Reviewed by the Jungle Standard team. Educational information only — not medical advice.
A few years ago the kava vs kratom question mostly came up in powder form: two tan-to-green botanicals in plain pouches, easy to confuse at a glance. Today it shows up in the drinks cooler. The same maker, Club 13, produces kratom seltzers and kava seltzers in matching 12 oz cans, and small shots of each in similar bottles. On our shelves they sit a few inches apart. This guide explains why they are entirely different plants, how each moved from a traditional preparation into a can, and how to read a label so you always know which one you are holding.
Two Plants, One Shelf
The short version: kava is a root from the islands of the South Pacific, and kratom is a leaf from mainland and island Southeast Asia. They are not related, they are not substitutes for one another, and the alkaloid figures printed on kratom products have no counterpart on kava products. The only thing they really share is that modern brands have packaged both as ready-to-drink products, which is exactly why a quick look at the label matters.
We sell both, from Club 13 on the kava side and from Club 13 and Kraken on the kratom side, and we keep them in separate collections: kava on one page, and kratom drinks and extracts on others.
Root Versus Leaf: The Botany
Kava is Piper methysticum, a shrub in the pepper family, Piperaceae. The useful part is underground: the root and rootstock, which are dug up, cleaned, dried and ground. Its name on a modern label often reads “kava root extract,” and the botanical name appears in full on some cans.
Kratom is Mitragyna speciosa, a tall evergreen tree in Rubiaceae, the coffee family. The useful part grows in the canopy: the leaf, which is picked, dried and milled. Our explainer on what kratom is follows that leaf from branch to bottle.
So the comparison starts with opposite ends of two unrelated plants. A pepper-family root and a coffee-family leaf have different chemistry, different textures as raw material, and different handling from the moment they are harvested.
Two Traditions, Two Regions
Kava belongs to the Pacific: Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa and neighboring islands. There it is a social and ceremonial drink, prepared in a shared bowl and served according to custom, often at welcomes, gatherings and formal occasions. The ritual of serving is as much a part of the tradition as the drink itself.
Kratom belongs to Southeast Asia: Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and surrounding areas. Its history is agricultural and everyday rather than ceremonial, with the leaf traditionally chewed fresh or steeped by people who lived and worked near the trees. Strain names still used on labels today, such as Bali, Borneo and Maeng Da, come out of that geography.
Thousands of miles of ocean separate those two traditions. They met only recently, in Western shops.
From Bowl and Brew to Can and Bottle
The traditional methods could hardly be more different. Kava root is ground, then kneaded and squeezed in water, often through a cloth, and the cloudy liquid is strained off and served. Kratom leaf is dried and milled into a fine powder, which can be steeped as tea; our kratom tea guide covers that method.
Modern products skip the preparation for both. Manufacturers make an extract from the raw plant material and build a finished drink around it: a carrier liquid, flavor, sometimes sweetener, and a sealed container. That shared packaging path is the reason the two now look so alike. Compare two products from the same brand on our shelves:
- Club 13 Kavamosa Valencia Orange — a 12 oz kava seltzer labeled 500 mg kava root extract (Piper methysticum) per can, listed as caffeine-free and sweetened with stevia.
- Club 13 Seltzer Lemon Lime — a 12 oz kratom seltzer labeled 35 mg MIT per can.
Same brand, same can size, entirely different plants. Club 13 also makes 1 oz kava shots labeled 1000 mg kava extract per bottle, alongside its 13 ml kratom extracts labeled in mg MIT.
How to Tell a Kava Product From a Kratom Product
Because the packaging has converged, the label is your only reliable guide. Work through it in this order:
- Find the plant nameLook for “kava,” “kava root extract” or Piper methysticum, versus “kratom” or Mitragyna speciosa.
- Read the unitKava drinks state milligrams of kava extract; kratom drinks state milligrams of MIT, short for mitragynine.
- Check the other ingredientsNote caffeine sources such as green tea extract, sweeteners and flavorings, which vary product to product.
- Check the collectionOn our site, kava lives in its own category, separate from kratom drinks and extracts.
- Match the lot codeCompare the code on your can or bottle with the manufacturer’s lab report on the product page.
Never compare the two numbers to each other. Five hundred milligrams of kava root extract and thirty-five milligrams of MIT measure different substances from different plants. For more on reading kratom figures specifically, see our guide to reading kratom labels.
Legal Rules Are Not Shared
Kava and kratom are regulated separately, so the status of one tells you nothing about the other. Kratom in particular is prohibited in several U.S. states and in a number of counties and cities, and some states regulate it under consumer-protection laws with age and labeling requirements. Our where we ship page lists the places we can’t send kratom, and our article on whether kratom is legal in your state explains how the rules layer.
Kava has its own, separate set of rules. Don’t assume that a kava can arriving at your address means a kratom can could, or the reverse. We sell both only to adults 21 and over, and we recommend checking your local rules before ordering either.
Testing Applies to Both
Whatever the plant, a finished drink should come with a lab report that matches its lot. Club 13 lab-tests its kratom and kava products, and we post the most recent manufacturer report we hold on each product page. The method for reading one is the same for both plants: check the lab, the lot number, the reported content against the label, and the contaminant screens. Our walkthrough on how to read a kratom COA covers each step, and our quality page explains how we vet brands before listing them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is kava a type of kratom?
No. Kava is the root of Piper methysticum, a pepper-family shrub from the South Pacific. Kratom is the leaf of Mitragyna speciosa, a coffee-family tree from Southeast Asia. They are unrelated plants.
How can I tell a kava seltzer from a kratom seltzer?
Read the label. Kava drinks list milligrams of kava or kava root extract; kratom drinks list milligrams of MIT. On our site they are also kept in separate collections.
Can I compare the milligram numbers on kava and kratom drinks?
No. The figures measure different substances from different plants, so a higher number on one tells you nothing about the other.
Do kava products contain caffeine?
It depends on the product. The Club 13 Kavamosa seltzer is listed as caffeine-free, while some Club 13 kava shots contain green tea extract. Check each label.
If kava is legal where I live, is kratom too?
Not necessarily. They are regulated separately, and kratom is restricted in several states and localities. Check our where we ship page and your local rules.
Jungle Standard products are for adults 21 and over, in states where kratom is legal. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.