Table of Contents
Key Points
- Real cat’s claw is an herbal product generally derived from Uncaria tomentosa. It is not the same substance as kratom or 7-OH.
- Poison control officials have warned about smoke-shop and online products marketed with cat’s claw branding that may contain powerful opioid-active kratom derivatives.
- Some investigated products have reportedly been labeled as containing no kratom or 7-OH while potentially containing other opioid-active compounds.
- The issue is particularly relevant in Southern California, where state officials have already taken aggressive enforcement action against kratom and concentrated 7-OH products.
- California health officials have linked six fatal overdoses in Los Angeles County to highly concentrated or synthesized kratom-derived products such as 7-OH.
- Dependence, withdrawal, or opioid-like effects should be taken seriously regardless of how a product is branded.
Cat’s Claw at a Glance: Traditional Herb vs. Products Using the Name
| Feature | Traditional Cat’s Claw | “Cat’s Claw” Psychoactive Products |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An herbal product generally derived from Uncaria tomentosa | Products marketed with cat’s claw branding that may contain entirely different psychoactive compounds |
| Plant source | Uncaria tomentosa, a vine native to Central and South America | May not primarily contain traditional cat’s claw at all |
| Typical market | Herbal supplements and wellness products | Smoke shops, convenience stores, specialty retailers, and online sellers |
| Expected effects | Marketed for general wellness and inflammatory conditions, although evidence for many uses is limited | May produce opioid-like effects, including sedation, euphoria, tolerance, and relief of opioid withdrawal |
| Opioid activity | Not considered an opioid | Some investigated products have been suspected of containing potent opioid-active substances |
| Possible compounds of concern | Naturally occurring compounds found in Uncaria tomentosa | 7-OH, mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, MGM-16, or other kratom-related compounds may be present in certain products |
| Related to kratom? | No | Some products may contain compounds derived from or chemically related to kratom alkaloids |
| Dependence risk | Traditional cat’s claw is not known for producing opioid-type physical dependence | Opioid-active ingredients may cause tolerance, dependence, cravings, and withdrawal |
| Overdose concern | Not associated with the opioid-overdose pattern discussed in this article | Poison-control officials have warned that adulterated products may cause opioid overdose |
| Naloxone relevant? | Not for ordinary cat’s claw use | Naloxone should be considered in a suspected opioid overdose, and emergency services should be called |
| Label reliability | Typically sold as a conventional botanical supplement | Some products under investigation have reportedly used misleading botanical branding or “no kratom/7-OH” claims |
| Main takeaway | Cat’s claw itself is not 7-OH or kratom. | A product branded “Cat’s Claw” should not automatically be assumed to contain only the traditional herb. |
Important: The concern is not that genuine Uncaria tomentosa has suddenly become an opioid. The concern is that “Cat’s Claw” can also be used as branding for products whose actual ingredients and pharmacological effects may be very different from the traditional herbal supplement.
“Cat’s Claw” Can Now Refer to Two Very Different Things
Traditionally, cat’s claw refers to Uncaria tomentosa, a vine native to tropical areas of Central and South America that has been sold for years as an herbal supplement. It has been promoted for a variety of wellness purposes, although evidence supporting many of those uses remains limited. Traditional cat’s claw is not 7-hydroxymitragynine, is not kratom, and should not automatically be treated as an opioid.
The confusion comes from an entirely different category of products that have begun appearing with “Cat’s Claw” prominently displayed on their packaging. Some brightly packaged tablets and similar products sold through smoke shops and online retailers have used cat’s claw or related botanical branding while producing effects that raised serious concerns among poison-control professionals.
In July 2026, the Utah Poison Control Center warned about potentially dangerous products sold in smoke shops and online that contained blends marketed with cat’s claw or kava. The agency reported multiple severe overdoses and said the products were suspected of containing opioid-active kratom derivatives such as 7-hydroxymitragynine, mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, or MGM-16.
This distinction matters for consumers throughout Palm Desert, Palm Springs, the wider Coachella Valley, Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, San Diego, and other Southern California communities. Traditional cat’s claw is a botanical supplement. A psychoactive smoke-shop product carrying cat’s claw branding may be something very different, and consumers cannot determine its pharmacology simply from the plant name printed on the package.
Why Southern California Should Be Paying Attention
Southern California has already been at the center of growing concerns involving concentrated kratom derivatives and 7-OH. Beginning in April 2025, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health identified six fatal overdoses linked to highly concentrated or synthesized kratom-derived products such as 7-OH, according to the California Department of Public Health.
