A study published Thursday showed calls to U.S. poison control centers regarding the herbal supplement kratom have increased more than 50-fold in recent years.
The poison control center calls have increased from 13 in 2011 to 682 in 2017. According to the study published in the journal Clinical Toxicology, there were 1,807 exposures across the seven-year period with 65 percent of those intances occurring in 2016-2017.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration describes Mitragyna speciosa, more commonly known as kratom, as a plant which grows naturally in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Papua Guinea.
The herbal supplement has gained national attention as some have reported using the the drug to treat pain and help them refrain from using opioids.
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