Patterns of Kratom use and health impact in the US-Results from an online survey.
Survey data show most people use kratom to self-treat pain or mood problems — if that's why I'm using it, what proven treatment for the underlying condition should we try instead?
Weak or heavily disputed. Treat as a question, not an answer. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: Funded by the American Kratom Association, a pro-kratom advocacy organization, and respondents were recruited through its channels — a design that samples satisfied current users and is structurally biased toward favorable results.
Kratom has never been approved by the FDA for any medical use and is not a lawful dietary supplement ingredient in the FDA's view; the agency has issued import alerts, warning letters, and repeated public warnings against its use.
In an anonymous online survey of 8,049 US kratom users recruited through the American Kratom Association, most were middle-aged and used kratom to self-treat pain (68%) or emotional/mental conditions (66%); adverse effects (mainly nausea and constipation) were dose-dependent, appearing chiefly at doses of 5 g or more taken 22 or more times per week. As a self-selected survey of current users recruited via an advocacy group, it cannot measure efficacy, dependence rates, or harms in people who stopped using.
Worth asking
Survey data show most people use kratom to self-treat pain or mood problems — if that's why I'm using it, what proven treatment for the underlying condition should we try instead?
Source
Patterns of Kratom use and health impact in the US-Results from an online survey. — Grundmann O. (2017)
Reputable peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.03.007
DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.03.007
How this was scored
- Study design
- Cross-sectional study / survey
- Funding
- Industry funded
- Published in
- Reputable peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- 8,049
- Preregistered
- No
- Conflicts disclosed
- No
- Independent of proponent
- No
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 19, 2026.
Where we put this study in context
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "contested". Weak or heavily disputed. Treat as a question, not an answer. It scores 32 out of 100 on our published rubric. One caveat travels with that badge: Funded by the American Kratom Association, a pro-kratom advocacy organization, and respondents were recruited through its channels — a design that samples satisfied current users and is structurally biased toward favorable results. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
Patterns of Kratom use and health impact in the US-Results from an online survey. — Grundmann O. (2017). Published in: Reputable peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.03.007. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Cross-sectional study / survey. Funding: Industry funded. The researchers were not independent of whoever benefits from the result. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is kratom, mitragyna speciosa, ketum, biak-biak, thang, kakuam FDA approved for this use?
No. Its current status is: Not FDA-evaluated for this use. Kratom has never been approved by the FDA for any medical use and is not a lawful dietary supplement ingredient in the FDA's view; the agency has issued import alerts, warning letters, and repeated public warnings against its use.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.