Chester County Coroner Links 2 Deaths To Herbal Supplement
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CHESTER COUNTY, Pa. (CBS) — The Chester County coroner has a warning for people using the herbal supplement, kratom.
Authorities are now linking two deaths in the last four months to the supplement, which is legally sold in the Delaware Valley.
Kratom is a powder used to help with opioid addiction and other medical issues.
However, officials do confirm that kratom is unregulated by the FDA in spite of its legality.
"The FDA encourages more research to better understand kratom's safety profile, including the use of kratom combined with other drugs," wrote the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in May.
It is banned in some states and the FDA and DEA have expressed concerns about it.
Recently, many brands that have products containing kratom have been recalled by the FDA due to testing positive for salmonella.
"Unfortunately, there is little research available on kratom. 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," said Dr. Christina VandePol, the Chester County Coroner.
The FDA asserts that kratom is often sold with misleading information that suggests it can cure ailments that it hasn't been proven to actually fix.
Sixty-five products have been identified by the FDA as potentially dangerous.