California subsequently began aggressively targeting kratom and 7-OH products marketed for consumption. By September 2, 2026, state officials reported that enforcement efforts had resulted in 7,888 prohibited kratom and 7-OH products being removed from California store shelves.
These actions are particularly relevant because the market for psychoactive products can adapt quickly to regulatory pressure. Removing a recognizable package of 7-OH tablets does not necessarily eliminate the demand those products were meeting. New tablets, extracts, shots, powders, or products promoted under different botanical names can enter the same retail environment.
People throughout the Coachella Valley, Los Angeles County, the Inland Empire, and San Diego County should therefore understand that a change in a product’s name or packaging does not necessarily mean that its effects on the body have changed.
What Was Found in Products Marketed as Cat’s Claw?
The Utah Poison Control Center’s July 2026 warning identified several compounds investigators suspected might be present in certain adulterated cat’s claw and kava products. These included 7-hydroxymitragynine, commonly called 7-OH, as well as mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and MGM-16.
None of these substances should be confused with ordinary Uncaria tomentosa. Instead, they belong to a rapidly evolving group of kratom-related or chemically modified compounds that may produce significant opioid activity.
The poison center also warned that some products under investigation had misleading labels and might even claim to contain no kratom or 7-OH. That distinction is important because consumers have increasingly learned to recognize 7-OH as a substance associated with opioid-like effects, dependence, and withdrawal. A package that advertises itself as “7-OH free,” however, does not necessarily establish that the product is free of other opioid-active compounds.
People who want additional background on how kratom itself can lead to dependence can read Phoenix Rising Recovery’s guide to kratom addiction and kratom use during opioid withdrawal. Understanding that relationship is important because many of the substances now appearing in concentrated or modified products originate from, or are chemically related to, alkaloids associated with kratom.
Ultimately, the name on the front of a package reflects how a manufacturer has chosen to market a product. It does not independently verify what compounds are inside it, their concentrations, or how strongly those substances may affect opioid receptors.
Cat’s Claw Is Not Another Name for 7-OH
It is equally important not to overcorrect and begin treating every cat’s claw supplement as an opioid product. Traditional cat’s claw is not another name for 7-OH, nor is it simply another form of kratom.
7-hydroxymitragynine is an opioid-active alkaloid associated with the kratom plant. Although 7-OH can occur naturally in kratom in relatively small amounts, federal concerns have increasingly centered on manufactured products containing enhanced, isolated, or added concentrations of the compound.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has described concentrated 7-OH products as novel potent opioid products and has warned consumers about their risks. Reports associated with these products have included addiction, withdrawal symptoms, anxiety, depression, gastrointestinal problems, insomnia, and seizures. Phoenix Rising has also published a more detailed guide to 7-OH withdrawal, detox, and recovery for people trying to understand how dependence on these concentrated products can develop.
The cat’s claw issue becomes more complicated because 7-OH is not the only opioid-active compound entering this market. Mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and MGM-16 are chemically distinct substances. Phoenix Rising has covered MGM-15 and its relationship to 7-OH and kratom-derived opioids in greater detail as these newer substances have emerged.
In July 2026, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced action involving 7-OH and three related substances: mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and MGM-16. For consumers, the underlying chemistry can become difficult to follow, particularly when unfamiliar names begin appearing almost as quickly as regulators identify the previous compound.
The more useful takeaway is that a package claiming to contain “no 7-OH” should not automatically be interpreted as meaning that it contains no opioid-active substance.
California’s Crackdown May Change What Appears on Store Shelves
California has taken an unusually aggressive position toward retail kratom and concentrated 7-OH products. State officials reported removing more than 3,300 kratom and 7-OH products during an early enforcement period in March 2026. By July, that number had climbed above 6,700. By September 2, California reported 8,038 retail site visits involving kratom and 7-OH enforcement, 181 violations, a 97.75% compliance rate, and 7,888 prohibited products removed from store shelves.
Those numbers show the scale of California’s enforcement effort, but they also illustrate how quickly the retail environment surrounding these substances is changing. When a familiar product disappears, consumers who have developed tolerance or physical dependence may begin looking for replacements. Manufacturers and distributors also have an incentive to introduce different formulations, terminology, or chemical analogs that do not look exactly like the product regulators initially targeted.
Similar patterns have occurred in other parts of the drug market involving synthetic cannabinoids, designer benzodiazepines, fentanyl analogs, nitazenes, tianeptine, kratom extracts, and concentrated 7-OH products. The emerging concern surrounding cat’s claw-branded products demonstrates why consumers need to evaluate more than a product’s front label or marketing category.
