Kava and Kratom Are Not the Same Thing
They share shelf space — but they are completely different plants with different risks and different traditions.
Kava and kratom are frequently sold in the same stores and sometimes offered at the same cafés. Despite that overlap, they are completely different plants with different active compounds, histories and effects.
Kava
Plant: Piper methysticum
Origin: Pacific Islands
Key Compounds: Kavalactones
Preparation: Root kneaded in water, strained, served
Kratom
Plant: Mitragyna speciosa
Origin: Southeast Asia
Key Compounds: Mitragynine, 7-hydroxymitragynine
Receptor Activity: Interacts with opioid receptors
Kava comes from Piper methysticum, a plant native to the Pacific Islands. The beverage is traditionally prepared by mixing or kneading the plant's roots and lower stems in water before straining and serving it.
Kratom comes from Mitragyna speciosa, a tree native to Southeast Asia. Its major compounds interact with opioid receptors, and the FDA has warned about risks including substance-use disorder, seizures and liver toxicity.
Kava is primarily associated with kavalactones. Kratom contains different compounds, most notably mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine.
Because the two botanicals are sometimes marketed together, customers may incorrectly assume that they are different names for the same product. They are not.
This confusion became especially important after the CDC published a 2026 analysis of poison-center reports involving kava. The report found that the increasing number of serious reported outcomes coincided with increased involvement of kratom-containing products.
That does not mean every reported case was caused by kratom, nor does it prove that traditional kava carries no risks. It does mean that combination products can make it difficult to determine which ingredient contributed to a particular outcome.
What Responsible Businesses Should Do
- Menus should place kava and kratom in separate categories.
- Staff should be trained to explain that they are unrelated plants.
- Product labels should list every active botanical clearly.
- A kava beverage should never secretly contain kratom.
Kava bars that do not serve kratom may also benefit from stating that clearly. Language matters — calling every botanical drink "kava" can create unnecessary confusion.
Kava and kratom can both produce noticeable effects, and neither should be treated casually simply because it comes from a plant. Responsible education requires discussing them separately — not combining their risks, traditions and regulatory issues into a single category.
For customers, the most important question is simple: What exactly is in the drink? A reputable business should always be able to answer that clearly.
Sources: CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report; U.S. Food and Drug Administration.