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KAVA
Kava is a mild, soporific, psychoactive drink prepared from the root and basal stem of a kind of pepper — Piper methysticum. It is grown legally in the hillsides of the most of the large islands of Fiji, in jungles of the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, Vanuatu and Pohnpei in Micronesia and throughout the Pacific. In Pohnpei it is called “sakau”. In Fiji it is called “yaqona” or kava. Kava is the name used throughout Polynesia, and Melanesia. The drink was once popular in Kosrae, Micronesia before it use was discouraged by the Congregationalist missionaries. In Pohnpei, sakau bars are more common that bars serving alcoholic beverages.
Kava is made by pounding, grating, or chewing the root of the Piper methysticum — a plant native to the western Pacific Islands.. For centuries, in Oceania and the Pacific kava been brewed into a calming tea or drunk freshly squeezed and has have used celebrate weddings, greet guests or visiting royalty. It is now available in pills, extracts, supplements and canned drinks in U.S. head shops and health food stores. alternative to drugs
Kava is also called “kava-kava.” The name kava comes from the Polynesian word “awa” and literally means “intoxicating pepper.” It has traditionally been used by Pacific islanders as medicinal treatment and a part of religious ceremonies and is regarded as non-addictive. The plant — also known as asava pepper — can grow to an average height of six feet, with heart-shaped leaves that stretch 10 inches wide.
History of Kava
Kava caught the attention of kava of Pacific Islanders, one story goes, when they noticed the mild mind-altering affects of pepper roots on energetic rats that fell into a lethargic stupor. According to a legend, Luth Leng, the sakau (kava) deity of Micronesia, grew the first sakau pepper plant from the bruised skin of the heel of an old man named Widennngar who prayed to the god Kuk to be young again. On Pohnpei in Micronesia, wealth has traditionally been measured by the ability to keep sakau plant until they are large and old.
Thomas J. Zumbroich wrote: The kava root has been used in the South Pacific for more than 3,000 years in ritual, medicinal and recreational purposes. It is deeply ingrained in these cultures. Cytogenetic analysis of cultivars of P. methysticum by G. Forster has pinpointed the origin of kava in northern Vanuatu and mapped its easterly diffusion across the Pacific islands. [Source: Thomas J. Zumbroich, “The origin and diffusion of betel chewing: a synthesis of evidence from South Asia, Southeast Asia and beyond,” May 13, 2009]
Kava was first described in the West by a Swedish botanist on Captain James Cooke’s first voyage, from 1768 to 1771. Cook himself spotted Polynesians chewing its roots. In the 19th century in Micronesia sakau could only consumed in the presence of high chiefs who sat on a raised platform in a feast house and received the first cup of sakau in an elaborate ceremony. In the 1950s, Protestant missionaries tried to ban sakau in some places on the grounds that it was anti-Christian.
Kava High
Kava is said to create a calm, dreamy state, with a mild anaesthetic affect, gently numbing the lips and mind." Others have described the high as a pleasant dizziness not unlike standing up to quickly. The tongue often goes numb. Kava has relaxing effects on the skeleto-muscular system and has sedative, euphoriant, and psychotropic properties.
According to the New York Times: Kava is said to have been used for thousands of years in the Pacific to help people relax and socialize. Unlike alcohol, which can make people boisterous or belligerent, kava users report that the herb calms them without dulling the mind or causing hangovers.” People that regularly consume kava say it induces a calming sensation while allowing the user remain remain “clear-headed”. Kava acts on a central nervous system, hindering receptors of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and stimulating dopamine in the brain. [Source: Addiction Center]
Kava is not considered addictive and drinking it in moderation doesn’t produce any major side effects. Leading kava expert Dr. Vincent Lebot, who’s based in Vanuatu, told Rolling Stone. “The beverage can be very diluted and hardly any effect will be produced or it can be very strong, and it is recommended to stay home and not drive.” Consume too much of it, though, and kava may cause a loss of balance, double vision, sleepiness and skin drying — known as kava dermostatis — over the long-term. But, Lebot stresses, drinking kava is no different than drinking coffee. “If you abuse coffee, you might have side effects [too],” he says.
