'Wild West' of synthetic kratom", calling that same alkaloid "a synthetic version of kratom".
DEA and FDA both say that alkaloid also occurs naturally in the leaf, in trace amounts. DEA's threshold notice adds: "Despite the different origins of 7-hydroxymitragynine, the chemical structures of synthetic and naturally occurring 7-hydroxymitragynine are identical." The same molecule can come from a plant or a flask.
Natural leaf, extract, concentrate, semi-synthetic, synthetic
Five words, five meanings, with the sources that use them.
Natural leaf. West Virginia draws the cleanest legal line we found. Its code defines a kratom product as "the natural leaf of the plant mitragyna speciosa and any simple physical form of the leaf, including whole, crushed, or powdered", and excludes "a product that has been synthetically manipulated or chemically concentrated beyond the leaf's natural alkaloid profile." FDA's 2025 report calls the minor alkaloid "only a minor constituent that comprises less than 2% of the total alkaloid content in natural kratom leaves."
Extract. An extract is made from the plant and is not synthetic by that fact alone. DEA's threshold proposal names "extracts, concentrates, processed edibles, or pressed pills", but reaches them only above its proposed limit. It judges a form by what it contains, not by what it is called.
Concentrate. FDA's consumer guide says "7-OH products are concentrated derivatives often falsely marketed as Kratom." FDA's report says the boosted amounts are "likely synthetically derived" by chemically converting mitragynine isolates or kratom extracts, because extracting the trace alkaloid directly from plant material "would simply be unfeasible economically."
Semi-synthetic. Made by chemically changing an alkaloid the plant already makes. DEA's notice says "7-hydroxymitragynine can be synthesized from mitragynine through a one-step chemical reaction". DEA's August order calls two compounds "these semisynthetic opioids (mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15)".
Synthetic. Made in a laboratory. The order says: "Mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and MGM-16 are synthetic derivatives of the indole alkaloids, mitragynine or 7-hydroxymitragynine, of the Mitragyna speciosa plant." It adds that "MGM-16 is synthetically manufactured for research purposes" and that mitragynine pseudoindoxyl was first confirmed in consumer products in 2024.
New to the chemistry? Our plain guide to alkaloids explains the word.
DEA, DOJ and FDA do not use these words the same way
Side by side, the federal labels move, sometimes within one document.
| Source | The three scheduled compounds | The concentrated minor alkaloid |
|---|---|---|
| DEA (July notice and announcement, August order) | All three are "synthetic derivatives". Mitragynine pseudoindoxyl and MGM-15 are also "semisynthetic opioids". MGM-16 is "synthetically manufactured for research purposes". | "naturally occurring in the plant"; in products, "semi-synthetic 7-OH"; synthetic and natural forms "are identical". |
| Justice Department (release, 25 August 2026) | MGM-15 and MGM-16 are "two synthetic compounds". In the same sentence, mitragynine pseudoindoxyl is named without that word, and the literature "has not established MGPI as a naturally occurring kratom alkaloid." | Not part of this action. |
| FDA (hub page and consumer update) | "three synthetic 7-OH derivatives (Mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and MGM-16) not naturally occurring in the kratom plant." | "occurs naturally in trace amounts in the plant kratom"; the warning is for products with it "as an added ingredient or at enhanced levels". The hub says the July actions are "intended to target concentrated and synthetic 7-OH products". |
So when a page says "synthetic", ask which compound and whose word. DEA's order uses both "synthetic" and "semisynthetic" for the same two compounds. The Justice Department keeps "synthetic" for MGM-15 and MGM-16. FDA uses it for all three. DEA and FDA also attach it to concentrated products of the minor alkaloid; county and news sources call the alkaloid itself synthetic.
What is federally scheduled on 7 October 2026, and what is only proposed
DEA published two notices on 6 July 2026, and they have had different fates. The one covering the three compounds became DEA's temporary scheduling order: "This temporary order is effective August 26, 2026, until August 26, 2028." It lasts "for two years, with a possible extension of one year, pending completion of the regular (permanent) scheduling process."
