Kratom blamed for salmonella outbreak in 20 states

The popular herb kratom is linked to an outbreak of salmonella that has made 28 people sick in 20 states, federal health officials said Tuesday.

Most of the people who have been made seriously ill in the outbreak remember having recently used some form of kratom, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

It said 11 people were sick enough to have been hospitalized.

“At this time, CDC recommends that people not consume kratom in any form. The investigation indicates that kratom products could be contaminated with Salmonella and could make people sick,” the CDC says on its website.

Kratom has been the focus of a storm of controversy. The Food and Drug Administration has issued increasingly urgent warnings about the herb, saying it acts like an opioid drug and advising people to stay away from it.

Source: nbcnews