Feel Free tonic, made by Botanic Tonics, contains two psychoactive plant ingredients: kava root extract and kratom. These are blended into a 2-ounce shot with pineapple juice, water, stevia, and natural flavors. The product is marketed as a plant-based alternative to alcohol, but it has drawn significant scrutiny from the FDA and poison control centers due to safety concerns around its active ingredients.
The Full Ingredient List
Each 2-ounce bottle contains two servings, with a proprietary blend totaling 2,600 mg per serving. According to the product’s label filed with the National Institutes of Health, that blend breaks down as follows:
- Kava root extract (with certain compounds called flavokavains A and B removed), providing 250 mg of kavalactones per serving
- Kratom leaf (not an extract, meaning it uses ground plant material), providing 25 mg of kratom alkaloids per serving
The remaining ingredients are straightforward: water, pineapple juice, stevia as a sweetener, and natural flavors. Each serving also contains small amounts of potassium (54 mg) and iron (0.6 mg). The manufacturer’s label instructs users to take only one ounce (half a bottle) at a time and not to exceed one full bottle in 24 hours.
How Kava Works in the Body
Kava is the dominant ingredient by weight in the blend. The active compounds, kavalactones, interact with the same calming brain receptors that anti-anxiety medications target. This produces a progression of effects that starts with a slight numbing of the tongue and lips, then moves into feelings of relaxation, sociability, and mild euphoria. Many users describe a sense of peace and muscle relaxation.
At higher doses, kava’s effects begin to resemble alcohol intoxication, including impaired balance and slurred speech. The sedative effects correlate with increased activity at calming receptors across multiple brain regions. Feel Free’s label notes that flavokavains A and B have been removed from the extract. These are compounds that have been linked to liver cell damage in lab studies, so their removal is an attempt to reduce one known risk of kava consumption.
How Kratom Works in the Body
Kratom’s primary active compound acts on the same receptors in the brain that opioid drugs target. This is what gives kratom its pain-relieving and mood-altering properties, but it’s also what makes it potentially habit-forming. The compound also interacts with receptors involved in adrenaline and serotonin signaling, which contributes to the stimulating effects some users feel at lower doses.
The 25 mg of kratom alkaloids per serving is a relatively modest amount compared to what someone might get from brewing kratom tea or taking capsules directly. But even at this level, the opioid-receptor activity is the reason kratom has attracted regulatory attention. The FDA considers kratom a “new dietary ingredient” for which there is not enough evidence to show it’s safe.
Why This Combination Raises Concerns
Taking kava and kratom together is not just a matter of adding two herbal supplements. CDC data published in 2025 shows that poison center reports involving the combined use of kava and kratom have climbed sharply since 2017, reaching 30% of all kava-related reports by 2025. More concerning, serious health outcomes in those reports have also risen, hitting 32% in 2025 compared to 12% in 2000.
When people were exposed to both kava and kratom together, poison center reports documented seizures, tremors, and high blood pressure. Liver stress markers were also elevated at a higher rate in combination exposures: 6.3% of cases involving both substances showed moderately elevated liver enzymes, compared to 1.7% of cases involving kava alone. The CDC has called the trend a public health concern, pointing specifically to commercial products with high kavalactone content sold alongside kratom.
Addiction and Dependency Risk
Because kratom activates opioid receptors, regular use can lead to physical dependence. Withdrawal symptoms, including irritability, muscle aches, and cravings, have been reported by users who consumed Feel Free daily and then stopped. Texas Tech University’s health education program identifies addiction and dependency as the most common risks associated with Feel Free drinks, noting that kratom’s stimulation of opioid receptors is the primary driver.
Other reported side effects include nausea and liver damage. The dependency risk is particularly relevant because the product is sold in convenience stores and marketed with wellness-oriented branding, which can give the impression it carries fewer risks than it does.
FDA Seizure and Legal Issues
In May 2023, U.S. Marshals acting on FDA authority seized nearly 250,000 bottles of Feel Free products, along with bulk kratom powder and capsules, from Botanic Tonics’ facility in Oklahoma. The seized goods were estimated at over $3 million. The federal complaint alleged that kratom is a new dietary ingredient without adequate evidence of safety and that supplements containing it are adulterated under federal food and drug law.
Separately, Botanic Tonics settled a class action lawsuit for $8.75 million. The suit alleged the company failed to warn consumers about the risks of kratom and marketed Feel Free as a safe, healthy alternative to alcohol without adequate disclosure. The company did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement.
Where Kratom Is Banned
Kratom is legal at the federal level but banned outright in six states: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin. Several cities and counties have their own restrictions even in states where kratom is otherwise legal, including San Diego, Denver, Sarasota County in Florida, and Jerseyville, Illinois. If you live in one of these areas, purchasing or possessing Feel Free tonic could be illegal regardless of how it’s labeled.