Kava
Piper methysticum
Herbs & Roots. Pacific & Southeast Asia.
Also called Kava kava, Awa, Yaqona, Intoxicating pepper
Can cause liver injuryA root drink from the Pacific Islands, used to relax and in social ceremonies, and linked to rare but serious liver injury.
Did you know? In Fiji, kava (called yaqona) is shared at formal ceremonies, often poured from a large carved bowl called a tanoa.
What it may help, and how strong the proof is
- Stress & anxiety. A 2003 review found kava better than placebo for anxiety in short trials. Later, larger trials found no clear advantage over placebo, so the evidence is mixed.Early proof
- Pain & headaches. Traditional use for pain and muscle tension. Human trials are few.Traditional proof
- Sleep. Used as a sleep aid because it causes drowsiness. Good studies on sleep are lacking.Traditional proof
Parts of the body
Traditional use
Pacific Island peoples, especially in Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga and Samoa, have drunk kava for generations to relax, bond socially and mark ceremonies.
How it is classified
How people take it
Traditionally a drink made from ground root mixed with water. Supplements are capsules or extracts. Most studies were short, and the doses varied.
Tea, tincture and capsule.
Where to get it
Grows in the Pacific Islands, including Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa and Hawaii. Sold as dried root powder, capsules, extracts and ready-to-drink products. Extracts made from leaves or stems instead of root have been linked to more liver injury.
Be careful
Liver injury, including hepatitis and rare liver failure, has been reported. Risk may rise with alcohol, heavy use, existing liver disease or poor-quality extracts. Heavy long-term use has been linked to scaly skin, called kava dermopathy. Kava causes drowsiness, so it adds to alcohol and sedative effects.
Avoid if: liver disease; pregnancy; breastfeeding; children under 12.
Mixing with other things
- Don't mixAlcohol (beer, wine, spirits)
Alcohol with kava raises liver risk and adds to sedation.
- Don't mixSleep or anxiety medicine (Ambien, Xanax, Ativan)
Adds to sedation from benzodiazepines and sleep medicines.
- Use cautionAntidepressants (Zoloft, Prozac, Lexapro and others)
May add to drowsiness, and kava can affect liver enzymes that clear some drugs.
Adds up with others that can make you drowsy: , , , , , , , , , , , , , and 14 more.
The honest take
Kava has some trial support for short-term anxiety relief, but later trials did not show a clear advantage over placebo. Serious liver injury has been reported, and several countries have pulled kava products from shelves. Avoid it if you drink alcohol or have any liver problem.