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		LISTSERV Archives
		PARKINSN Home
		PARKINSN December 1998, Week 2
Subject:
Kava-kava: A calming herb from the South Pacific-- Herbs for Health --HealthWorld Online
From:
"Ronald F. Vetter" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To:
[log in to unmask]
Date:
Sat, 12 Dec 1998 14:03:29 -0800
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http://www.healthy.net/hfh/articlesHFH/kava.htm
--
Ron Vetter 1936, '84 PD dz
[log in to unmask]
http://www.ridgecrest.ca.us/~rfvetter


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<TITLE>Kava-kava: A calming herb from the South Pacific-- Herbs for Healt=
h --HealthWorld Online</TITLE>
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<BR>
<CENTER><FONT SIZE=3D+3><B>Kava-kava: </b></font><br><font size=3D+2><b>A=
 calming herb from the South Pacific</B></FONT><P>
<B>Herbs for Health Staff</B></CENTER>
<P>
<HR>
By many accounts, kava-kava--or simply kava--is an herb on the brink of W=
estern stardom. Manufacturers of herbal products report strong public int=
erest in kava preparations, and articles appearing in the popular press h=
ave described kava use and its effects, both good and bad. While many Ame=
ricans are becoming increasingly aware of kava's ability to relax tension=
, increase sociability, and promote sleep, their discovery of kava's tran=
quilizing, calming effects comes relatively late, given that kava has bee=
n part of the cultural tradition of the South Pacific for thousands of ye=
ars.
<P>
<B><FONT SIZE=3D+1>Tradition bound</FONT></B><BR>
=46rom Hawaii to New Guinea, natives of the South Pacific islands serve a=
 special drink made from kava rootstock at weddings, coming-out-of-mourni=
ng celebrations, and other special occasions; visiting heads of state hav=
e indulged in kava during welcoming ceremonies. Considered an important p=
art of the islanders' social and religious lives, kava's cultural role in=
 the Pacific has been compared with that of wine in southern Europe.
<P>     =

In former times, the islanders prepared the ceremonial kava beverage by f=
irst scraping the root, then chewing pieces of it and spitting them into =
a bowl to which coconut milk or water was added. Next, they stirred the m=
ixture until it took on a muddy, opaque appearance, then strained it into=
 another bowl. During ceremonies, a cup of the beverage was first present=
ed to a special guest, who was expected to down the contents without stop=
ping. Then others attending the ceremony imbibed.
<P>     =

Today, the root is usually prepared by grating, not chewing. Initially, m=
any islanders opposed giving up the chewing method  because they believed=
 that it produced a stronger drink. Some researchers, in fact, concur wit=
h this belief. Chewing apparently releases more kavalactones--compounds f=
ound in kava that relax muscles--than grating, because saliva contains an=
 enzyme that breaks down the starchy components of kava pulp.
<P>     =

Islanders (as well as many new kava drinkers) take moderate amounts of th=
e beverage to achieve a state of tranquility, happiness, and contentment =
(some describe it as a holistic sense of ``being''), but without the unpl=
easant side effects of alcohol, such as hangovers or boisterous behavior.=
 Overindulging can lead to loss of muscle control and a strong urge to sl=
eep. =

        =

<P>
The islanders have also used kava as medicine for centuries, brewing and =
taking decoctions made from its rootstock to treat gonorrhea, urinary inf=
ections, menstrual problems, migraine headaches, insomnia, and other cond=
itions.
<P>
<B><FONT SIZE=3D+1>To the West</FONT></B><BR>   =

Captain James Cook is credited with introducing kava to the West after a =
voyage through the South Pacific from 1768 through 1771. Later, it was gi=
ven its botanical name, <I>Piper methysticum,</I> reflecting both its clo=
se relationship to the familiar spice black pepper (<I>P. nigrum</I>) and=
 its intoxicating effects (<I>methys</I> is Greek for ``drunken''). A mem=
ber of the pepper family, kava is a shrub that thrives in humid, tropical=
 climates with evenly distributed rainfall and stony soil at elevations o=
f 500 to 1,000 feet above sea level. Plants can reach heights of 20 feet,=
 and their sprawling rhizomes may reach lengths of 9 feet, alternately di=
sappearing below and surfacing above the soil. The islanders harvest kava=
 when the shrubs mature in two to three years, to use themselves or sell =
as a cash crop.
<P>     =

