Coroner: Kratom claims 2 lives

Substance, sold as an herbal painkiller, contains potentially toxic compound mitragynine

WEST CHESTER » The Chester County Coroner’s Office is reporting two deaths attributed to mitragynine toxicity due to consumption of kratom, an herbal supplement marketed as a natural painkiller.

Ryan Jones of Caln Township died April 30 with the cause of death determined to be mitragynine toxicity with hypertensive cardiovascular disease as a contributing condition. Caleb Jonathan Sturgis of West Bradford Township died June 27 of acute mitragynine intoxication.

The manner of death was accidental in both cases, according to the Chester County Coroner’s Office.

“Unfortunately, there is little research available on kratom,” said Dr. Christina VandePol, Chester County Coroner. “These deaths obviously raise our level of concern, however, and I encourage health care providers to be on the alert for its use in our community.”

According to the National Library of Medicine, there is no well-defined toxic dose for mitragynine. At lower to moderate doses (1 to 5 grams of raw leaves) can produce mild stimulant effects but can also produce anxiety and agitation; higher doses (5 to 15 grams) can produce opioidlike effects such as sedation, euphoria, and analgesia.

According to the American Chemical Society, “mitragynine is the predominant alkaloid produced by the southeastern Asian plant Mitragyna speciosa …” M. speciosa is commonly known as kratom and remains legal to buy and use in Pennsylvania. It is unregulated, although both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have

expressed concerns.

The FDA is warning consumers not to use any products labeled as containing the botanical substance kratom or its psychoactive compounds, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine. The FDA encourages more research to better understand kratom’s safety profile, including the use of kratom combined with other drugs.