Kava Kava

Kava Kava

• What Is It?

  • Kava is a type of perennial shrub that belongs to the pepper family known as Piperaceae.

  • It has commonly been grown in regions of Micronesia, Polynesia, and Melanesia.

  • Consumed in its traditional form as a drink.

• How Does It Work in the Body, Usage, and Evidence?

  • Known for its effects as a pain reliever, muscle relaxant, and anxiety remedy, nervousness, insomnia, and anti-inflammatory.

  • The mechanisms of Kava Kava that cause these effects require further exploration and validation.

  • Anti-inflammatory: Kava Kava has been studied and shown to have anti-inflammatory processes by inhibiting TNF-Alpha secretion.

  • Anxiolytic: Kava Kava has been shown to be used to treat generalized anxiety disorder.

  • Number of studies have shown that Kava Kava can be an alternative to benzodiazepines and selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors for patients that have been diagnosed with mild-to-moderate anxiety.

  • Other benefits:

    • Kava Kava had a study done to show that it can be used to treat epilepsy.

    • Studies by Stein showed that Kava Kava can reduce cravings for people with substance abuse.

      • Substances including:

        • Alcohol

        • Tobacco

        • Cocaine

        • Heroin

    • Kava has been shown to have benefits in recognition memory tasks and enhanced accuracy and performance in visual attention and working memory task.

    • Kava has been noted to improve sleep but warrants future research to prove theory.

• Dosage:

  • The recommended daily dose for an adult is typically one to three capsules with a daily dose of 60-250 mg for 1-2 months to notice effects.

  • Clinical trials have shown that Kava was efficacious within the daily dose range of 20-300 mg Kavalactones for mild-and-moderate anxiety.

• Adverse Effects:

  • Reports showing that four separate instances that drivers in Iowa were unable to operate a vehicle due to sedative effects, but the amount of Kava taken was unknown.

  • Reported cases of liver issues.

    • Elevated AST, ALT, ALP, LDH, and Bilirubin.

• Interactions with Medications:

  • No known interaction with other medications has been found but that does not mean they do not exist.

  • Further investigation is needed.