Start with the sample, not the pass stamp
Open the complete report alongside the product packaging. A similar product name or a familiar brand logo is not enough to connect the two. Look for a matching lot or batch, sample description, and product format. If the report uses a laboratory sample ID rather than the package's lot number, ask the supplier to document the connection.
Keep the report's pages together. The first page may summarize results while later pages identify methods, limitations, or individual analytes. An image of one passing result cannot establish what the rest of the panel showed or whether other tests were performed.
The fields to compare before interpreting results| Report field | What to check | If it is unclear |
|---|
| Product and sample | Name, format, lot or batch, and laboratory sample ID | Request the link between the sample and your package |
|---|
| Laboratory | Issuer, report number, contact details, and any accreditation statement | Verify with the issuer using independently found contact details |
|---|
| Dates | Sample receipt, analysis, report issue, and any revision | Ask which version applies and how it relates to production |
|---|
| Test scope | Each analyte or organism, method, result, unit, and limit | Do not infer results for tests that are absent |
|---|
Read the result together with its unit
A concentration, the amount in a whole container, and the amount in one labeled serving are different quantities. A percentage without its basis is ambiguous: ask whether it describes mass per mass, mass per volume, or another measure. Check whether the sample was the finished product or an ingredient used to make it.
For mass fractions, 1% means 1 gram per 100 grams, or 10 milligrams per gram. One part per million by mass equals 1 milligram per kilogram. These are unit conversions, not acceptable-contaminant limits or consumption guidance. The NIST guide to quantities and units explains percentage and parts-per-million notation.
Illustrative calculation, not a 4 Leaf Herbals test result: a report showing 2 mg/mL and a container holding 10 mL imply 20 mg in that container, provided the concentration applies to the finished liquid throughout. This calculation does not establish how much anyone should use. Do not convert a mass-based percentage into milligrams per bottle without the necessary mass or density information.
Read mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine as separate reported analytes. The denominator matters: percentage of total product mass and percentage of total alkaloids are not interchangeable. A ratio alone does not establish how a product was manufactured; questions about identity or processing need the underlying laboratory and production records.
Understand ND, detection limits, and reporting limits
Laboratories may use ND for not detected and may distinguish a limit of detection, a limit of quantitation, and a reporting limit. Read that report's definitions and qualifiers. A method can detect a substance at a level too low to quantify reliably, and a non-detect should not automatically be read as zero.
The EPA's guidance on results near detection limits explains these distinctions. That document concerns environmental risk assessment; it is cited here for measurement terminology, not as a kratom product standard.
If an analyte is not listed, record it as not shown, not as passed or absent. If the report lists a result below a reporting limit, preserve that qualifier when copying it into a comparison. Removing the less-than sign or substituting zero changes the meaning of the result.
Check what each panel actually covers
- Alkaloids: identify each named compound, its result, unit, method, and sample basis.
- Metals: review the elements actually measured and the stated comparison criteria; a potency result provides no metals result.
- Microbiology: distinguish organism-specific tests from counts, and retain the sample quantity or unit shown.
- Pesticides and solvents: read the compounds included in the panel; testing some compounds does not exclude every possible residue.
Do not apply a universal internet table of passing concentrations to every product. The relevant specification may depend on the test, product, jurisdiction, and intended use. Ask which named specification and version the laboratory used, and whether that criterion applies to the product in question. A laboratory's pass/fail decision and an individual medical risk assessment are not the same decision.
FDA has published its laboratory findings on metals in sampled kratom products. Those results show why contaminant testing matters, but they are not results for every brand or for an untested batch.
Verify the issuer and the claimed accreditation
ISO/IEC 17025 addresses laboratory competence, impartiality, and consistent operation. A reference to the standard on a document is not, by itself, verification of that laboratory's current accreditation or of the scope covering a particular test.
If accreditation is claimed, check the named accrediting body's directory and the laboratory's scope. Ask the issuer about the report number and any amendments using contact details you verify separately. Missing documentation is a reason to request clarification; it is not proof that a report is fabricated.
Use the published 4 Leaf Herbals reports carefully
The Lab Results library contains selected reports, including pages for the 60 mL extract, 16 oz MitraNade, and 10-pack gummies. Match the report to your product and lot or batch before relying on its results. These links do not assert that the reports cover current inventory or every batch.
If the identifier is missing, the report is incomplete, or no matching report is published, contact us with the product name and lot or batch. Ask for the complete matching record and an explanation of any unclear result. A report for another bottle size, formulation, or batch is not a substitute.
A COA does not establish a safe serving, prove that kratom treats a condition, or establish FDA approval. See FDA's current kratom information for its safety and regulatory position. This guide explains how to read documents; it is not medical or legal advice.
Correction, September 14, 2026: this guide removes generalized contaminant thresholds and claims that a COA guarantees safety, prevents contamination, or establishes manufacturing origin from an alkaloid ratio. It now distinguishes sample-specific findings, measurement limits, and questions requiring further records.