Kava

This article is about the plant. For the class of pharmacological derivatives, see Kavalactone. For other uses, see Kava (disambiguation).

Kava
Piper methysticum leaves
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Piperales
Family: Piperaceae
Genus: Piper
Species:
P. methysticum
Binomial name
Piper methysticum
G.Forst.

Kava or kava kava (Piper methysticum: Latin 'pepper' and Latinized Greek 'intoxicating') is a plant in the pepper family, native to the Pacific Islands.[1][2] The name kava is from Tongan and Marquesan, meaning 'bitter'.[3] Kava can refer to either the plant or a psychoactive beverage made from its root. The beverage is a traditional ceremonial and recreational drink from Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia. Nakamals and kava bars exist in many countries. Traditional kava is made by grinding fresh or dried kava root, mixing it with water or coconut milk, and straining it into a communal bowl. Outside the South Pacific, kava is typically prepared by soaking dried root powder in water and straining it. It is consumed socially for its sedative, hypnotic, muscle relaxant, anxiolytic, and euphoric effects, comparable to those produced by alcohol.[2][4] Kava also produces a numbing sensation in the mouth.

Kava consists of sterile cultivars clonally propagated from its wild ancestor, Piper wichmanii.[5][6] It originated in northern Vanuatu, where it was domesticated by farmers around 3,000 years ago through selective cultivation.[7] Historically, the beverage was made from fresh kava; preparation from dry kava emerged in response to the efforts of Christian missionaries in the 18th and 19th centuries to prohibit the drinking of kava.[8]

According to in vitro research, the pharmacological effects of kava stem primarily from six major kavalactones that modulate GABAA, dopamine, norepinephrine, and CB1 receptors, and inhibit MAO-B and ion channel mechanisms. Reviews of research have indicated an effect of kava on anxiety, but its specific efficacy for generalized anxiety disorder remains inconclusive.[1][4][5] There appears to be no significant cognitive impairment from consumption.[9] Kava does not exhibit the addictive properties associated with many other substances of abuse.[10]

Moderate consumption of kava in its traditional form, as a water-based suspension of kava roots, is considered by the World Health Organization to present an "acceptably low level of health risk."[11] However, consumption of kava extracts produced with organic solvents or excessive amounts of low-quality kava products may be linked to an increased risk of adverse health outcomes, including liver injury.[2][5][11][12][13]

  1. ^ a b "Kava". National Center for Integrative and Complementary Health, US National Institutes of Health. April 2025. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Kava". LiverTox, US National Library of Medicine. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  3. ^ "Kava". Merriam–Webster Online Dictionary. 2025. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Kava". Alcohol and Drug Foundation, Australia. 5 May 2025. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  5. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference drugs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Vincent Lebot, Patricia Siméoni (2004). "Is the Quality of Kava (Piper methysticum Forst. f.) Responsible for Different Geographical Patterns?" (PDF). Ethnobotany Research & Applications. 2: 19–28. doi:10.17348/era.2.0.19-28.
  8. ^ Vincent Lebot, Patricia Siméoni (2004). "Is the Quality of Kava (Piper methysticum Forst. f.) Responsible for Different Geographical Patterns?" (PDF). Ethnobotany Research & Applications. 2: 19–28. doi:10.17348/era.2.0.19-28.
  9. ^ LaPorte E, Sarris J, Stough C, et al. (1 March 2011). "Neurocognitive effects of kava (Piper methysticum): a systematic review". Human Psychopharmacology. 26 (2): 102–111. doi:10.1002/hup.1180. ISSN 1099-1077. PMID 21437989. S2CID 44657320.
  10. ^ Food Standards Australia New Zealand (10 December 2021). "Supporting Document 1: Risk and Technical Assessment – Urgent Proposal P1057: Kava (Piper methysticum) Beverage for Traditional and Recreational Use" (PDF). Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  11. ^ a b "Kava: a review of the safety of traditional and recreational beverage consumption" (PDF). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and World Health Organization, Rome, Italy. 2016.
  12. ^ Kuchta K, Schmidt M, Nahrstedt A (1 December 2015). "German Kava Ban Lifted by Court: The Alleged Hepatotoxicity of Kava (Piper methysticum) as a Case of Ill-Defined Herbal Drug Identity, Lacking Quality Control, and Misguided Regulatory Politics". Planta Medica. 81 (18): 1647–1653. Bibcode:2015PlMed..81.1647K. doi:10.1055/s-0035-1558295. ISSN 1439-0221. PMID 26695707. S2CID 23708406.
  13. ^ Showman AF, Baker JD, Linares C, et al. (2015). "Contemporary Pacific and Western perspectives on 'awa (Piper methysticum) toxicology". Fitoterapia. 100: 56–67. doi:10.1016/j.fitote.2014.11.012. PMID 25464054.
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