A certificate of analysis, or COA, is the closest thing a kratom buyer has to an independent quality check. It is also one of the most misunderstood documents in the market. Some shoppers treat any COA as proof of quality, while others skip it because it looks too technical. The truth sits in between: a COA tells you specific, useful things, but only if it is genuine, current and matched to the product in your hands.
What a Kratom COA Is
A COA is a report from a testing laboratory that lists the results of analyses run on a sample from a specific production batch. For kratom, it usually covers identity, alkaloid content and contaminant screening. A good COA comes from a third-party lab with no financial stake in the result, which is what makes it more trustworthy than a vendor’s own claims.
The Four Things a COA Can Tell You
- Identity: whether the sample is consistent with Mitragyna speciosa leaf, and not a different plant or a blend with undisclosed ingredients.
- Alkaloid content: the percentage of mitragynine and 7-OH. In natural leaf, mitragynine should be the dominant alkaloid, with 7-OH present only in trace amounts. A high 7-OH figure relative to mitragynine suggests a processed or enhanced product.
- Contaminant screening: results for heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury, and microbial tests such as Salmonella, E. coli, and yeast and mold.
- Pass or fail status: whether each result falls within the limits the lab or the applicable standard sets.
For a section-by-section walkthrough of those panels, see our guide on how to read a kratom third-party lab report before you buy.
How to Check That a COA Is Genuine
A COA is only as useful as it is authentic. Before trusting one, check these details:
- Lab name and contact details: a real report names the laboratory and gives a way to reach it. Many labs also print a verification code or QR code.
- Accreditation: look for ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, the international standard for testing laboratories. Utah’s kratom testing rules, for example, require an ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited third-party lab.
- Batch or lot number: the number on the COA should match the number on your package. A report for a different batch tells you nothing about your product.
- Dates: check the sample and report dates. Utah requires testing within six months before product registration, which is a useful benchmark for how current a report should be.
- Complete pages: redacted results, missing pages or cropped screenshots are warning signs.
What a COA Cannot Tell You
Even a perfect COA has limits. It describes one sample from one batch at one point in time. It cannot promise that every batch is identical, and it cannot show how a product was stored after testing. It only covers the tests that were actually run, so a report without a microbial panel says nothing about microbial safety. A COA also says nothing about how kratom will affect you. Effects described by users vary widely, and the FDA has not approved kratom for any medical use.
Common Red Flags
- The same COA is posted for several different products.
- No laboratory name, or a lab that cannot be found online.
- Results are listed without units or limits.
- The report is years old, or the batch number is missing.
- The vendor will not share COAs on request.
Where to Find Botanical Remedies COAs
Botanical Remedies publishes third-party results on our lab tests (COAs) page. Our quality page explains the five checks each batch goes through: identity, alkaloid testing, adulterant testing, heavy metals and biological safety. If you have a question about a specific batch, please contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every kratom product need a COA?
Requirements vary by state, but a COA from an independent lab is the clearest way for a buyer to verify quality. Several consumer protection laws now require accredited lab testing.
What should 7-OH look like on a natural kratom COA?
In natural leaf, 7-OH should appear only at trace levels, far below mitragynine. A high 7-OH result suggests a processed product.
Can a vendor make its own COA?
An in-house report is not independent. Look for a named third-party lab, ideally ISO/IEC 17025 accredited.
This article is for general information only and is not medical advice.
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