Annamarya Scaccia wrote in Rolling Stone: Kavalactones, the active ingredients in kava, are sticky, insoluble substances. They pass through the bloodstream when absorbed, causing the plant to act as a muscle relaxant, according to Lebot There are six major kavalactones found in kava, with “the most interesting one” being kavain, he says, concentrated mostly in roots of the plant, he says. That’s the one responsible for the feeling of relaxation. [Source: Annamarya Scaccia, Rolling Stone, March 16, 2018]
But kavalactones don’t affect or work in the brain directly, so although it has sedative-like properties, it’s not an actual sedative. The mild euphoric feeling comes from desmethoxyyangonin, another of the major kavalactones that boosts dopamine levels. “This is why, when you drink kava, there is no alteration of your perception of the reality,” Lebot tells Rolling Stone. “It doesn’t affect directly the central nervous system.”
Sakau High
Sakau is the form of kava preferred in Pohnpei that is made from drinking the liquid freshly squeezed from root and basal stem of Piper methysticum. It has been described as a mild narcotic but if enough of it is consumed it can have a very profound effect. It is a mellow drug and often times a sakau party that consists of people sitting around in circle, not talking, but simply contemplating.
The drugs induces euphoria and relaxion while keeping the mind clear. The body numbs and if enough is consumed and people lose control of their lower limbs A Pohnpeian friend told journalist Derrek Ferrar, "If you drink too much sometimes you can't move, but your mind always stays alert. Some complain small noises are amplified. After the evening is over users go into a deep, restful sleep. Some Pohnpeians believe that swallowing sakau with your eyes will cause blindness and bubbles in the sakau bring bad luck.
People who take sakau regularly say that the first thing that happens when you drink it is the mouth and tongue go numb. As more cups are consumed the mind stays clear but the body becomes more dysfunctional. An English anthologist who tried it in the 1890s, wrote: "the head is clear but the legs suffer a temporary paralysis...after four cups of sakau, one leg struggles south, while th other is marching due north."
One American anthropologist wrote: "The mental and physical effects of Pohnpeian sakau are not like intoxication from alcohol. It doesn't lead to exhilaration, joyfulness, or boisterous and aggressive behavior, but rather to sleepiness and dullness."
Kava Preparation
To make kava, the root of the Piper methysticum plant is dug up and allowed to dry. When it is ready to consume, the root is beaten, or sometimes chewed, to soften it. It is then rinsed in water to put in a sock to extract the active ingredients. The sock acts like a coffee filter, taking out pieces of root and fibre. The result is a muddy, brown liquid that taste like muddy water. [Source: Edward Brown, Time Out Japan]
An 18th-century traveler to Polynesia wrote that kava was prepared in a ''most disgustful manner.'' The freshly dug roots were cut up and chewed (preferably by virgins), spat into a communal bowl and mixed with coconut milk or water. The resulting fluid was then strained and passed around. On some islands, kava is pounded rather than chewed. Traditionally, only men drank it. [Source: Denise Grady, New York Times, October 13, 1998]
Traditionally-made sakau is pounded from the pepper root into a pulp and then placed in hibiscus bark and squeezed out like water of wringed out towel. The sakau-making process of pounding the pepper roots with a pounding stones against a large stone base produces a ringing sound. The base stone is often cushioned with coconut husks or rubber from an old tire. The pounding you hear I the evening is people making sakau. Sakau is strained through hibiscus fiber. The liquid is then mixed with water and served in a communal bowl made from a coconut shell. Today sakau bars usually serve glassfuls' of sakau that have been processed by a machine.
Some people grinding the kava root, putting it in a muslin cloth, and then steeping it in water. This process can take a long time and requires a lot of kneading and straining. Some people prefer this method because they feel it maximizes the effects. The more the pepper root is mashed, the more active ingredient are released and the more powerful the sakau. The cheaper kinds of sakau sold at sakau bars (about 25 cents a cup) are heavily diluted with water and dipped from a plastic bucket.
Describing the sakau making process, journalist John Perry wrote: "As we watched the sakau maker placed the brown roots of the pepper plant on the stone and pounded vigorously with the hand-held rock. A woman sprinkled water over the roots as the pounding intensified, each blow timed to a special sakau rhythm. After it was pulverized, a muscular Pohnpeian wrapped the moist root mash in fibrous hibiscus bast and with bare hands squeezed a grayish liquid into a coconut-shell cup.
Micronized kava is a fine powder, and is sort of like to an instant version of the drink. To consume it one simply adds the powder to a drink of choice. Kava concentrate is a concentrated liquid form of kava . It is typically a tincture blend that is added to another drink with an eye-dropper. There are also kava supplements and tablets. A number of different drinks include kava as an ingredient.
