Feel Free is a 2-ounce botanical shot made by Botanic Tonics that combines kava and kratom, two plant-based ingredients marketed as a natural way to reduce stress and boost mood. It’s sold in gas stations, supplement shops, and online, often positioned as a healthier alternative to alcohol or energy drinks. But the product has drawn significant scrutiny from regulators, consumers, and health experts due to the kratom it contains.
What’s Inside a Bottle
Each full-strength bottle of Feel Free Classic Tonic contains 1,480 mg of dried kratom leaf powder and 380 mg of kava root extract. A half-strength version contains 740 mg of kratom and 190 mg of kava. The two botanicals work differently in the body and produce distinct effects.
Kava comes from a pepper plant native to the South Pacific, where it has been used ceremonially for centuries. It produces calming, anxiety-reducing effects by influencing pathways in the brain associated with relaxation. At the dose in Feel Free, kava acts as the mellower half of the formula.
Kratom is the more controversial ingredient. It comes from a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia, and its active compounds interact with opioid receptors in the brain. At lower doses, kratom tends to produce stimulant-like effects: increased energy, alertness, and sociability. At higher doses, it shifts toward sedation and pain relief. This dual nature is part of what makes Feel Free appealing to users and concerning to health authorities.
How It Feels
Users typically describe the effects as a combination of relaxation and mild euphoria, sometimes compared to the social looseness of a drink or two of alcohol without the heaviness. Some people use it for focus and productivity, while others reach for it to unwind. The effects generally kick in within 15 to 30 minutes and can last a few hours. A clinical trial registered with ClinicalTrials.gov is currently studying how the tonic affects self-reported stress and anxiety, along with how the body processes its ingredients, but results are not yet published.
The Kratom Problem
The FDA has taken a clear stance: kratom is not appropriate for use as a dietary supplement. The agency says there is insufficient evidence to prove that kratom is safe, and it has concluded that kratom is a “new dietary ingredient for which there is inadequate information to provide reasonable assurance that such ingredient does not present a significant or unreasonable risk of illness or injury.”
The core concern is that kratom activates the same opioid receptors targeted by drugs like morphine and codeine. While kratom’s effects are milder, this mechanism creates a real potential for dependency. According to Texas Tech University’s Risk Intervention and Safety Education program, addiction and dependency are the most common side effects of kratom use, precisely because of how it stimulates those receptors. Other reported risks include liver damage and nausea.
Several states have responded by restricting or banning kratom outright. Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C. have all banned the substance. Eight additional states have set a legal purchasing age of 21. In Ohio, the governor called on the state pharmacy board to schedule kratom compounds as illegal drugs; the board moved to ban synthetic kratom formulations in late 2024, though natural formulations remain legal there for now.
Withdrawal and Dependency Risks
Regular users of Feel Free can develop a physical dependency on the kratom it contains. FDA communications have flagged growing reports of withdrawal symptoms, dependency, and safety issues connected to kratom tonics specifically. Withdrawal from kratom can resemble opioid withdrawal on a smaller scale: irritability, muscle aches, insomnia, sweating, and anxiety. The severity depends on how much someone has been consuming and for how long, but even moderate daily use over weeks can produce noticeable withdrawal effects when stopped abruptly.
This is the detail many consumers miss. Because Feel Free is sold alongside energy drinks and wellness shots, it’s easy to treat it as a casual daily habit. But the pharmacology of kratom means that daily use carries risks that a typical supplement does not.
Legal Troubles for the Company
Botanic Tonics has faced serious legal consequences over how it marketed Feel Free. A class action lawsuit alleged that the company failed to warn consumers about the dangers of kratom and instead marketed the tonic as a safe, healthy alternative to alcohol. The lawsuit also noted that kratom is illegal in several states where the product was sold.
Botanic Tonics agreed to an $8.75 million settlement to resolve the claims, though it did not admit wrongdoing. The settlement covers anyone who purchased Feel Free Wellness Tonic containing kratom between March 2019 and March 2025. Federal authorities also seized Botanic Tonics products in 2023, though the full details of that case are still developing.
What to Know Before Trying It
If you’re considering Feel Free, the most important thing to understand is that this is not a typical wellness shot. The kratom content activates opioid receptors, which means the product carries dependency risk that increases with regular use. The kava component is generally considered safer and better studied, but the kratom is the primary driver of both the product’s appeal and its risks.
There is no established safe daily limit for kratom consumption. The FDA has not approved it for any use, and the clinical research on Feel Free specifically is still underway. If you live in a state where kratom is banned, purchasing or possessing the product may be illegal. And if you’ve been using Feel Free daily and want to stop, tapering gradually rather than quitting abruptly can help minimize withdrawal symptoms.