Glossary
Bringing clarity, science, and advocacy to the global botanical community.
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7-Hydroxymitragynine
What is 7-Hydroxymitragynine? 7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) is one of the two most studied alkaloid…
7-Hydroxymitragynine
A minor alkaloid that occurs naturally in tiny amounts, known for its higher potency. Often stric…
A
Adulteration
What is Adulteration? Adulteration means a kratom product contains something that should not be t…
AKA (American Kratom Association)
How It’s Used For consumers, the AKA is most visible through its GMP vendor certification list. I…
AKA GMP Certified
What is AKA GMP Certified? AKA GMP Certified is a voluntary quality standard administered by the …
Alkaloid
How It’s Used You will encounter the term “alkaloid” in product descriptions, lab reports, and ed…
Alkaloid Profile
How It’s Used Alkaloid profiles are documented on Certificates of Analysis (COAs) produced by ind…
Alkaloid Profile
The complete fingerprint of active compounds in a batch of kratom, usually verified via High-Perf…
B
Bali Kratom
What is Bali Kratom? Bali kratom is one of the most recognizable strain names you will encounter …
Ban
How It’s Used If you are researching kratom for the first time, understanding your local legal st…
Batch Testing
What is Batch Testing? Batch testing means sending samples from each distinct production run of k…
Borneo
How It’s Used You will see “Borneo” used both as a geographic reference and as a strain name. Ven…
Botanical Specimen
How It’s Used You may still encounter “botanical specimen,” “not for human consumption,” or “sold…
C
Capsule
How It’s Used Capsules are the entry point for many new kratom consumers. They are widely availab…
CDSA (Controlled Drugs and Substances Act)
How It’s Used The CDSA is the first reference point when anyone asks “Is kratom legal in Canada?”…
Certificate of Analysis (COA)
How It’s Used Before purchasing, check whether a vendor provides batch-specific COAs and whether …
CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency)
How It’s Used The CFIA is most relevant to Canadian vendors, importers, and consumers who want to…
Controlled Substance
How It’s Used “Is kratom a controlled substance?” is one of the first questions new consumers ask…
Controlled Substances Act (CSA)
How It’s Used The CSA is the legal mechanism that determines whether kratom could become a federa…
Crushed Leaf
How It’s Used Consumers typically steep crushed leaf in hot (not boiling) water for 15 to 30 minu…
D
DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration)
How It’s Used The DEA is the agency kratom advocates monitor most closely for federal ban threats…
Dosage
How It’s Used Dosage is one of the most frequently discussed topics in kratom consumer communitie…
E
Eight-Factor Analysis
How It’s Used If you follow kratom policy at all, the eight-factor analysis is the decision to wa…
Enhanced Kratom
What is Enhanced Kratom? Enhanced kratom is plain leaf powder that has been fortified with concen…
Extract
How It’s Used Extracts are available as powders, capsules, liquids (tinctures or shots), and resi…
F
FDA (Food and Drug Administration)
How It’s Used The FDA comes up in nearly every conversation about kratom regulation, safety, and …
Fresh Leaf
How It’s Used For most consumers in North America, fresh leaf is context rather than a product yo…
Full Spectrum
An extract or product that aims to retain the natural ratio of mitragynine to minor alkaloids fou…
G
GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices)
How It’s Used For consumers, checking whether a vendor holds AKA GMP certification is one of the …
Green Vein
How It’s Used In vendor catalogs, green vein products are listed alongside red and white options …
H
Health Canada
What is Health Canada? Health Canada is the federal department responsible for helping Canadians …
Heavy Metal Testing
What is Heavy Metal Testing? Heavy metal testing is a laboratory analysis that measures the conce…
Horn Kratom
What is Horn Kratom? Horn kratom gets its name from a distinctive physical feature: the leaves ha…
I
Import Alert
How It’s Used Import alerts primarily affect kratom importers, distributors, and vendors who sour…
Indo Kratom
What is Indo Kratom? Indo kratom refers to kratom originating from Indonesia, the country that do…
K
Kalimantan
What is Kalimantan? Kalimantan is the Indonesian territory on the island of Borneo, encompassing …
Kava
What is Kava? Kava (Piper methysticum) is a plant native to the western Pacific Islands, Fiji, Va…
KCPA
The Kratom Consumer Protection Act, a framework requiring accurate labeling of mitragynine percen…
KCPA (Kratom Consumer Protection Act)
How It’s Used For consumers, KCPA compliance is a meaningful trust signal. Products sold in KCPA …
Kratom
What is Kratom? Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is a tropical evergreen tree in the Rubiaceae family,…
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M
Maeng Da
What is Maeng Da? It’s a common misconception that Maeng Da refers to a specific, genetically dis…
Malay Kratom
What is Malay Kratom? It’s a common misconception that Malay Kratom actually comes from Malaysia….
MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency)
How It’s Used The MHRA is referenced when discussing UK kratom regulations and vendor compliance….
Microdosing
What is Microdosing? Microdosing kratom means consuming well below the conventional dosage range,…
Misuse of Drugs Act
How It’s Used The MDA is referenced in legal discussions about kratom’s status in the UK. Advocat…
Mitragyna speciosa
What is Mitragyna speciosa? Mitragyna speciosa is the formal scientific name for the plant common…
Mitragynine
What is Mitragynine? Mitragynine is the primary active alkaloid found in the leaves of Mitragyna …
Mitragynine
The primary active indole alkaloid found in the leaves of the Mitragyna speciosa tree, responsibl…
N
Nanogram
How It’s Used You will encounter nanograms when reading detailed lab reports or COAs for kratom p…
Natural Health Product (NHP)
How It’s Used The NHP classification provides important context for Canadian kratom consumers and…
Not for Human Consumption
How It’s Used You will encounter “Not for Human Consumption” labels on many kratom products, part…
Novel Food
What is Novel Food? Novel Food is a regulatory classification established by the European Union u…
O
P
Plain Leaf
What is Plain Leaf? Plain leaf refers to kratom that has been dried and processed without any enh…
Potency
What is Potency? Potency refers to the concentration of pharmacologically active alkaloids, prima…
Powder
How It’s Used Kratom powder is the default product format across the industry. When vendors list …
PSA 2016 (Psychoactive Substances Act 2016)
How It’s Used The PSA 2016 is the primary legal reference point for discussions about kratom lega…
Q
R
Red Vein
How It’s Used Red vein is one of the first categorizations you will encounter when shopping for k…
Rubiaceae
What is Rubiaceae? Rubiaceae is one of the largest flowering plant families on earth, comprising …
S
Salmonella
What is Salmonella? Salmonella is the reason the kratom industry takes microbial testing seriousl…
Schedule 9
What is Schedule 9? Schedule 9 is the most restrictive category in Australia’s Standard for the U…
Schedule I
What is Schedule I? Schedule I is the most restrictive classification under the United States Con…
Shot
How It’s Used Kratom shots are consumed by drinking the bottle or a portion of it. The liquid for…
Strain
How It’s Used Strains are the primary way kratom products are organized and marketed. Online stor…
Synthetic Alkaloid
How It’s Used Synthetic alkaloids come up in discussions about product safety, adulteration, and …
T
TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration)
How It’s Used The TGA is referenced in any discussion about kratom legality in Australia. For int…
Thai Kratom
What is Thai Kratom? Thailand has the longest and deepest tradition of kratom use in the world. F…
Third-Party Testing
What is Third-Party Testing? Third-party testing means a kratom product has been analyzed by an i…
Tincture
How It’s Used Kratom tinctures are typically sold in small glass bottles with dropper caps. Consu…
Tolerance
What is Tolerance? Tolerance is a normal pharmacological phenomenon, not a sign that something ha…
Toss and Wash
What is Toss and Wash? Toss and wash is exactly what it sounds like. You place a measured dose of…
V
Vein Color
What is Vein Color? Vein color is the single most important classification system in the kratom m…
Vendor Verification
What is Vendor Verification? Vendor verification is the systematic process of evaluating a kratom…
W
Wash
How It’s Used “Wash” appears primarily in informal community discussions rather than in vendor ma…
White Vein
How It’s Used White vein is a primary product category for navigating vendor catalogs. It is the …
Wholesale
How It’s Used Wholesale is primarily relevant to vendors, importers, and those interested in unde…