Johns Hopkins Seeking 7-OH Consumers for Online Study

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is seeking participants who have consumed 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) products for an online study.

Participants will fill out a screening and, if eligible, complete an online survey about their 7-OH use. Participants who complete the study will be rewarded a $10 virtual gift card.

Here is a link to the screening: https://jh.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eyabG87kMriPrVk

Johns Hopkins further explains the aim of their study:

"This study will ask questions about traditional kratom products and preparations (e.g., whole-leaf, extracts) and other substance use, but the primary goal is to gather information about the effects and use patterns of 7OH products since they are new. We also want to understand consumers’ attitudes, thoughts, and conceptualizations of these 7OH products. Additionally, we want to know how people learn about 7OH products and why they decided to try them. To date, there are no studies describing consumer experiences with these increasingly popular products."

In news reports and blog posts, 7-OH is often listed alongside mitragynine as a "main" alkaloid of kratom. This is not exactly true. 7-OH is a metabolite of mitragynine, created by the addition of an oxygen molecule. It occurs in near-zero to zero amounts in plain leaf kratom. Therefore, 7-OH is a very minor to absent alkaloid in kratom.

A study in mice even suggested the relaxing effects of mitragynine do not rely on its metabolism into 7-OH, debunking earlier studies.

However, companies have created kratom extract products that artificially increase the amount of 7-OH in the alkaloid profile. More recently, companies have been offering synthetic products with an abundance of 7-OH that they wrongly market as kratom. These products are illegal in states where kratom regulations have been passed limiting the amount of 7-OH allowed in the alkaloid profile.

Scientists and kratom industry groups have discouraged the use of 7-OH or "7" products because of the unknown nature of their effects, as humans have never consumed the alkaloid in these amounts, and their potential for harm.