The order states: "Retail sales of schedule I controlled substances to the general public are not allowed under the CSA." And: "Possession of any quantity of mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, or MGM-16 in a manner not authorized by the CSA on or after August 26, 2026 is unlawful". The order contains no trace-amount threshold and no carve-out for natural occurrence.
The other notice covers the concentrated minor alkaloid. DEA's notice of intent on a threshold, labeled "Proposed amendment; notice of intent.", said: "The temporary scheduling order will be published in the Federal Register on or after August 5, 2026." We searched the Federal Register on 7 October 2026 and found no order, and nothing on public inspection. The proposed line is more than 0.050 percent on a dry weight basis for botanical material, and for synthetic or processed products more than 0.050 percent or more than 1.00 milligram in the article.
| Compound | What it is, in a primary source's words | Federal status, 7 October 2026 | Florida and New Jersey |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitragynine | "naturally occurring in the plant" (DEA order) | Not scheduled | Not listed |
| The concentrated minor alkaloid | Natural in trace amounts; also "can be synthesized from mitragynine through a one-step chemical reaction" (DEA notice) | Proposed above a threshold. No order published. | Florida: Schedule I above 1 mg/g or 1 mg/mL, or below 100:1 (emergency rule) |
| Mitragynine pseudoindoxyl | "synthetic derivatives" and "semisynthetic opioids" (DEA order) | Temporary Schedule I, 26 August 2026 to 26 August 2028 | New Jersey from 25 September 2026; not in Florida's current rule |
| MGM-15 | "semisynthetic opioids" (DEA order); "synthetic compounds" (Justice Department) | Temporary Schedule I, same dates | Both states |
| MGM-16 | "synthetically manufactured for research purposes" (DEA order) | Temporary Schedule I, same dates | Both states |
The Justice Department's release on the August action adds a narrow policy on traces. Its key paragraphs:
"This action is directed at deliberately manufactured and concentrated opioid products, not traditional botanical kratom. The published scientific literature has not established MGPI as a naturally occurring kratom alkaloid. However, scientific and analytical questions remain about whether MGPI may be reported at incidental trace levels in some botanical products as a result of processing, storage or analytical conditions."
"In light of these unresolved questions, the Department of Justice will exercise enforcement discretion when only incidental trace amounts of MGPI are confirmed in a product otherwise consistent with botanical kratom. This policy does not create a legal exemption and does not change MGPI's status as a schedule I controlled substance."
"This enforcement policy does not apply to MGM-15 or MGM-16, or products containing manufactured, concentrated, fortified or intentionally added MGPI."
It is enforcement discretion, not an exemption. It covers mitragynine pseudoindoxyl only. And it has nothing to do with the 0.050 percent figure, a proposed line for a different compound.
Two agency pages that predate the August order
Two of the federal pages you are most likely to find were written before 26 August 2026. FDA's page on these products is marked "Content current as of: 07/13/2026" and describes DEA's July notices, not the August order. NIDA's kratom page, dated March 2026 in its footer, says "kratom and kratom compounds are not listed on the U.S. schedule of controlled substances" and does not mention the three compounds.
State lines: Florida, New Jersey and West Virginia
Florida. Florida's Attorney General acted by emergency rule 2ER26-2, effective 18 August 2026. The rule notice puts the minor alkaloid in state Schedule I at a level above "1 milligram per gram (mg/g) for solid or powdered products, including encapsulated materials", above "1 milligram per milliliter (mg/mL) for liquid products, including beverages, extracts, and tinctures", or "with less than 100 parts mitragynine for every one part of 7-hydroxymitragynine by mass". The rule also adds 7-acetoxymitragynine, MGM-15 and MGM-16, but not mitragynine pseudoindoxyl. It is an emergency rule, not a statute; the Attorney General will ask the Legislature to "memorialize this action" in its 2027 session. A second emergency rule, 5KER26-11, from Florida's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, requires labels to disclose the alkaloid's concentration and ratio; we have not read its full text.
