Mom thought popular 'natural' health supplement was safer than Xanax. She took it... then never woke up. Don't make the same mistake

Kirsty Boswell believed she was making a positive choice – one that would finally put a series of complex, life-ruining health problems behind her.

After battling crippling anxiety for years, the 50-year-old mother of three had been prescribed alprazolam, better known by the brand name Xanax.

The controversial drug worked, for a time. But before long, she realized, like so many who rely on the medication, she couldn't stop taking it.

In 2021, she began searching for an off ramp. Somewhere along the way, she stumbled across something billed as a 'natural' alternative: kratom.

It seemed to offer everything she wanted: pharmaceutical-free relief from anxiety, and a way off her increasingly addictive prescription medication.

Better still, it was readily available at a local shop. No prescription, medical consultation or intrusive questions needed.

Yet, despite all her good intentions, it was a decision she ultimately paid for with her life.

On February 8, 2026, having become reliant on ever-increasing amounts of the supplement, she laid down for a nap and never woke up.

Toxicology investigations could not determine whether she overdosed on kratom – Boswell had at some point begun taking an ultrapotent form of the supplement called 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) – or if the damage occurred over time.

According the medical examiner investigating the case, the latter was the most likely scenario.

Boswell's grieving daughter Lauren Lopez, still reeling from the loss, said that in trying to quit Xanax, her mother had become inadvertently addicted to kratom.

'She would try to come off it, but would suffer withdrawals that were too intense for her to deal with,' Lopez said. 'She would feel so sick and just end up taking more to cope.

'But she thought it was safe. I think if she had known that it was ultimately going to kill her then she probably would have stopped.'

While Boswell's story is tragic, it is not unique. Instead, it highlights growing concerns about a substance that is widely marketed as a natural wellness product, but can have effects similar to powerful opioid drugs.

Derived from the leaves of a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia, kratom is sold legally across much of the US in smoke shops, convenience stores and online. It can come in powder, capsule, liquid and tablet form.

According to the American Kratom Association, it has grown into a $1.5 billion-a-year industry.

The substance is commonly promoted as a natural way to relieve pain, ease anxiety and depression, and even help people overcome opioid addiction.

But experts warn that kratom's ingredients act on the same opioid receptors in the brain targeted by drugs such as oxycodone.

At lower doses, users may feel more alert and energetic. At higher doses, kratom can produce pain relief, sedation and a sense of calm – it has been dubbed 'gas station heroin' by some.

In concentrated forms, particularly products containing 7-OH, critics say the risks can escalate dramatically.

'It was very shocking and it took months for it to set in,' Lopez said, recalling the moment she learned of her mother's sudden death. 'I was in denial for quite some time.

'Mom was getting ready to start a new job. She had three grandchildren and three children that she loved a lot. She had so much to live for.'

Boswell's toxicology report listed pulmonary edema – a build-up of fluid in the lungs that can make breathing increasingly difficult.

Experts say the condition has been seen in some fatal kratom poisoning cases, particularly when large amounts are consumed or when potent extracts are involved.

The substance's opioid-like effects can also suppress breathing. In severe cases, that can deprive the body of oxygen and prove fatal.

Doctors have also raised concerns about the effects of long-term use on other organs.

Studies have linked kratom to liver injury, while case reports have associated it with heart rhythm disturbances and, in rare instances, cardiac arrest.

Yet, because it is sold as an herbal supplement rather than medicine, the substance is not subject to the same rigorous safety testing required for prescription drugs.

Nor is it required to carry warning labels.

In July 2025, the Trump administration took formal steps toward banning 7-OH, recommending that the Drug Enforcement Administration add the compound to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, alongside heroin and MDMA.

A formal decision has yet to be made.

With no federal ban in place, states have been left to make their own rules.

Several, including Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Vermont and Louisiana, have effectively outlawed kratom by classifying its active ingredients as controlled substances.

Others have chosen regulation instead. Texas, Utah and Arizona, for example, limit the potency of kratom products. Florida and Kentucky have moved to ban concentrated 7-OH products altogether.

The result is a patchwork system in which products that are illegal in one state can still be bought over the counter in another.

A recent government report shows that poison center calls about kratom have skyrocketed in the US. Between 2015 and 2025, these reports jumped by about 1,200 percent, from 258 calls to over 3,400 in 2025 alone.

Many of these incidents are a consequence of kratom being mixed with alcohol or other drugs, as well as the emergency of newer more concentrated products.

In Florida, registered nurse and mother-of-four Krystal Talavera died after taking a concentrated kratom product known as 'Space Dust.'

A coroner ruled she died from acute mitragynine intoxication – poisoning caused by mitragynine, the main psychoactive compound found in kratom.

In Oregon, carpenter Matthew Torres died after suffering a seizure linked to kratom use.

He had taken the supplement believing it was a safer alternative to opioid painkillers.

His death was attributed to the toxic effects of mitragynine, and his family has since launched legal action against the retailer that sold it to him.

Critics argue that one reason kratom remains so popular is the way it is marketed.

Lopez said the products often carry little information about their risks – a concern echoed by addiction specialists.

Dr Sylvie Stacy, medical officer at Rehab.com, said many users underestimate the dangers because products are often sold without clear warnings about dependence, drug interactions or opioid-like effects.

'It's unfortunate but understandable that people start using them without realizing the risks and then develop a habit,' she told the Daily Mail.

For Lopez, that message comes too late.

'Really consider what you're putting into your body and don't be in denial that you're addicted to something,' she said. 'Just because something is labeled natural doesn't mean that it's safe.'