For years, kratom has existed in a strange regulatory limbo. Widely used, heavily debated, and often misunderstood. Critics have relied on anecdotes and worst-case assumptions, while consumers and researchers have asked for something far more boring and far more powerful: real data. Now we have it. A newly published randomized clinical trial evaluating dried kratom leaf powder in healthy adults delivers the most rigorous safety data to date. The findings are measured, clinical, and inconvenient for sensational headlines. Kratom talk is usually loud, political, and emotional. This is the opposite: a controlled human study, published January 5, 2026 in Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, testing a well-characterized dried kratom leaf powder in healthy adult volunteers, with placebo controls, dose escalation, and close medical monitoring. This post breaks down what the study did, what participants experienced, what the labs showed (especially liver enzymes), and what the authors concluded about abuse potential and withdrawal. Then we translate it into practical takeaways for real-world “plain leaf kratom” consumers. This post also discusses the broader implications for kratom studies. New peer-reviewed research adds to a substantial body of scientific evidence highlighting the safety of natural kratom leaf. What This Study Set Out to Answer The study was designed to answer a basic but critical question: Is traditionally prepared, plain kratom leaf powder safe and tolerable when used by healthy adults under controlled conditions?

Check out this video. The proof is there about kda. https://youtu.be/r_LSCA5M5P8?si=uMFC0PmoVwID0_VC

I just wanted to post an update. I will be having vascular surgery on my right leg tomorrow. I've cut back on my kratom over the past week and am ready to go. I won't be taking my morning serving of kratom powder, but I am taking small amounts today. From everything I've gathered, as long as I abstain from any kratom for about 12-18 hours before surgery, I will be fine. I will let you know how this theory plays out.:) For people dealing with chronic pain, going days without any relief is just not going to happen, plain and simple. I will keep everyone posted! This is the first of a few surgeries I'll be having this year. My left leg in February. I want us all to learn and understand kratom and anesthesia better. If anyone is interested in the details, I uploaded my diagnosis and notes into ChatGPT for more explanation. https://chatgpt.com/share/6942fe51-3950-8010-add1-25ed120bb22b

At some point, we have to step back and ask a very basic question: how did we end up criminalizing medicinal plants? Plants predate governments, laws, and pharmaceutical companies by hundreds of millions of years. Long before modern medicine existed, human beings relied on the natural world for healing. Leaves, roots, bark, flowers, and resins were our first pharmacy. That fact has not changed just because we invented pills. Medicinal plants have been a vital part of human health and wellness for centuries. In my view, medicinal plants in their natural form should never be scheduled or illegal. Cannabis. Coca. Kratom. Poppy. These are not inventions. They are part of the natural world, and they have been used responsibly by cultures across the globe for thousands of years. When governments outlaw whole plants, they are not protecting public health. They keep repeating the same mistake. Plants Are Not the Problem The Importance of Medicinal Plants in Modern Health History makes this painfully clear. Whenever a plant has been banned, the ban has not eliminated use. It has only pushed people toward more dangerous alternatives. Alcohol prohibition did not stop drinking. It created organized crime and poisoned products. The war on drugs did not end addiction. It escalated overdoses, incarceration, and black-market innovation. Addiction is a human condition, not a botanical one. You cannot legislate it away. Plants, in their natural state, tend to be self-limiting. They contain complex profiles of compounds that work together, often creating natural ceilings on effect. Whole-plant use is typically slower, less concentrated, and more ritualized.

I'm sharing my recent bloodwork metabolic panel results. I get numerous questions about how natural kratom can affect bloodwork and health in general. I've been a daily kratom consumer since 2016. I use roughly 5 grams 4 times per day. I use my tested kratom and do not purchase anywhere else. Making sure that you are consuming clean kratom is very important. There are heavy metals and specific areas that should not be harvested from. I am also including a link to my heavy metals hair test from earlier this year. https://christophersorganicbotanicals.com/clean-living-htma-test-heavy-metals-in-kratom/