Kava Drinking and Its Awful Taste
The best way to consume kava is by drinking it, Lebot told Rolling Stone. The traditional beverage is made by steeping kava, either fresh or as ground into a dried powder, into cold water in order to extract its active components. The drink then has to be shaken or stirred before consumed (kava is an unstable emulsion, which means the molecules don’t dissolve in a water and would quickly separate, like oil and vinegar in a vinaigrette). Kava is a beverage and should be consumed as such, Lebot says. Anything else — extracts, pills, capsules, alcoholic solutions, you name it — should not be considered kava, he warns. “If you put caffeine in a pill, you cannot call it coffee, just like dried raisins in a capsules are not wine,” Lebot says.[Source: Annamarya Scaccia, Rolling Stone, March 16, 2018]
Often a cup of sakau is swallowed in three or four gulps. In Fiji kava drinking sessions often resemble drinking competitions. Men clap and then chug their entire cup and then clap three more times. Many homes and hotels in Pohnpei have a “tanoa” (a communal bowl used to drink sakau). They drink from “tanoa” — which can be a plastic bucket, enamel basin or plastic bowl — in a circle, dipping and sharing a “bilo” (half coconut shell) filled with the muddy drink
Sakau has been likened to a slimy mud milkshake or chocolate milk diluted with dirty water. "I closed my eyes and sipped the mud-colored liquid through my teeth," Ferrar wrote, " The sakau had a flat taste with a slightly bitter afterbite, and it brought with it a fuzzy, somewhat detached high." Other have described that drinking sakau is not unlike swallowing raw egg whites. In 1865, a Confederate soldier aboard the warship “Shenandoah” wrote he almost vomited and "I touched my lip to a coconut-shell cup that contained the vilest smelling, most nauseous compound that any man ever attempted to get drunk on."
In his book, ''Kava: Medicine Hunting in Paradise'' (Park Street Press, 1996), Chris Kilham wrote that he was glad he had worn shoes to a kava bar on Vanuatu, because the patrons did so much spitting to get the taste of kava out of their mouths that there wasn't a dry spot on the floor.
Westerners who have tried kava say it is bitter and tastes like dirt. One person described it as a "combination of muddy river water and yesterday's tea." Tracy Pingel told Rolling Stoneputs it: “It’s root and water.” Kava is an acquired taste, she says,“But I love it so much now that I actually crave the taste of kava,” she adds. [Source: Annamarya Scaccia, Rolling Stone, March 16, 2018]
According to Rolling Stone: Fresh kava is another story. Very fresh, green kava can taste flavorful and spicy, like licorice, Lebot says, but most people outside of the western Pacific don’t have access to the fresh crop. So what consumers in the United States and other regions get is the earthy taste Pingel describes. Still, that’s not why people drink kava. “Kava is not consumed for its taste, but for its effects,” Lebot tells Rolling Stone. “So drinkers don’t sip the beverage, they absorb it in one shot.”
Kava Ceremonies
In some cultures, kava is consumed at religious and cultural events such as political events, funerals, weedingd and royal events. In the kava bowl ceremonies kava is poured into a coconut half shell and handed out to the participants in order of rank.
In ancient times kava was consumed mainly for religious purposes. Christian missionaries frowned upon its use. Now it is mainly a social drink and brought out for various occasions such as welcoming guests and as a gift. It is sometimes give to tourists as a welcoming gesture
Sakau (kava) plays an important role in traditional culture and religion of Pohnpei. Communications with spirits it was (is) believed could only be accomplished by drinking sakau, which was traditionally restricted to occasions when the nahnmwarki (high chief) was present. In the old days, common people were not allowed to drink sakau unless they were in the presence of the chief, who always took the first drink. After the chief took a sip the drink then was passed by hand from people of high rank to people of descending lower rank.
There are strict rules regarding the sakau ceremony. The Soundei Salau, the leader of the ceremony, distributes the sakau. In traditional villages in the evenings, people went to the home of the chief to drink sakau. No one else had the sakau stones used to pound the roots of the roots used to make it..
Kava Drinking in Fiji
Fijians call kava “yaqona” or “grog”. Drinking it is a popular form of social intercourse among adult Fijian men. It takes a great deal of "grog swiping" over a long time to reach a mild state of euphoria and visitors seldom get that far.
