Feel Free’s most well-known variant — the “Classic” tonic made by the company Botanic Tonics, which also makes a “Kava Maté” and capsules — is advertised as a “feel-good tonic that features kava root and other plant ingredients known to help with relaxation, productivity and focus.”
Their ingredients label lists kava root extract, a depressant, and ground leaf kratom, a drug that can provide both stimulant and sedative effects depending on the quantity.
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Both kava and kratom are legal on a federal level, though some states have banned kratom. The FDA has “warned consumers not to use kratom because of the risk of serious adverse events, including liver toxicity, seizures, and substance use disorder (SUD)” and the DEA has listed kratom as a Drug and Chemical of Concern.
Jasmine Adeoye, a 30-year-old based in Austin, has had numerous TikToks about her experiences with the tonic pass the million-view mark. She first bought Feel Free in 2022, after hearing it advertised on numerous major podcasts as a safe alternative to alcohol. She told BuzzFeed that she initially used the product occasionally for around a year, until she found herself in an incredibly stressful job. “At the most, it was 12 [bottles] a day. That was like just taking them to feel normal in any way, shape, or form,” she said. “It was like, ‘Oh, I can’t physically get out of bed unless I take this.”
It’s not just TikTok where users are claiming negative experiences. There are 5k members in the subreddit R/Quittingfeelfree, where users talk about their sobriety experiences. Amongst those who spoke to BuzzFeed, some were previous opioid users who found themselves caught up in what they claim was the cycle of addiction again.
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7-hydroxymitragynine, “a concentrated byproduct of the kratom plant” also known as 7-OH, can bind itself to opioid receptors in the brain. It’s been found to be more potent than morphine in treating pain.
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[T]he FDA is now taking steps to limit the availability of 7-OH. But a product like Feel Free, which claims not to artificially inflate its 7-OH levels, doesn’t fall under these proposed regulations. “Our products contain trace amounts of 7-OH that occur naturally during the traditional drying process — levels that are dramatically different from the concentrated synthetic products now under FDA scrutiny,” Botanic Tonics said in a statement after the FDA announced its new plans on 7-OH.
