California health officials are urging consumers to avoid a seemingly ordinary supplement sold at gas stations statewide after the product was linked to the overdose death of a 37-year-old man.
Marketed as “cat’s claw,” the supplement was found to contain dihydro-7-hydroxymitragynine, also known as MGM-15, a powerful opioid derived from kratom.
MGM-15 was detected in the San Francisco man following his fatal overdose in late September. The death was classified as accidental and attributed to the “toxic effects of kratom alkaloids.”
Officials said MGM-15 can be 15 to 50 times more potent than morphine and has not been approved for medical use in humans. The case marked San Francisco’s first reported overdose involving the substance, following similar incidents in Utah and Washington.
The product comes in a purple package containing 100 milligrams of purported uncaria tomentosa, commonly known as “cat’s claw.” Sold under the name “Paradise Blend,” it is manufactured by Script Botanicals x Maui Labs.
Dr. Monica Gandhi, a University of California, San Francisco, medicine professor, told CBS News that the package’s appearance may make the product seem safer than it is.
“It looks really not dangerous,” Gandhi said. “People buy it, they’ll take it as a supplement and they think it’ll give them energy…but if you take too much of them it can depress your ability to breathe and you can die from it.”
Cat’s claw is derived from a woody vine native to the Amazon rainforest. It is promoted for a range of purported health benefits, including treatment or relief related to osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, viral infections and other conditions.
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The cat’s claw herb itself does not naturally contain MGM-15.
MGM-15 is a chemically altered version of 7-hydroxymitragynine, a compound that occurs naturally in kratom.
Kratom is commonly sold as a supplement and promoted for its supposed ability to increase energy and improve mood.
U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche has previously cautioned that synthetic opioids are being incorporated into products marketed for everyday consumer use.
“These are potent opioids being manufactured and sold in consumer products, often under labels that obscure their true risks,” Blanche said.
The warning about the gas station supplement comes as California continues to grapple with the opioid crisis. San Francisco recorded 625 accidental overdose deaths in 2025, while Los Angeles County reported 2,298 deaths.
The California Post contacted Script Botanicals for comment.
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