According to the “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life”: Kava drinking has a definite set of social rules. The sharing of kava accompanied the performance of pre-Christian religious events, political discussions, the curing of illness, and restricted social interaction of adult, "high status" men in Fijian villages. Kava drinking has become an important attraction for tourists who visit Fiji, although the event does not carry any of the ceremonial importance that it did in traditional contexts. [Source: J. Williams, “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life”, 2009, Encyclopedia.com]
You will find a “tanoa” (a communal bowl used to serve “yaqona”) in most homes and hotels in Fiji. Both Fijians and Indians gather around the “tanoa” — which can a plastic bucket, enamel basin or plastic bowl — in a circle, dipping and sharing a “bilo” (half coconut shell) filled muddy “yaqona”. This habit is ingrained in the culture and men almost seem addicted to the ritual. Kava bowls with 11 legs were formerly used as currency.
To celebrate important occasions such as a birth, death or marriage, a “tabua “(sperm whale tooth) is presented and accepted. Participants in this tense formal ritual usually dress in up grass skirts, green leaves and “nasi” (cloth made from a special bark). The preparation and serving of “yaqona” and the correct presentation of the “tabua” is all-important. the speech, the solemnity of he occasion and the importance of the request, all contribute to a state of tension and expectation. The significance of the whale tooth and how it came to assume power is lost to antiquity. In the past participants were killed for flubbing up the presentation and today no important Fijian event can take place without its presentation.
Sakau Etiquette in Phnpei
The people of Pohnpei have an entire set of words associated with sakau drinking. “Nohpwei” are the first four cups of sakau consumed during a sakau ceremony. Sakau is served from a half coconut shell called “kowahleng” or “ngarangar”. The four cups of the “Nohpwei” have special names: 1) “Pwelin Koanoat” (served to the highest chief), 2) “Arien Koanoat” (served to the nahnken), 3) “Esilin Koanoar” (served to wives of the nahnmwarki or nahnken), and 4) “Sapweien Koanoat” (served again to the nahnmwarki or nahnken). [Source: Lonely Planet]
There are rules on how to handle the sakau cup, how to serve and receive the cup and leave. The cup is passed by designated cupbearers. After one sip the recipient hands the cup back to giver who then gives it to another person, No one should speak or leave the area until the fourth has been served and the cup should be accepted with two hands and returned to the giver after drinking. The person offering the cup does not look at the person he is giving the sakau to. One is expected to drink the full cup.
If a capu of sakau is accepted from someone with a high rank it should be taken with crossed hands. When giving sakau to the nahnmwarki (high chief) the cup is passed to his attendant, the “erir”, from behind over the shoulder. The erir wipes the cup four times and after determining drinking from it is okay the cup is presenting to the nahnmwarki.
One should keep his or her eyes closed when drinking sakau because sakau is "like the high chief" and should not be looked at directly. Sakau is regarded as so strong that looking at it could be harmful to the eyes. People wishing to leave the sakau ceremony say "”sakarda”" which alerts the nahnmakri of one’s intentions to leave. The nahnmakri must grant permission before anyone is allowed to leave.
Casual Sakau Drinking
On Pohnpei were sakau bars were (are) more plentiful than alcohol-serving bars. Sakau bars are quite places where people sit around in a relaxed manner telling stories or having good ideas. Sometimes patron are entertained by a one synthesizer band, playing Pohnpeian pop songs.
Some sakau terms: “Sakau kepeik” is a sakau plant so large it requires two people to carry it. “Weng-lopwon” is an archaic term that means to squeeze sakau for a high-ranking chief. “Dampangkot!” is a command used order someone to clean hibiscus sakau strainer. “Litepw” is a description of the first effects of sakau.
For the location of sakau bar ask for a sakau "market." When I drank at a sakau bar after a tour on Nan Madol on Pohnpei in the 1990s I was taken to makeshift set up in the jungle. We sat on logs or chairs, I can’t remember exactly, around small tables under a blue tarp. There was enough space for maybe 20 people and the bar was set up where it was because that is where the supply of the pepper roots was. The sakau itself looked like and tasted like thick muddy water. It was hard to get down, especially enough to get high off of. I did my best though and achieved a mild, dreamy, pleasant state.
