Clinically characterizing adults who use kava or kratom: Substance use disorder assessment challenges for increasingly popular botanical products.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) and kava (Piper methysticum) are psychoactive botanicals with growing popularity We aimed to characterize the clinical characteristics of people who have consumed these products.

Methods

We conducted an online survey of US adults who have used kava or kratom. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-5 (DSM-5) substance use disorder (SUD) criteria were used to assess symptoms related to past-year kratom and/or kava use. Respondents were also asked to report on the compatibility of kava and kratom effects with daily living.

Results

Of the 367 participants, 91.3 % reported lifetime kratom use and 49.0 % reported lifetime kava use. There was substantial overlap of lifetime use of both substances (40.3 %). Past-year SUD diagnos

SUBMITTER: Hill K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12663646 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature