132
Weil lauds kava as: “an excellent anti-anxiety remedy, shown in controlled human
trials to be as effective as benzodiazepine drugs.”^5
Consumer Reports listed kava as one of "12 supplements you should avoid," in its
September, 2010 issue. The reasons given were: "Possibly unsafe. The FDA issued a
warning to consumers in March 2002. Banned in Germany, Canada and Switzerland.”
There are no studies addressing the question of safety in pregnancy or breast feeding,
and no studies of children, and for this reason, kava is not recommended for use in
pregnant or lactating women or in children. Because of the danger of bleeding, use
during pregnancy is strongly discouraged.
- SUGGESTED BUT UNPROVEN USES: ANXIETY, AND TO IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTION
AND POSITIVE AFFECT IN ANXIOUS SUBJECTS, INSOMNIA, PANIC DISORDERS:
The sources recommend kava as a promising but unproven CAM treatment for
generalized anxiety, stress, tension, agitation, agoraphobia, specific other phobias,
generalized anxiety disorder, adjustment disorder, menopausal symptoms and
insomnia, and to improve cognitive function and positive affect in anxious subjects.
Anxiety, insomnia and panic disorders would all be studied as promising practices if kava
were not implicated in a few catastrophic cases of liver toxicity. But these studies are
unlikely to proceed.
The sources all agree that there is no proof that kava is effective in treatment of severe
anxiety. Most of the studies are limited by small samples, short duration of treatment,
and a lack of rigorous diagnostic criteria. Moreover, no published studies have yet
tested kava’s efficacy for panic disorders.
Nonetheless, the Natural Standard gives an “A” rating for the use of kava for anxiety,
affirming that there is “strong scientific evidence for this use.” The write-up is more
cautious, stating only that the clinical studies have found “at least moderate benefit” for
the treatment of anxiety. The Natural Standard affirms the studies finding the efficacy
of kava to be similar to benzodiazepine drugs such as diazepam (Valium) or the