Kava Cultivation and Environmental Damage in Pohnpei
Mark D Merlin wrote: For many centuries, the kava plant, Piper methysticum, a series of sterile clones of a truly wild Piper species, has been used in several high islands in remote Oceania, including Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. Until modern times, its use on all of these islands was largely restricted to chiefly, priestly, and medicinal use.[Source: Mark D Merlin, University of Hawai'i System, Pacific Science 59 (April 2005):241-260]
Because of colonial suppression and/or the use of other nonindigenous psychoactive drugs, its use was abandoned on some of these islands. On other islands, such as Pohnpei, its use has increased greatly, with substantial changes in rank, gender, motivation, time, and place. This steep rise in its use has resulted in a large increase in its cultivation.
On Pohnpei, intensification of cropping in upland environments is largely responsible for more than 70 percent loss of the remaining native, tropical rain forest since 1975. This impact and other human activities endanger the unique upland biodiversity of this remote tropical island.
According to the New York Times: Dr. Michael J. Balick, curator of the Institute of Economic Botany at the New York Botanical Garden, said the demand for kava was leading growers in Micronesia to begin cultivating upland forests that should be preserved as watersheds. The Nature Conservancy, he said, is trying to encourage the growers to use low-lying tracts that are not so critical to the region. [Source: Denise Grady, New York Times, October 13, 1998]
Uses of Kava as an Anxiety Reliever
For centuries, Pacific Islanders have used kava recreationally and medicinally as a sedative and anesthetic. The herb has been used to treat everything from migraines and insomnia to infections and rheumatism. Some drug company researchers believe that sakau is better at relieving anxiety than Valium. The beverage is even being studied as a treatment for epilepsy and schizophrenia.
Consuming kava has shown to reduce anxiety and improve mood, sleep, and appetite in some users. According to the Addiction Center: The main use of kava is to help with anxiety. In fact, the supplement has become an increasingly popular natural alternative to benzodiazepines such as Xanax and Ativan. Research on the usefulness of kava has shown that it is possibly effective at helping with the symptoms of anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder, and this is believed to be because of the similar way that it affects the brain as anti-anxiety drugs. [Source: Addiction Center]
Kava affects the brain and other parts of the central nervous system. The kavalactones in kava are believed to be responsible for its effects. Kavalactones, the active ingredients in kava, are sticky, insoluble substances. It passes through the bloodstream as it’s absorbed, causing the plant to act as a muscle relaxant. Most research shows that taking kava extracts that contain 70 percent kavalactones can lower anxiety and might work as well as some prescription anti-anxiety medications. Along with anxiety-relief, some people take kava because they feel it boosts their mood and helps them fall asleep more easily. Due to these relaxing properties, it is also sometimes used to treat attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and even withdrawal from certain drugs.
Kava in the U.S.
Kava is legally sold in the U.S. as a dietary supplement, sleep aid, muscle relaxant. and natural remedy for stress and anxiety. Despite this the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raised issues about the safety and effectiveness of kava in 2019. As of 2002, stressed out Americans spent more than $50 million a year on kava-derived products such as kava drinks, kava pills, kava supplements, kava drops, kava capsules, kava tea and kava candy.
Annamarya Scaccia wrote in Rolling Stone: From Texas to Brooklyn, many Americans are turning to kava to deal with anxiety and stress. Pingel just had a baby. Life was tough enough in the late 2000s, but add a newborn to the mix, and the stress levels went through the roof. So the couple decided to search for an all-natural remedy to relieve the anxiety they were feeling. While researching their options, the Pingels came across kava. They were drawn to kava’s calming properties and found the plant to be effective at relieving tension when it’s brewed into a tea. That was more than eight years ago, and the couple still drinks kava pretty regularly. “It shuts down what I like to call that ‘mental talking in your head,'” says Tracy, who owns SquareRüt Kava Bar in Austin, Texas, with her husband. [Source: Annamarya Scaccia, Rolling Stone, March 16, 2018]
Although common in the South Pacific, consuming kava has only begun to surge in popularity in the United States. SquareRüt is one of nearly 100 kava bars that have popped up across the country, according to an interactive map produced by Kalm With Kava, a kava product and information website. As drinking kava grows in popularity, so does the number of businesses catering to this new medicinal tea niche. Though it’s a country-wide trend, only a handful of states — California, New York and Florida among them — are home to one or more kava bars.