New Jersey. New Jersey's listing came without a vote. Under state law, a drug the federal government schedules is scheduled in New Jersey too unless the Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs objects, and he did not. The Attorney General's alert of 25 September 2026 says: "Natural kratom and other synthetic kratom-related compounds not scheduled will not be illegal in New Jersey as a result of this change in federal law." The alert has no trace-amount statement.
West Virginia. West Virginia draws its line in a definition instead, quoted above: natural leaf in, anything "synthetically manipulated or chemically concentrated" out.
What the LA County figures count
On 12 September 2025, LA County Public Health reported that the Medical Examiner had "identified three fatal overdoses in LA County residents between the ages of 18 to 40 years old. Alcohol was present in all cases. The decedents were otherwise healthy, with no other substances identified as substantively contributing to their deaths."
Its 10 October 2025 release added: "The County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner recently identified three additional fatal overdoses associated with 7-OH ingestion in LA County residents between the ages of 18 to 40 years old. Six overdoses are now tied to this synthetic substance." And: "Alcohol was present with 7-OH in many of the fatal overdose cases, in addition to other medications and, at times, illicit substances. However, the decedents were otherwise generally healthy."
Here is what that counts: six fatal overdoses, in one county, among residents aged 18 to 40, that the Medical Examiner associated with the concentrated minor alkaloid by October 2025, with alcohol present in all of the first three. "Associated with" and "tied to" are the county's words, not a finding that the alkaloid alone caused each death. The releases do not mention mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 or MGM-16, and they are a year old.
Product forms and label words the agencies flag
Forms. DEA's order describes the products as "powders, tablets, and liquid shots", including "flavored chewable tablets"; in a study DEA cites of 51 products sold online as mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, "Seventy-six percent (39 of 51) of these products were chewable tablets". An investigation cited in DEA's July notice found "chewable/sublingual tablets were the most common formulation", and FDA names "tablets, gummies, drink mixes, and shots". DEA places sales on "the internet, as well as in gas stations, corner shops, and vape shops"; our guide to gas station kratom covers that counter.
Label words. DEA's order flags marketing as "precision-formulated products," "botanical extracts," or "mood boosters", along with "clean and powerful", "potent" and "fast-acting", packaging marked "not intended for human consumption.", and claims that the products are "kratom". DEA's July notice adds labels reading "natural M. speciosa extracts." FDA warns that "'Enhanced' or 'spiked' kratom products may appear to be natural leaf". LA County flagged "plant alkaloids" and "alkaloid" on labels.
Our own tablets. GRH sells KING K PRIME Extract Tablets, a "Pressed Tablet" on its certificate and a chewable tablet on its product page, made from kratom leaf extract, the form DEA's notice calls "pressed pills". The product page carries a "HIGH POTENCY" badge, lists "Food-Grade Coloring." among its ingredients, and describes the tablets as crafted for users who want "clean and dependable strength", close to the "clean and powerful" wording DEA flags. Being a tablet does not make a product synthetic or scheduled. But a guide that lists tablets among the forms agencies flag would be dishonest if it hid that we sell one.
Reading a certificate's derivative panel
Cora Science, the lab on our recent certificates, says in its footer that "the results relate only to the specific sample of material or product analyzed."
A derivative panel, headed "Mitragynine Derivatives [UHPLC-MS]" on Cora's certificates, gives each compound a row with a specification, a result, the limit of quantitation (LOQ) and the method detection limit (MDL). Here is the certificate linked from our PRIME page.
| Line on the certificate | Specification | Result | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| "7-hydroxymitragynine" (derivative panel) | "Report Results" | 226 ug/g (LOQ 23.2, MDL 7.72) | Measured. No pass or fail limit set. |
| "Mitragynine Pseudoindoxyl" | "Report Results" | ND (MDL 7.72 ug/g) | Not detected above 7.72 ug/g. Not proof of zero. |
| MGM-15 and MGM-16 rows | "Report Results" | ND | Not detected above the same limit. |
| Florida panel, "7-Hydroxymitragynine Limit" | "NMT 1.00" mg/g | 0.226 mg/g, PASS | The lab's PASS against Florida's 1 mg/g line, for this sample. |
| Florida panel, "Mitragynine-to-7OH Ratio" | "NLT 100:1" | 1221:1, PASS | The lab's PASS on Florida's ratio test. |
| Metals, microbes, solvents, moisture | No panel | Not on this certificate | Says nothing about contaminants. |
What ND means. ND is "not detected", and only above the MDL printed on that certificate. Here that is 7.72 ug/g, so a smaller trace would also print as ND. ND is not zero. The limit also changes with the material being tested, so always read the MDL beside the ND.
