Home > Anti-aging Research > Kava-kava

Kava-kava (Piper methysticum)

Specific Recommendations:

• Kava at Amazon.com

News & Research:

• World first clinical trial supports use of Kava to treat anxiety - Science Daily, 5/13/13 - "Existing medications have a modest clinical effect and new effective options were needed for patients with anxiety ... Unlike some other options it has less risk of dependency and less potential for side effects ... Following the completion of the controlled phase, 26 per cent of the Kava group were classified as in remission from their symptoms compared to six per cent of the placebo group ... Kava was also well tolerated. Results showed no significant differences across the two groups for liver function which had previously been a concern for Kava's medicinal use. In addition there were no considerable adverse reactions that could be attributed to Kava and no difference in withdrawal or addiction between the groups ... An additional novel finding of the study ... Kava increased women's sex drive compared to those in the placebo group" - See kava at Amazon.com.
• Unsolved mystery of kava toxicity - Science Daily, 7/14/11 - "A major new review of scientific knowledge on kava -- a plant used to make dietary supplements and a trendy drink with calming effects -- has left unsolved the mystery of why Pacific Island people can consume it safely, while people in the United States, Europe, and other Western cultures sometimes experience toxic effects ... Their review of 85 scientific studies on kava toxicity found no consensus on kava toxicity, despite several theories that have emerged over the years. Culprits include methods for preparing kava, the particular species of kava used, the possible toxicity of substances produced by the body when kava is digested and genetic differences among consumers. "To date, there remains no indisputable reason for the increased prevalence of kava-induced hepatotoxicity in Western countries," the researchers say"
• AHPA publishes report questioning kava-liver toxicity links - Nutra USA, 3/9/11 - "A veteran kava researcher says liver toxicity cases that have been reported in recent years may be down to isolated quality control issues, rather than inherent toxicity issues with the herb and its extracts ... To minimize hepatotoxic risks due to kava use, efforts have to be undertaken to improve kava quality standards and to establish strict regulations for kava cultivators, farmers, harvesters, manufacturers, and physicians treating patients for anxiety, tension, and restlessness"
• Research identifies the herbal supplements that are effective in treating anxiety - Science Daily, 10/6/10 - "A systematic review of research into the use of nutritional supplements for the treatment of anxiety disorders has found strong evidence for the use of extracts of passionflower or kava and combinations of L-lysine and L-arginine ... We found mixed results -- while passionflower or kava and L-lysine and L-arginine appeared to be effective, St John's Wort and magnesium supplements were not"
• Kava for Anxiety: Is Short-Term Use Safe? - WebMD, 5/14/09 - "the WHO report suggested that liver toxicity may be limited to kava formulations that used the whole kava plant, instead of just the root, or used acetone and ethanol to extract the active ingredient from the plant instead of water ... As measured by standardized anxiety and depression questionnaires, the participants reported much less anxiety when they were taking the kava than when they took placebo pills ... Depression levels also dropped among many patients who reported depression and no serious side effects were associated with kava use"
• Kava Linked To Liver Damage, New Evidence Shows - Science Daily, 2/22/08
• There was quite a concern about kava and liver toxicity a year or two ago. Has that been clarified? - Natural Foods Merchandiser, 7/04
• New Kava Study Generates Mixed Reaction - Natural Foods Merchandiser, 6/03
• Hepatic Toxicity Possibly Associated With Kava-Containing Products - Intelihealth, 11/30/02
• Kava's Source of Liver Damage Pinpointed - Clinical Psychiatry News, 8/02 - "Swiss researchers have linked the toxicity with an acetone-extraction manufacturing process widely used in the German and Swiss products. Dr. Stoll expects that there will be a rapid response by the supplement industry to come out with safer formulations. Kava can also be extracted with ethanol or water"
• Herbs for Kids? - Dr. Weil, 7/25/02
• Industry Associations Support FDA's Kava Advisory - Natural Foods Merchandiser, 5/02
• Kava Not Linked To Liver Damage - Functional Foods & Nutraceuticals, 4/02
• Toxicologist Concludes Kava Does Not Damage Liver - Natural Foods Merchandiser, 4/02
• Kava May Cause Liver Damage - WebMD, 3/26/02
• FDA: Herb Kava May Hurt Liver - Intelihealth, 3/26/02
• Herbal Anxiolytic Pulled From European Markets - Clinical Psychiatry News, 3/02
• Prescription-only Status For Kava Looks Likely In Germany - Functional Foods & Nutraceuticals, 3/02
• Germany Questions Kava's Safety; US Industry Responds - Functional Foods & Nutraceuticals, 2/02
• FDA Probes Anti-Anxiety Herb - Intelihealth, 2/12/02
• European Studies Link Kava To Liver Damage - Natural Foods Merchandiser, 2/02
• Should You Quit Taking Kava? - WebMD, 1/29/02 - "In 18 of the European cases, people were also taking -- along with the kava -- prescription or over-the-counter drugs that were known to possibly cause liver toxicity. Whether the liver toxicity was related to those drugs, or kava alone, or a combination, may or may not be able to be determined."
• An Herbal Remedy Is Tied To Diseases Of The Liver - Intelihealth, 1/16/02
• Herb kava linked to liver problems - USA Today, 12/31/01
• Kava Quells Anxiety - Nutrition Science News, 12/01
• Stress: The Hidden Factor For Weight Gain - Nutrition Science News, 4/01
• Is kava really as effective as advertised for anxiety? - Nutrition Science News, 4/01
• Kava Quells Anxiety - Nutrition Science News, 7/00
• Natural Alternatives to Viagra with Ellen Kamhi - WebMD, 5/26/00 - "kava kava is most often used as an antianxiety treatment, and mainstream medical studies have verified its efficacy for use as an antianxiety herb. This is with very low level of side effects ... So it's also used for socialization. It puts people in a good mood"
• Herbs Make It Easy to Catch Some Zs" - Nutrition Science News, 11/99
• And the Good Herb Taketh Away - Nutrition Science News, 10/99
• The Root of Tranquillity - Time, 11/9/98

Abstracts:

• Kava for the Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder RCT: Analysis of Adverse Reactions, Liver Function, Addiction, and Sexual Effects - Phytother Res. 2013 Jan 24 - "The study design was a 6-week, double-blind, randomized controlled trial (n = 75) involving chronic administration of kava (one tablet of kava twice per day; 120 mg of kavalactones per day, titrated in non-response to two tablets of kava twice per day; 240 mg of kavalactones) or placebo for participants with generalized anxiety disorder. Results showed no significant differences across groups for liver function tests, nor were there any significant adverse reactions that could be attributed to kava. No differences in withdrawal or addiction were found between groups. Interesting, kava significantly increased female's sexual drive compared to placebo (p = 0.040) on a sub-domain of the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX), with no negative effects seen in males. Further, it was found that there was a highly significant correlation between ASEX reduction (improved sexual function and performance) and anxiety reduction in the whole sample" - See kava at Amazon.com.
• Nutritional and herbal supplements for anxiety and anxiety-related disorders: systematic review - Nutr J. 2010 Oct 7;9(1):42 - "based on this systematic review, strong evidence exists for the use of herbal supplements containing extracts of passionflower or kava and combinations of L-lysine and L-arginine as treatments for anxiety symptoms and disorders. Magnesium-containing supplements and other herbal combinations may hold promise, but more research is needed before these products can be recommended to patients. St. John's wort monotherapy has insufficient evidence for use as an effective anxiolytic treatment"
• Botanical and dietary supplements for mood and anxiety in menopausal women - Menopause. 2006 Dec 28 - "In four of eight controlled trials, kava significantly reduced anxiety"