The FDA and its trial are testing the Kratom

Can herbal tea cause brain damage? Mary Tabar, a Florida woman, says it's possible – and that her 19-year-old daughter, Brette, began having "psychotic episodes and hallucinations" in March 2018, after regularly eating kratom tea. for four years.

Popular brewing in recent years, kratom tea, whose effects are not fully understood or regulated, has been sold in a number of bars frequented by Brette. Tabar is pursuing three bars in the Tampa Bay area, alleging that Brette suffered brain damage to the frontal lobe as a result of the consumption of kratom tea, and that establishments serving the hallucinogenic beverage should be held responsible. Tampa Bay Times.

The kratom is derived from a tree of Southeast Asia, just like coffee. It is sold as a herbal supplement and marketed as an analgesic that may help in the removal of opioids. But kratom is more than a substitute for opiates or a weaning aid. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has called kratom an opioid, because of its similar effects, and warned of the risk of abuse, addiction and serious consequences for health, including death , in February 2018. warning that, unlike labeling, kratom is not a safe or entirely natural pain reliever or alternative opiate.

The FDA reported in February 2018 that over a period of nine years, kratom had been associated with at least 44 deaths. Tabar's lawyer alleges that bar owners in the Tampa Bay area have failed to warn Tabar of the effects and risks associated with kratom tea, making them liable, among other damages, for bodily injury and condition, mental anguish, loss of capacity to enjoy life, past and future medical and nursing expenses and treatment. "

For their part, bar owners say they are cautious with customers and explain the effects of kratom tea, even suggesting that customers taking medication avoid strong brewing. Levi Love, owner of Mad Hatter's in St. Petersburg, told Time he is skeptical about the allegations in the trial. "Being around people who drink kratom and use it regularly, I have never seen these symptoms or heard of them," he said.