One of our own certificates shows why. King K Platinum, a liquid botanical extract we sell, lot 12242, was tested on 18 August 2026, eight days before the federal order took effect. Its derivative panel, with an MDL of 0.77 ug/g, reports "Mitragynine Pseudoindoxyl" at 2.59 ug/g, with MGM-15 and MGM-16 ND. That is a detection, not "none", of a compound now temporarily in Schedule I, and it is smaller than PRIME's 7.72 ug/g limit, so a test at PRIME's limit could not have seen it. The Justice Department's trace policy "does not create a legal exemption", and we do not claim one.
What a panel cannot show. Most certificates on our own lab-results page carry no derivative panel, so those tests did not look for the three scheduled compounds at all. A certificate without metals or microbial panels says nothing about contamination. And since DEA calls the synthetic and natural forms of the minor alkaloid identical, a number alone cannot show which one is present.
So, plainly: two lines on our PRIME page go beyond the certificate linked beside them. "No synthetics, ever." The certificate cannot show where its 226 ug/g of the minor alkaloid came from. "Every batch tested for contaminants and alkaloid content." The certificate has no metals, microbial, solvent or moisture panel.
What to check, and who to call
Our advice: whatever the form, find out what it contains. The forms the agencies name run from powders to tablets, gummies, shots and drink mixes.
Our advice: read label words as questions. "Botanical extracts", "plant alkaloids", "enhanced" and "not intended for human consumption" all appear in agency descriptions of how these products are sold.
Our advice: read the certificate for the lot you hold, and check your state. Look for a derivative panel, the MDL beside each ND, and metals and microbial panels; that applies to our certificates as much as anyone's. Florida, New Jersey and West Virginia each draw the line in a different place.
If something is wrong now, use the numbers at the top of this page. Afterwards, FDA's MedWatch program takes reports; call 1-800-332-1088 to request a reporting form.
Questions people ask about synthetic kratom
What is synthetic kratom?
It is not a defined legal or chemical term. Agencies and news outlets use it for compounds made by chemically changing kratom alkaloids, such as mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 and MGM-16, and sometimes for products concentrated in a minor alkaloid that the leaf contains only in trace amounts.
Is synthetic kratom illegal?
Mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 and MGM-16 have been temporarily in federal Schedule I since 26 August 2026, under a DEA order that runs to 26 August 2028. A DEA proposal on a concentrated minor kratom alkaloid above a threshold was still only a proposal on 7 October 2026. Florida and New Jersey have their own listings.
Is natural kratom leaf federally scheduled?
No. The Justice Department said the August 2026 action is directed at deliberately manufactured and concentrated opioid products, not traditional botanical kratom. State rules differ, so check yours.
Can a lab certificate prove a product contains no synthetic compounds?
No. A certificate reports what one lab found in one sample. ND means not detected above the detection limit printed on that certificate, not zero, and the limit differs from product to product. A certificate with no derivative panel did not look for the scheduled compounds at all.
What should I do if someone reacts badly to a kratom product?
If the person is difficult to wake, is not breathing normally, is having a seizure, or is unresponsive, call 911. For a reaction that worries you, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222, around the clock.
If a line here no longer matches its source, or DEA publishes something we have missed, tell us, and the page will be corrected with a new review date.
Disclaimer: this page summarizes publicly available material as of 7 October 2026 and links to primary sources so you can check them. It is general information, not legal or medical advice. Scheduling status can change, and a proposal is not an order until one is published. Statements about botanical products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration, and no product is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
