Kratom labels and federal notices now share a vocabulary, and a lot of it arrived in 2026. A lab report might print “ND” next to 7-OH, while a federal notice names compounds you’ve never seen on a shelf. If you already buy kratom as an adult, or you’re researching the market, these are the ten terms you’ll run into most.
1. Mitragynine is the primary alkaloid in kratom leaf
Botanists call kratom Mitragyna speciosa. NCCIH describes it as a coffee-family tree native to Thailand and its neighbors. The FDA counts more than 50 alkaloids in the leaf, and Cayman Chemical’s July 2026 NPS snapshot names mitragynine as the primary one.
For a buyer, mitragynine now does a second job on paper. HHS built its proposal around comparing mitragynine with 7-OH, so the mitragynine number on a lab report works as the top half of a ratio. No 2026 federal scheduling action names mitragynine itself. Kratom as a plant isn’t on the federal schedule either, according to NCCIH, though the DEA has labeled it a “drug of concern.”
2. 7-OH is a minor leaf alkaloid at the center of the federal notice
The abbreviation stands for 7-hydroxymitragynine. In natural leaf it’s a small fraction, under 2% of total alkaloid content by the FDA’s account. Cayman Chemical describes a route where mitragynine is pulled out of the leaf and then chemically converted to 7-OH.
Federally, 7-OH sits in limbo. When the Justice Department spoke on October 9, 2026, there was still no temporary scheduling order for it. The DEA is starting over with a fresh notice of intent. Under the HHS recommendation, a product would fall under Schedule I if its 7-OH plus MGPI tops one milligram for every gram of solid (or every milliliter of liquid). A second trigger applies when mitragynine outweighs 7-OH by less than 100 to 1. Both triggers are proposals, not settled law.
3. MGPI is a 7-OH rearrangement product already in temporary Schedule I
MGPI is the short form of mitragynine pseudoindoxyl. In the order the DEA published in the Federal Register on August 26, 2026, the compound is described as a chemical rearrangement product of 7-OH. The same document separates it from mitragynine and 7-OH, the two the plant makes naturally. Temporary control began the day the order appeared and lasts to August 26, 2028, unless extended for up to a year.
The HHS proposal also adds MGPI to 7-OH when a product is measured against the one-milligram-per-gram line. A COA without an MGPI row leaves that sum incomplete. According to the DOJ, the science on how often MGPI shows up in products is still developing.
4. MGM-15 is a semi-synthetic derivative of 7-OH
Chemists write MGM-15 out as dihydro-7-hydroxymitragynine. The DEA order calls it a 7-OH derivative, made by synthetically modifying purified mitragynine isolates or 7-OH. MGM-16 is its fluorinated cousin. The order moved both, together with MGPI, into temporary Schedule I in late August 2026.
Don’t expect to find the name on packaging. In a May 2026 report, CFSRE (Center for Forensic Science Research and Education) said MGM-15 had appeared in products marketed under various brand and blend names. Knowing the term pays off on the lab sheet instead. A detectable MGM-15 result means the product holds a compound currently under temporary federal control.
5. “Full spectrum” is a seller’s claim you can check
Sellers print “full spectrum” to suggest a product keeps many of the leaf’s alkaloids instead of one isolated compound. The FDA’s kratom page offers no definition, so treat the phrase as marketing until the paperwork backs it up.
Backing it up looks like this. The COA should show several alkaloids, with mitragynine far ahead of 7-OH. Once mitragynine’s lead shrinks below 100 to 1, the product would meet the proposed Schedule I ratio trigger, no matter what the packaging claims. A directory of kratom and 7-OH brands lets you set each label’s spectrum claim beside the alkaloid figures that brand chooses to publish. If a brand makes the claim and publishes no figures, I’d pass.
6. An extract is a concentrated product, not plain leaf
Think of an extract as leaf material processed so its alkaloids end up more concentrated. That puts it in a separate category from dried, ground leaf. Any strength figure on an extract label describes concentration, and nothing else.
The category matters because of how the DEA framed its target. The DEA’s announcement of July 1, 2026 excluded leaf products in which naturally present 7-OH doesn’t exceed the threshold. It aimed instead at synthesized products and at concentrated 7-OH. An extract heavy in mitragynine may still clear the proposed 100 to 1 ratio. Another can carry added 7-OH. The label word alone can’t separate the two.
7. A COA is the lab report behind the label
A certificate of analysis records what one tested sample contained. Look for the lab’s name and lot number. A good report also gives a test date and a result for every analyte in stated units. ISO/IEC 17025 is the accreditation standard for testing labs, so confirm the issuing lab carries it.
Most misreadings come from units. A result of 1% is the same as 10 milligrams in each gram, which is 10,000 ppm. Run that backward and the proposed line works out to 0.1%, or 1,000 ppm. If you’re ordering from wholesale listings that sell tablets in quantity, request the report for the specific lot that will ship to you. A COA from some other batch says nothing about yours.
8. The limit of detection decides what “ND” really means
ICH’s Q2 guideline is the international standard for validating analytical methods. It defines the detection limit as the lowest amount of analyte in a sample that can be detected but not necessarily quantitated as an exact value. The quantitation limit (LOQ) sits above it. That’s the smallest amount a method can measure with suitable precision and accuracy.
ND stands for “not detected,” meaning the sample came in under that particular lab’s LOD. Zero is a different claim. A lab with a sensitive method could print a small 7-OH value for material another lab marks ND. So ask what the LOD is, in mg per gram. Without it, an ND can’t show you how far the sample sits from the proposed one-milligram line.
9. The Kratom Consumer Protection Act is a family of state laws
Kratom Consumer Protection Act is the label for a group of state laws, many of them modeled on legislation the kratom industry supports. The Rockefeller Institute of Government’s April 8, 2026 review lists what they commonly include. Purchase ages run 18 or, more often, 21. Products get independent lab testing before sale. State caps on 7-OH typically land near 2%, far above the proposed federal line of 0.1% (1 mg per gram), so meeting a state cap says nothing about the federal proposal. Labeling rules vary too, and some require ingredients and alkaloid content on the package.
But no two versions match exactly. Georgia and Oklahoma want an ingredient list on the label, according to the Congressional Research Service. Congress saw a federal version too: S. 3039, introduced in October 2023, stalled in committee. Tennessee went the other way: kratom has been illegal there statewide from July 1, 2026.
10. Schedule I is the strictest federal control category
Under the DEA’s definition, a Schedule I substance has a high potential for abuse and no currently accepted medical use. Temporary scheduling gets a substance there faster. According to the August 2026 order, that status lasts two years and can be extended by one. MGPI and the two MGM compounds occupy that temporary slot today. 7-OH doesn’t yet, and the HHS thresholds remain a proposal until the DEA finishes its new notice.
The FDA adds its own position. It hasn’t approved a single kratom drug. Among the risks it names are liver toxicity and seizures, and it advises consumers against using kratom.
Which two terms should you check first?
Make them COA and limit of detection. Most other terms here come back to a number on a lab report, and those two tell you whether the number deserves your trust. Start with the product you buy most often: find its lot number and request the matching COA. Then look for MGPI and the LOD alongside the 7-OH result.
Paperwork has limits, though. A COA describes one sample from one lot. It can’t speak for the next batch, and it can’t tell you whether a product is legal where you live, since state rules keep moving. Sellers who verify you’re 21 or older and publish lot-matched reports are giving you something to check. The rest are asking for trust they haven’t earned.