Why This Controversial Herbal Substance Keeps Being At The Center Of Lawsuits

A family recently filed a lawsuit after a woman reportedly died in her sleep after taking a controversial herbal product that has taken over gas stations by storm.

Kratom is a supplement derived from a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia that is often utilized to self-treat conditions including pain, coughing, diarrhea, opioid use disorder and opioid withdrawal, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Over a year after Lauren Dominguez’s mother unexpectedly died at age 55, her family filed a lawsuit against a kratom product’s manufacturer and retailer, alleging that the product may have contributed to her death, ABC7 Chicago reported on Sept. 2.

The mother’s cause of death was acute mitragynine intoxication, with chronic alcohol use reported as a contributing factor, ABC7 Chicago reported, citing the coroner’s report. Mitragynine is one of the key compounds found in kratom products.

“The danger is that nobody knows what is actually in the kratom product,” Attorney Michael Jeandron, who represents Dominguez and her family, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Manufacturers mislead the public with words like ‘natural,’ ‘botanical’ and ‘herbal’ so people keep using it believing it is safe and healthy. Without regulation forcing them to stop, they will keep doing it. People deserve to know what is [in their] products.”

“If kratom continues to gain popularity, people will continue to be harmed, and the more people who are harmed, the more who will look to hold these manufacturers accountable,” Jeandron added. “If kratom is left unchecked by government regulation, the civil justice system is the only place left to do that, and that means more lawsuits … If fewer people are harmed, there is no need for more lawsuits.”

Jeandron went on to say that potentially unsafe kratom products are often used by “vulnerable” Americans.

“Sadly, kratom is being used by some of the most vulnerable people in our society,” he said. “Some are trying to break a dependence on something they know is bad for them and turn to kratom believing it is safe, only to find out they are worse off than when they started.”

Analysts previously told the DCNF that unregulated kratom products can lead to addiction, withdrawal symptoms and overdose among some users.

U.S. poison centers received 14,449 total reports related to kratom exposure over the last 11 years, with the record high of 3,434 reports in 2025 representing a 1,200% rise compared to 258 reports in 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in March.

Polydrug use is common among kratom users, including individuals with opioid use disorder, according to the American Addiction Centers. Polydrug use refers to using more than one drug or type of drug at the same time or in succession, per the Alcohol and Drug Foundation.

“Unregulated kratom products have been devastating people’s lives and families for over 10 years – mostly causing the same level of addiction as found in other opioids, like oxycontin, heroin, or fentanyl,” End Kratom Addiction president and founder Dean Francis told the DCNF. “Unsuspecting people are duped into [using kratom] and as a result, are robbed of years of their lives, or worse, die. Other adverse effects are liver toxicity, seizure, psychosis, and neonatal withdrawal.”

“Litigation [involving unregulated kratom products] is growing more than ever,” Francis continued. “We expect an even greater boom in 2027.”

Multiple lawsuits have been filed against kratom manufacturers and distributors in recent years for allegedly failing to disclose potential dangers, misleading consumers and violating product safety regulations, according to The Alvarez Law Firm.

Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit in April against two California-based online kratom retailers for allegedly selling synthetic kratom products that contain almost fifty times the legal limit of 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH). 7-OH is a potent opioid-like alkaloid related to kratom, according to the International Society of Substance Use Professionals.

Moreover, the mayor of Baltimore and the city council are suing the manufacturers and distributors of various kratom products, alleging that their marketing and sale violate the city’s consumer protection ordinance, Courthouse News Service reported in July.

Kratom products have not “been shown to be safe or to treat any medical conditions,” according to the Mayo Clinic. In 2021, 1.7 million Americans aged 12 and up used kratom, the FDA reported, citing estimates from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Francis also suggested that some kratom retailers may be “exploiting dietary supplement laws” in the U.S.

“Once you understand the character of the people behind the [kratom] industry, none of the addiction or devastation is surprising,” he explained. “They are effectively operating a drug cartel by exploiting dietary supplement laws. They know kratom is an opioid, which is what makes it both attractive and addictive.”

Some U.S. states have notably banned or limited the sale of certain kratom products in recent years.

Florida enacted an emergency rule in June 2025 classifying 7-OH as a Schedule I narcotic, Fox 13 reported. However, instead of stopping sales, some synthetic kratom manufacturers modified their chemical formulas in an effort to circumvent the ban, per the outlet.