Southern California’s Wellness Culture Can Make These Products Harder to Recognize
Southern California has one of the most developed wellness markets in the country. In Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, and surrounding communities, consumers regularly encounter botanicals, plant extracts, nootropics, adaptogens, functional beverages, cannabis products, peptides, herbal remedies, and alternative wellness products.
Most of those products have nothing to do with opioid addiction. At the same time, the size and familiarity of the wellness market can create an environment in which an unfamiliar psychoactive substance is easier to package and promote as though it belongs beside ordinary herbal supplements.
Terms such as “natural,” “botanical,” “plant-based,” “herbal,” “alkaloid,” “extract,” “wellness,” “relaxation,” and “energy” can make a product sound very different from a conventional opioid. None of those terms, however, establish that a substance is non-addictive or incapable of creating physical dependence.
California public health officials have already warned that kratom and 7-OH products may be promoted as natural alternatives for concerns such as pain, anxiety, depression, and opioid withdrawal. Kratom itself illustrates why the word “natural” can be misleading when consumers interpret it as synonymous with non-addictive. Phoenix Rising’s information on kratom use, dependence, and treatment explains how people may begin using kratom to manage opioid withdrawal only to develop another form of physical dependence.
The emerging cat’s claw issue adds another layer to the same problem. Marketing determines what consumers see on the front of the package, while the compounds inside the product determine what the body experiences.
A Package Can Change Faster Than a Drug Dependency
One of the biggest challenges surrounding emerging drugs is that people often identify what they are taking by a product or brand name rather than by pharmacology. A person may sincerely tell a family member or treatment professional that they stopped taking 7-OH because they no longer purchase a product with “7-OH” printed on the label.
If that person replaced those tablets with a new product containing mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, or another opioid-active derivative, however, the underlying cycle of dependence may have continued even though the package and chemical changed.
This is why treatment professionals increasingly need to ask more than simply which drug someone uses. The form of the product, where it was purchased, how frequently it is taken, whether the dose has escalated, and what happens when the person stops can provide important clues about physical dependence. Someone who wakes up feeling sick until taking a product, uses repeatedly throughout the day to prevent withdrawal, experiences strong cravings, or develops pronounced sedation may be dealing with an opioid-like pattern even when the package describes the product as a botanical.
Phoenix Rising provides drug addiction treatment in Southern California for people struggling with both familiar substances and newer products that may not fit neatly into traditional drug categories.
Can Cat’s Claw Products Cause Addiction or Withdrawal?
Traditional cat’s claw and products using cat’s claw branding need to be considered separately. There is no basis for describing ordinary Uncaria tomentosa as equivalent to concentrated 7-OH. The concern arises when a product marketed under that name contains 7-OH, mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, MGM-16, or another substance capable of significant opioid-receptor activity.
Utah Poison Control specifically warned that the adulterated products it was investigating could lead to opioid overdose, dependence, or withdrawal. In someone using an opioid-active product regularly, signs of dependence may include needing increasingly larger or more frequent doses, taking the product primarily to avoid feeling sick, experiencing anxiety or irritability between doses, having difficulty sleeping without it, experiencing strong cravings, or repeatedly trying and failing to stop.
Withdrawal may also involve physical symptoms such as sweating, chills, restlessness, nausea, body aches, gastrointestinal distress, and insomnia. The exact withdrawal pattern can vary depending on what is actually contained in the product, the amount used, frequency of use, duration of use, and whether other substances are involved.
These symptoms overlap with problems already seen among some people using concentrated kratom and 7-OH products. Anyone concerned about a pattern involving kratom can learn more from Phoenix Rising’s resource on kratom dependence and addiction treatment, while those specifically using concentrated 7-OH products can review the guide to 7-OH withdrawal and detox.
When significant physical dependence has developed, abruptly stopping an unknown opioid-active substance without understanding what is in the product can create a difficult and unpredictable withdrawal experience. Phoenix Rising offers a medical detox program in Palm Desert where withdrawal needs can be evaluated based on the substance used, severity of dependence, medical history, and other individual factors. For opioid dependence specifically, opioid detox treatment can provide structured support as the body adjusts to the absence of opioids.
What to Do if Someone Becomes Unresponsive
Any unknown product producing strong opioid-like effects should be taken seriously. The Utah Poison Control Center recommends calling 911 and administering naloxone when someone who has consumed one of the adulterated cat’s claw or kava products cannot be awakened or is not breathing normally. California health officials have similarly advised people who may use 7-OH to carry naloxone because of the compound’s opioid effects.
Potential warning signs of an opioid overdose can include an inability to wake the person, very slow or stopped breathing, blue or gray lips or skin, limpness, pinpoint pupils, and gurgling or choking sounds. When the product involved is unfamiliar, providing the package or product information to emergency responders may help them understand what the person could have consumed.
