What Is Mitragynine? Meet the Black Sheep
Mitragynine is the main active compound in the leaves of Mitragyna speciosa, a Southeast Asian tree in the coffee family. Most people know the tree by its common name, kratom.
It's been part of working life in Thailand and Malaysia for centuries. It's also the most misunderstood ingredient in the can.
At Milli we call it the Black Sheep. Mysterious, misunderstood, probably wearing sunglasses indoors. The relative everybody whispers about who ends up being everyone's favorite.
The tree it comes from
Mitragyna speciosa is a tropical evergreen that grows wild in Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar and nearby countries. It can top 50 feet.
It's also in the same plant family as the coffee tree. Distant cousins. Same family reunion, very different personalities.
The leaves hold more than 25 related compounds. Mitragynine is the main one, and it's the one in Milli.
A working-class plant
The tree didn't start out in a lab or a wellness aisle. It started in the fields.
For generations, farmers and laborers in Thailand and Malaysia chewed the fresh leaves or brewed them into tea to get through long days of hard work in the heat.
Western science showed up in 1839, when the Dutch botanist Pieter Korthals wrote the first formal description. He named the genus Mitragyna because part of the flower reminded him of a bishop's hat, called a mitre.
The compound itself got its name in 1921, when a chemist named E. Field isolated it from the leaf and called it mitragynine.
Banned, then un-banned
Here's where the Black Sheep earns the nickname.
In 1943 Thailand became the first country to restrict the leaf. The timing matters. Opium had gotten expensive, people were switching to the cheaper local leaf, and the government shut it down.
The ban lasted 78 years. Then, on August 24, 2021, Thailand took it off its narcotics list and started treating it as a legal crop.
So the country that knows this plant best has gone back and forth on it. That should tell you it's complicated.
The mix-up: mitragynine is not 7-OH
Here's the misconception we hear most.
When people see a scary kratom headline, they're usually reading about 7-OH. That's short for 7-hydroxymitragynine, and it is not the same thing as mitragynine.
In the plant, mitragynine is the main compound in the leaf. 7-OH shows up only in trace amounts, less than 2% of the leaf's alkaloids.
The products regulators went after are a different animal: concentrated and synthetic 7-OH, made in a lab and sold as shots and tablets. In August 2026 the DEA banned three synthetic kratom-related compounds and proposed limits on concentrated 7-OH. Mitragynine and the natural leaf remain federally uncontrolled as of October 2026.
In Milli, it's the same story. Milli uses mitragynine. It is not a 7-OH product.
We think that line is worth drawing clearly, and we're glad regulators are drawing it. Kratom products aren't FDA-approved and the rules still vary by state, so people deserve honest labels, lab results and real information. We support sensible regulation and better education, and we'd rather be part of that conversation than hide from it.
Why it's in Milli
Matt built Milli to keep the good parts of a great night and skip the next-morning part. The Black Sheep is part of why Milli is a drink you can actually feel.
In the can, it rides with kava, lion's mane, cordyceps and damiana, with 0% alcohol, no caffeine and 35 calories.
Milli is for adults 21+. Anything that makes you feel good can become habit-forming, Milli included, so start with one, sip slow, and keep it to two cans max in 24 hours.
Meet the rest of the squad, read up on kava, the Zen Master, or grab a pack. Drink happy. Live Milli.
Mitragynine FAQ
Does Milli contain kratom?
Milli contains mitragynine, the main active compound in the leaf of the kratom tree. It's listed on our ingredients page.
Is mitragynine the same as 7-OH?
No. They're two different compounds. Mitragynine is the main one in the leaf, and 7-OH appears only in trace amounts. The concentrated 7-OH products regulators targeted in 2026 are not what's in Milli.
Is mitragynine legal?
As of October 2026 it is not a federally controlled substance in the US. Some states and counties ban or restrict it, and we don't ship there. Laws are changing, so check where you live.
Is mitragynine really related to coffee?
Botanically, yes. The tree it comes from is in the same plant family as coffee. They don't work the same way in the body.
Will mitragynine show up on a drug test?
Standard workplace panels don't usually look for it, but specific tests for it exist. If you're tested for work, sport or military service, check your rules before you drink Milli.
Why is Milli 21+?
Because it has active botanical ingredients, mitragynine included. We check ID at checkout.