7-OH alternatives: what replaced 7-OH, what’s still legal, and how to choose.

What happened to 7-OH on August 5, 2026

7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) is a minor alkaloid that occurs naturally in kratom leaf at trace levels. Starting around 2023, a wave of products appeared in smoke shops and online that isolated or concentrated 7-OH into tablets, shots and gummies containing many times the amount found in leaf. These products were potent, fast-acting and, by 2025, the subject of FDA warning letters and a formal FDA recommendation that the DEA schedule 7-OH.

The DEA acted on that recommendation using its temporary scheduling authority under the Controlled Substances Act. Effective August 5, 2026, 7-hydroxymitragynine above a threshold of 0.050% by dry weight, or above 1.00 mg per unit, is temporarily placed in Schedule I for an initial period of two years, with the possibility of a one-year extension while permanent rulemaking proceeds. In plain language: concentrated 7-OH products are now treated like other Schedule I substances. They cannot lawfully be manufactured, distributed, sold or possessed.

Two details in the order matter enormously for anyone who uses kratom:

• The order is threshold-based. It does not schedule kratom. It does not schedule mitragynine. It draws a line at a 7-OH concentration and per-unit amount that natural leaf and properly made extracts fall well below.
• Compliance is measurable. Because the threshold is numeric, a product can prove it complies with a lab test. That is exactly what a certificate of analysis is for, and it is why every Tempo COA reports 7-OH per tablet.

What remains legal

At the federal level, the following are unchanged by the August 2026 order:

• Natural kratom leaf (powder, crushed leaf, tea).
• Kratom extracts standardized for mitragynine, provided their naturally occurring 7-OH stays at or below the threshold.
• Kratom extract tablets, kratom pills and capsules made from those extracts, again subject to the threshold.
• Other botanicals that were never part of the order, including Corydalis yanhusuo and its 13-OH extract.

State law still applies on top of this. Kratom is banned in 6 states (AL, AR, IN, RI, VT, WI) and in some counties and cities, and a growing number of states have Kratom Consumer Protection Acts that require age limits, labeling and testing. Tempo complies with all of them and does not ship to restricted jurisdictions. See our shipping policy for the current list.

The gap 7-OH left behind

Be honest about why 7-OH tablets sold: they were convenient, fast, consistent and strong. Kratom powder is none of those things. It tastes terrible, it’s inconsistent from bag to bag, it takes a lot of it to feel anything, and measuring a serving with a kitchen scale is nobody’s idea of a good time. Capsules solve the taste and add a dozen pills to swallow.

So when the DEA order landed, a lot of people asked a reasonable question: what replaced 7-OH? The answer from the responsible end of the industry is a new generation of standardized kratom extract tablets: a fixed mitragynine dose, a real lab report, a flavor that doesn’t taste like leaf, and a serving you can carry in a pocket. Tempo is our entry in that category, and we built it with one extra ingredient that we think is the difference-maker.

Why Tempo is the closest compliant 7-OH alternative

1. It doesn’t rely on 7-OH for how it feels

Some “7-OH alternative” products are just high-mitragynine extracts pushed as close to the 7-OH threshold as the maker dares. Tempo goes the other way. Each tablet is a 250 mg kratom alkaloid blend (1000 mg per 4ct pack): a moderate 20 mg of mitragynine from full-spectrum kratom leaf extract, paired with 30 mg of 13-OH Corydalis yanhusuo extract from Corydalis Labs. The corydalis is what lets the formula use less leaf while feeling fuller, with reduced sensory harshness. It is not a kratom alkaloid and not a scheduled substance, and it means we have no reason to chase the 7-OH line. Read the full corydalis explainer.

2. Every lot is verified under the federal threshold

Each production lot is tested by an independent ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory for mitragynine, 7-OH, corydalis content, heavy metals, microbials, pesticides and residual solvents. The 7-OH result is reported against the 1.00 mg per unit threshold, and the certificate is published at /coas before the lot ships. You don’t have to trust us; you can read the report.

3. It is precise in a way 7-OH tablets never were

Tempo tablets are cross-scored. A half tablet is 125 mg of the blend, about 10 mg of mitragynine and 15 mg of corydalis extract; a whole tablet is double that. Onset is typically 20–40 minutes. That’s a genuinely useful serving ladder: half for daytime focus, whole for an evening wind-down, and nothing in between to guess at.

4. It is made and tested in the USA

Tablets are compressed at a cGMP co-packer in Saint Petersburg, Florida, from documented raw materials, with batch traceability from botanical lot to blister. The quality and compliance page covers the pipeline in detail.

How Tempo compares to 7-OH, powder and capsules

The table below is a general comparison of product categories, not a claim about any specific brand. “7-OH products” refers to the concentrated tablets and shots sold before August 5, 2026.

How to choose a 7-OH alternative (a checklist)

1. Ask for the COA first. It should be lot-specific, from an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited lab, and show 7-OH per unit. No COA, no purchase.
2. Look for a stated mitragynine amount per serving. “Extract” on its own means nothing. Tempo states 250 mg of kratom alkaloid blend per tablet on the pack, 20 mg of it mitragynine, and verifies it on the COA.
3. Check the ingredient list for synthetics. Some post-ban products contain undisclosed synthetic or semi-synthetic compounds. Tempo contains kratom leaf extract, 13-OH corydalis extract and the excipients listed on the label. Nothing else.
4. Prefer a scored tablet. If you can’t split a serving, you can’t control it.
5. Buy from a brand that publishes its address. Ours is in Saint Petersburg, Florida, and it’s in the footer.
6. Be skeptical of anything that promises it “feels exactly like 7-OH.” A compliant product can’t, and an honest brand won’t say it does.

Switching from 7-OH to Tempo: practical notes

If you were a regular 7-OH tablet user, a few things will be different. Onset is a little slower (20–40 minutes rather than near-immediate), the effect is more rounded and less sharp, and the full-spectrum leaf extract brings a broader profile than a single isolated alkaloid. Most testers who came from 7-OH landed on a full tablet for the evening and a half tablet for daytime. Start with half regardless, wait the full 40 minutes, and space servings at least 6 hours apart. If you find you need more than one tablet a day, that’s a signal to take a break rather than to increase.

Ready to try it? The 1ct sachet is $7.99 and ships free with a $75.00 order; the 4ct blister is $24.99 and the better per-tablet buy. Both come in Mixed Berry Blast, Blue Razz Slush and Strawberry Dream and are in the shop. For ongoing coverage of the regulatory landscape, follow the Dialed blog.

This page is general information about federal and state law as of September 2026 and is not legal advice. Laws change; verify the current status in your jurisdiction. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Not for use by anyone under 21. Keep out of reach of children. Do not use if pregnant or nursing. Consult a physician before use if you have a medical condition or take medication. Do not operate a vehicle or heavy machinery after use. Kratom products may be habit-forming; use responsibly.