Denise Grady wrote in New York Times: Needless to say, the kava sold in the United States is not prepared in the traditional manner. The roots are dried and ground by machines into a powder that can be sold as is, for blending into drinks; put into pills or capsules, or made into an alcohol-based extract. Kava is sold not as a drug but as a dietary supplement and, as a result, is largely exempt from the control of the Food and Drug Administration. Supplements, unlike drugs, do not have to be proved safe and effective and are not tested or inspected by any regulatory agency. The F.D.A. does not usually investigate a supplement unless people report problems. The agency has no evidence of health problems caused by kava, a spokeswoman said. Under F.D.A. rules, manufacturers may not claim that their supplements can treat or prevent disease. They can, however, make so-called structure-function claims, saying, for instance, that a product promotes strong bones or supports the immune system. For kava, Mr. Smith of Herb Pharm said: ''We can make somewhat nebulous claims. We can say it enhances well-being, but we can't say it relieves anxiety.'' Nonetheless, he said, people are buying it in the hope that it will ease anxiety. If he could say anything he wanted, Mr. Smith said: ''I would love to put on the label that it could be used for relieving anxiety. I know it does.''[Source: Denise Grady, New York Times, October 13, 1998]
Kava Catches on in the U.S.
According to to Time magazine, Kava didn't catch on in the U.S. until 1996, when a group of herbal-product purveyors called the Kava General Committee decided to pool their resources and make kava America's herb du jour. That year, supported by a heavy promotional campaign, retailers moved $15 million worth of the stuff, elevating it to the pantheon of big-name herbal remedies like ginkgo biloba and St.-John's-wort. It wasn't long before kava vaulted out of the health-food ghetto and into the aisles of supermarkets and K Marts. [Source: Lev Grossman, Time, April 8, 2002]
Denise Grady wrote in New York Times: A pill that calms you down without making you dull, sleepy or addicted? It may seem too good to be true, but the prospect of inner peace with no strings attached is tempting more and more Americans to try kava. To many people who suffer from anxiety and insomnia, kava might seem an ideal ''natural'' alternative to Valium and the other potentially addicting drugs prescribed to soothe ragged nerves. Americans spent $15 million on kava in 1996, and twice that much in 1997, according to the Nutrition Business Journal, which projected sales of almost $50 million in 1998 this year. Ed Smith, president of Herb Pharm, in Williams, Ore., one of about 40 American companies that sell kava, said, ''Kava was virtually unknown three years ago, and now our sales are going through the roof.'' The wholesale price, $14 to $20 for a kilogram of dried root (2.2 pounds), nearly doubled in the late 1990s, Mr. Smith said. Kava has become the subject of several popular books, and numerous Web sites sell it.[Source: Denise Grady, New York Times, October 13, 1998]
An Internet site devoted to inquiries about kava listed 660 messages in early October. The writers ranged from people seeking help with anxiety to those looking for a new way to get high. Some described the results as pleasant, but others called kava useless. One wrote: ''Got nothing from the first few small hits, then I downed the remaining two-thirds of the bottle and got a very mild, slightly relaxing effect for a couple hours.''
Dr. Roberta Lee, an internist in Tucson, Ariz., who became familiar with kava while practicing medicine in the Pacific, was not surprised by that story. There is no way of knowing how much active ingredient was in the product, she said, or how high the person's anxiety level might have been. Still, Dr. Lee recommends kava to some of her patients. She said its effects were subtle, and that she urged her patients to use brands from large European manufacturers, which she declined to name. Because kava is considered a drug in Europe, she said, it is more carefully regulated than in the United States. ''I worry about patients having access to these herbal medications without a prescription or any regulation or even general advice,'' she said. ''People in health-food stores are giving advice, and they're not pharmacists or medical people.''
Kava Studies
Kava has been touted as a possible treatment for things like anxiety, chronic stress, and insomnia. Some studies have suggested that kava might be a just as effective alternative to benzodiazepine drugs such as Xanax, although research is still limited on the topic, There have been few scientific studies of kava in human beings in the United States. Most of the research on kava has been done in Europe or the Pacific.
Annamarya Scaccia wrote in Rolling Stone: Studies have shown that the properties in kava can ease anxiety, relieve stress, and relax muscle and nervous tension, as well as combat insomnia and improve sleep problems. That’s why many people who consume kava use it a natural alternative to anti-anxiety medication. [Source: Annamarya Scaccia, Rolling Stone, March 16, 2018]
Although kava’s anti-anxiety benefits are well known, research published five years ago supports its potential use in a clinical therapy setting. Specifically, a 2013 world-first clinical study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology found that kava had significantly reduced symptoms in people diagnosed with general anxiety disorder.
