San Francisco health officials are warning the public about misrepresented supplements sold in gas stations and smoke shops after a man overdosed on a supplement portrayed as “cat’s claw” that contained a potent, laboratory-created opioid-like chemical.
Health officials warned about the dangers of dihydro-7-hydroxymirtragynine, also known as MGM-15, a chemically modified form of 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), an opioid-like chemical found in trace amounts in the kratom plant, according to the Coleman Institute for Addiction Medicine.
The modified MGM-15 was detected in a 37-year-old man who overdosed and died in late September, according to the office of the chief medical examiner in San Francisco.
The chief medical examiner ruled the cause of death to be an accident caused by the “toxic effects of kratom alkaloids,” according to a coroner’s reported obtained by The Times.
Forensic toxicology testing conducted by the medical examiner’s office confirmed MGM-15 in both the overdose victim and a package of four 100-mg tablets of “uncaria tomentosa extract.”
Public health officials in San Francisco said the substance was being marketed and sold as “cat’s claw” or uncaria tomentosa without disclosing the MGM-15 ingredient.
In this case, it was sold by the brand “Script botanicals x Maui labs.” The Times reached out to Script botanicals for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Cat’s claw is a woody vine that grows in the Amazon forest and other tropical areas of Central and South America, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
Indigenous people of the Amazon rainforest have used it for centuries to ward off disease. Cat’s claw has been promoted to treat osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, viral infections and other conditions, according to the integrative health center. Public health officials say there is no conclusive scientific evidence that supports using cat’s claw for any health purposes.
Cat’s claw on its own does not contain MGM-15.
San Francisco public health officials said the Script botanicals x Maui labs product packaging did not make a reference to kratom or 7-OH; however, neither were associated with the overdose death.
Where does MGM-15 come from?
In trace amounts, 7-OH naturally occurs in kratom, a plant-based substance that is derived from the leaves of Mitragyna speciosa — a tree native to Southeast Asia — and is commonly made into a powder or pill. In low doses, the kratom plant is promoted as giving users greater alertness and physical energy but it is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for medical use.
Kratom and 7-OH drew media attention in Los Angeles County last year when both substances, along with others, were linked to the deaths of six people, prompting state officials to pull associated products off the shelves.
Health officials across the nation and at the federal level say they are concerned about products that contain a more potent synthetic version of 7-OH, which has higher concentrations of the psychoactive compound.
In August, the U.S. Department of Justice declared three “7-OH related” synthetic compounds — MGPl, MGM-15 and MGM-16 — as Schedule 1 drugs, meaning they have a high potential for abuse and are not currently accepted for medical use.
“These are potent opioids being manufactured and sold in consumer products, often under labels that obscure their true risks,” U.S. Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche said.
MGM-16 has not been confirmed in circulation in the public but is a highly potent compound that could emerge as a substitute for related substances, according to the department’s news release.
Officials say preliminary evidence indicates that all three substances are potent and could result in dependence and respiratory depression.
Action taken by federal officials is directed at “manufactured and concentrated opioid products, not traditional botanical kratom,” according to the news release.
Fatal MGM-15 cases in other parts of the U.S.
Earlier this month, in Utah and Washington states, officials warned of misrepresented herbal supplements that contained MGM-15 and MGPl.
The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food linked MGPl and MGM-15 to four deaths across the state.
Officials said products mislabeled as containing “cat’s claw” or uncaria tomentosa contained MGPl and MGM-15 and were sold online as well as in smoke shops and gas stations.
“The labels often claim the product is legal and free of kratom, yet warn that it is for ‘adults only/21+’ or produces strong psychoactive effects,” according to a news release.
The Washington Poison Center said its staff had been treating “sick patients following their use of fake cat’s claw products” containing the substances. It also reported four confirmed deaths involving the products.
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