SUGGESTED BUT UNPROVEN USES: ANXIETY, AND TO IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTION AND
POSITIVE AFFECT IN ANXIOUS SUBJECTS, INSOMNIA, AND PANIC DISORDERS
DRUG INTERACTIONS
SIDE EFFECTS
DOSAGE
CAUTION
RESEARCH
Kava, Piper methysticum, is native to the islands of the South Pacific and is a member of the
pepper family. Kava has been used as a ceremonial beverage in the South Pacific for
centuries. Common names include kava, kava kava, awa, and kava pepper. The root and
rhizome (underground stem) of kava are used to prepare beverages, extracts, capsules,
tablets, and topical solutions.
Kava has been used to help people fall asleep and fight fatigue, as well as to treat asthma
and urinary tract infections. Topically, kava has been used as a numbing agent. Today, kava
is used primarily for anxiety, insomnia, and menopausal symptoms.
EFFICACY: MILD ANXIETY AND STRESS: Kava has been shown in more than a dozen
placebo-controlled studies to be effective with good tolerability for treatment of mild
anxiety and stress. Six sources confirm the beneficial uses of kava as a mild intoxicant and
analgesic, but Brown et al. caution that the benefits are “modest,” and all sources caution
about the danger of liver damage/ failure, which can cause death. Fugh-Berman, Brown et
al. and Consumer Reports advocate against the use of kava.