Denise Grady wrote in the New York Times: Scientific trials of kava have been conducted overseas, especially in Germany, and have found it helpful in alleviating anxiety and easing symptoms of menopause, like hot flashes, sleep disturbances and emotional problems. The active ingredients are chemicals called kavalactones, which have a mildly depressing effect on the nervous system. The German researchers found no side effects or withdrawal symptoms when people stopped taking kava. [Source: Denise Grady, New York Times, October 13, 1998]
But important questions about kava have yet to be answered. It is not known whether the products sold in the United States have the same properties as the ones tested in Germany or the traditional kava-based drinks prepared fresh in the Pacific. Researchers also do not know whether kava can be used safely for a long time or whether it can be combined with other drugs or natural products. Because it depresses the nervous system, some doctors warn patients not to take it with alcohol or drugs like Valium that have the same effect. Dr. Lee would like to see the European studies of kava repeated in the United States. ''I want to know what works on a sort of moderate anxiety level,'' she said. ''My hunch is that it probably wouldn't be appropriate for someone with very major anxiety.'' Ultimately, she said, if kava does prove useful, it will be ''just one tool'' in treating anxiety, along with diet, exercise, counseling and other forms of therapy. [Source: New York Times]
Kava Dangers and Side Effects
Despite kava being sold legally in the United States, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has shown concern about the safety and effectiveness of kava. In 2002, the it released an advisory that kava products were linked to potentially adverse effects on the liver. The FDA cited reports in from other countries of hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver failure as a result of long-term kava use. These reports regarding liver problems led to regulation of the substance in Germany, France, Canada, Switzerland, and the UK.
According to the New York Times: Kava is not totally benign. Road signs on some Pacific islands warn people not to drink kava and drive. In addition, there have been rare instances of kava abuse among Pacific islanders, resulting in problems with the skin and liver. All apparently clear up when the person gives up kava. [Source: Denise Grady, New York Times, October 13, 1998]
Lev Grossman wrote in Time: Reports of liver damage have been piling up in Europe and the U.S.--including the case of a previously healthy 45-year-old American woman who took kava and suddenly needed a liver transplant. Despite the therapeutic effects of prescription “benzos,” the drugs have the potential to cause a lot of negative side effects that people don’t want to experience. Taking benzodiazepines can leave consumers feeling tired, weak, confused, and nauseous. The drugs can also cause debilitating mood and psychological side effects, including depression, irritability, and hostility. [Source: Lev Grossman, Time, April 8, 2002]
By 2001, evidence against kava was starting to pile up. Health authorities in Switzerland and Germany had gathered records of close to 30 incidents — "adverse-event reports," in the clinical jargon — in which kava users suffered severe liver damage. A few patients required transplants, and at least one died. The response in Europe has been swift and decisive. In the U.S., however, the FDA's hands are tied until researchers can establish a definite causal link between kava and liver disease. That could take years.
Not that they will necessarily find a link. A four-week study carried out at the Duke University Medical Center this fall concluded that kava, used responsibly, poses no significant health hazard. "We didn't observe any abnormalities in liver function or any other significant side effects," says Dr. Kathryn Connor, one of the authors of the study. She points out that some of the cases reported in Europe were complicated by extraneous factors; some patients had been taking extremely high doses of kava over long periods of time, or using it with alcohol, or taking it on top of a pre-existing liver condition. (Signs of liver trouble include jaundice, nausea, light-colored stools, fatigue and stomach pain.)
So how much kava is too much? The American Botanical Council recommends that people who have liver trouble or who drink a lot of alcohol stay away from the herb. Everybody else should be careful not to take kava every day for more than four weeks straight and not to exceed the recommended dosage. In Germany, where herbal supplements are scrutinized much more closely than in America, 60 mg to 120 mg of kavalactone (the active ingredient in kava) is considered a reasonable daily dose. When you buy a kava product, be sure to check the kavalactone concentration listed on the label. And above all, try to relax.
Image Sources:
Text Sources: “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life”, Encyclopedia.com, “Countries and Their Cultures”, Gale Group, 2001; Wikipedia,“Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Volume 2: Oceania,” edited by Terence E. Hays, 1991, Tourism Offices, Rolling Stone, Time magazine, Addiction Center, New York Times, Lonely Planet Guides, The Guardian, National Geographic, Associated Press, AFP, BBC, CNN, and various books, websites and other publications.
Updated July 2023