Kava, Kratom and Blue Lotus "Teas": Where to Read

Short answer: kava, kratom and blue lotus drinks are covered in the Specialty Topics section, not here. This page is a signpost. It gives no information on using these plants and describes no preparation. If you or someone near you has a bad reaction, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (US) or 911 in an emergency. For other countries see poison help by country.

Why they are sent elsewhere

This library covers ordinary herbal teas and extracts (see what herbal tea is). Kava, kratom and blue lotus drinks have their own safety questions, such as the liver injury and serious adverse events described below, so the dedicated pages are the place to read.

Kava: what NCCIH says in brief

NCCIH (US) says kava is used in the Pacific Islands and is sold in the US as a dietary supplement and in some other countries as a drug or herbal medicine. [1] It reports that some liver injury cases involved kava beverages prepared with water, as well as products extracted with alcohol or acetone. [1] NCCIH says kava should not be used with other sedating substances such as benzodiazepines or alcohol, and may carry special risks in pregnancy or breastfeeding. [1] Traditional use is described on the Specialty page, not here, and traditional use is not proof of safety.

Kratom: what FDA says in brief

FDA (US) states that kratom is not lawfully marketed in the US as a drug, a dietary supplement or a food additive in conventional food. [2] It says deaths have rarely been associated with kratom, usually alongside other drugs, and that the contribution of kratom is unclear. [2] We read the page on 2026-10-23; it does not show a year on the text we saw.

Blue lotus: what two published papers say in brief

We did not find an official agency statement on blue lotus, so this section rests on two peer-reviewed papers (we read the abstracts). A 2023 case series in Military Medicine described five active duty patients who came to an emergency department with altered mental status after using blue lotus (Nymphaea caerulea) products: four after vaping and one after making an infused beverage. They had sedation and perceptual disturbances and were managed with supportive care. [4] The authors note that blue lotus is sold as dried plant material, teas and extracts for electronic cigarettes, and that some such substances are not picked up by standard urine drug screens. [4] A 2023 laboratory analysis in Molecules tested six authentic blue lotus extracts and eleven commercial products by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. It reported that apomorphine and nuciferine, named as responsible for the psychoactive effects, were virtually absent from the authentic extracts, and that safety data on the plant and its extracts are limited. [5] Its reassuring statement concerns diluted blue lotus concrete or absolute used topically as a fragrance ingredient; it says nothing about drinking blue lotus. [5] A small case series cannot show how common problems are, and a lab analysis does not show what happens in people. The legal status of blue lotus drinks is unverified here.

Limits

Both statements come from US agencies. How these products are treated in other countries is not described in the sources we read. A label that says "tea" does not tell you the plant, the part used or the strength; see reading an herbal tea or tincture label.