The fact that a product was purchased from a smoke shop, convenience store, supplement retailer, or website should not be used to rule out the possibility of an opioid overdose. The same is true when the package describes the substance using terms such as botanical, herbal, or natural.
From Los Angeles to the Coachella Valley, Emerging Opioids Are a Moving Target
Southern California’s drug environment is no longer limited to familiar categories such as heroin, prescription opioids, fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, or benzodiazepines. The distinction between an illicit drug, a smoke-shop product, and something presented to consumers like a dietary supplement has become increasingly difficult to recognize.
The fatal overdoses involving concentrated or synthesized kratom-derived products reported in Los Angeles County demonstrate that a product does not need to resemble a traditional street opioid to create serious risks. Concentrated 7-OH products, newer substances such as MGM-15, and now concerns involving products marketed under cat’s claw branding illustrate how quickly the market can evolve.
For people throughout Los Angeles, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Indio, the greater Coachella Valley, Orange County, and San Diego, the product name should therefore be considered only one piece of information. When a substance produces opioid-like effects, creates physical withdrawal, leads to escalating tolerance, or becomes increasingly difficult to stop, those symptoms deserve attention regardless of how the substance was marketed.
Addiction Treatment for Cat’s Claw, 7-OH, Kratom, and Emerging Substances in Palm Desert
Phoenix Rising Recovery provides a continuum of addiction treatment from its facilities in Palm Desert, California, serving people locally and from communities throughout Southern California and the Southwest. Individuals struggling with emerging substances may not always know exactly what they have been taking, particularly when products contain unfamiliar alkaloids or have been sold under botanical branding.
Phoenix Rising’s Palm Desert and Coachella Valley addiction treatment programs can include medical detox, residential treatment, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient treatment, outpatient care, sober living support, and continued recovery planning depending on clinical needs.
For someone whose substance use began with kratom or progressed from kratom into concentrated products such as 7-OH or related compounds, Phoenix Rising also provides information and treatment support for kratom addiction and dependence. Those experiencing significant opioid-like withdrawal may benefit from beginning with detox before transitioning into additional levels of treatment.
For individuals who need greater structure after detox, residential addiction treatment provides an environment where clients can temporarily step away from routines, access to substances, and other triggers while focusing on recovery.
Someone does not need to identify the exact chemical structure of every product they have taken before asking for help. If you are using 7-OH, kratom extracts, cat’s claw-branded tablets, MGM-15, or another emerging substance and have developed tolerance, cravings, withdrawal symptoms, or difficulty stopping, Phoenix Rising Recovery can help determine an appropriate next step.e developed tolerance, cravings, withdrawal symptoms, or difficulty stopping, Phoenix Rising Recovery can help determine what level of care may be appropriate.
Call Phoenix Rising Recovery at (866) 985-1103 to speak confidentially with our admissions team about addiction treatment in Palm Desert and Southern California.
Sources
California Department of Public Health. (2025, October 24). Foods, dietary supplements and medical drugs containing kratom and 7-OH are dangerous and illegal to sell or manufacture. California Health & Human Services Agency. https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR25-016.aspx
California Department of Public Health. (2026, January 16). CDPH warns retailers and public about the dangers of kratom-derived products and 7-OH. California Health & Human Services Agency. https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR26-005.aspx
Drug Enforcement Administration. (2026, July 1). DEA to temporarily schedule 7-OH and related substances to protect public safety. U.S. Department of Justice. https://www.dea.gov/press-releases/2026/07/01/dea-temporarily-schedule-7-oh-and-related-substances-protect-public
Office of Governor Gavin Newsom. (2026, March 3). Governor Newsom announces 95% compliance with prohibition of illegal kratom products. State of California. https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/03/03/governor-newsom-announces-95-compliance-with-prohibition-of-illegal-kratom-products/
Office of Governor Gavin Newsom. (2026, September 2). Governor Newsom announces nearly 15,300 illegal hemp, kratom and 7-OH products removed from California store shelves. State of California. https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/02/governor-newsom-announces-nearly-15300-illegal-hemp-kratom-and-7-oh-products-removed-from-california-store-shelves/
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2025). Products containing 7-OH can cause serious harm. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/products-containing-7-oh-can-cause-serious-harm
Utah Poison Control Center. (2026, July 22). Adulterated Cat’s Claw and Kava products may cause opioid overdose. University of Utah Health. https://poisoncontrol.utah.edu/news/2026/07/adulterated-cats-claw-and-kava-products-may-cause-opioid-overdose