Kava first piqued scientific interest during the mid-1800s, when research=
ers traced kava's relaxing properties to kavalactones, which are found in=
 its root and relax muscles without blocking nerve signals that keep the =
muscles tense. This may explain how kava can relax muscles without numbin=
g the thinking process. But kava's mind-altering action has largely been =
ignored in modern times due to the development of synthetic psychopharmac=
euticals, including antidepressants. Recently, however, kava and other pl=
ant therapies have received more attention because undesirable side effec=
ts, including addiction, can make some synthetic drugs unsuitable for lon=
g-term treatment.
<P>
<B><FONT SIZE=3D+1>What science says about kava</FONT></B><BR>
Kavalactones have been shown to relieve anxiety and pain and relax muscle=
s in laboratory animals. In humans, they have been shown to change brain =
activity (as measured by an electroencephalogram) without sedation. A rec=
ent study showed that people taking measured doses of a kava extract fare=
d better in word-recognition tests than those taking a synthetic tranquil=
izer (benzodiazepine), and a 1993 report in the <I>British Journal of Phy=
totherapy</I> referred to kava as one of few herbs that can safely relax =
skeletal muscle. The report's author recommended it for treating nervous =
tension and conditions associated with skeletal muscle spasms, such as he=
adaches caused by a tense neck.
<P>     =

In 1996, a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study showed that=
 kava significantly reduced anxiety in humans. Two groups of twenty-nine =
people with normal anxiety were treated for four weeks with three daily d=
oses of 100 mg of kava rhizome extract or a placebo. After one week of tr=
eatment, members of the kava group had significantly lower anxiety levels=
 compared with that of the placebo group, and the difference between the =
two groups increased during the course of the study. No adverse reactions=
 to the kava extract were noted during the study.
<P>     =

A 1995 report, however, described four patients who experienced unpleasan=
t side effects from using various kava preparations. A twenty-eight-year-=
old man, who had been taking pharmaceuticals for treatment of anxiety, ha=
d sharp spasms in the muscles of his neck and eyes that began about ninet=
y minutes after taking 100 mg of kava extract and lasted about forty minu=
tes. A twenty-two-year-old woman experienced a similar reaction to the sa=
me product but denied taking any other medication, as did a sixty-three-y=
ear-old woman who had taken 150 mg of kava extract three times daily for =
four days to treat anxiety. Finally, a seventy-six-year-old woman with ea=
rly signs of Parkinson's disease (a disorder of the nervous system) repor=
ted a pronounced increase in the duration and number of episodes of impai=
red movement after switching from pharmaceuticals to 150 mg of kava extra=
ct, which she took twice a day. The study's authors suggested that kava p=
roducts be used cautiously, especially in the case of elderly patients. =

<P>
<BR>
<HR>
<B><CENTER><FONT SIZE=3D+2> Kava-kava </FONT>  <BR>
<FONT SIZE=3D+1>(kava)<BR>
<I>Piper methysticum</I></B></FONT></CENTER><P>
<P>
<ul><ul>
<B>Symptoms:</B> Anxiety, insomnia, stress
<P>
<B>Dose: </B>Standardized extracts used in clinical studies have a dosage=
 of 100 mg per day divided into three portions. Otherwise, follow the ins=
tructions on the product label or those of your health-care provider.
<P>
<B>Preparations:</B> Kava-root tablets, capsules, tinctures, kava-leaf pr=
oducts, and dried root are available in American health-food stores. Stan=
dardized European products contain 70 percent kavalactones.
<P>
<B>Cautions: </B> Do not use kava during pregnancy, nursing, bouts of dep=
ression, or while driving or operating machinery.
</ul></ul>
<HR>
<P>

<B><FONT SIZE=3D+1>Kava cautions</FONT></B><BR>
When used as directed, standardized kava products are considered nonaddic=
tive, nonhypnotic, and safe to use, except during pregnancy, lactation, o=
r bouts of depression. The German government's Commission E warns against=
 using kava with alcohol, barbiturates, antidepressants, and other substa=
nces that may act on the central nervous system. Because it apparently ac=
ts like a sedative, kava shouldn't be taken when driving or operating mac=
hinery. No side effects have been associated with using small amounts of =
kava products, but long-term, heavy use can cause temporary yellowing of =
the skin, hair, and nails, as well as itching, sores, and vision disturba=
nces. In Germany, where the dried rhizome and its preparations are sold c=
ommercially, the government allows kava preparations to be labeled as tre=
atments for nervous anxiety, stress, and unrest.
<P>     =

Overindulgence in kava, like any drug, poses dangerous health risks. It i=
s best to follow the guidelines offered on the label of the product you a=
re using or the instructions of your health-care provider.
<P>
<I>Story compiled by the Herbs for Health</I> staff.
<P>
<HR>
<B><FONT SIZE=3D+1>Additional Reading</FONT></B><P>

Brown, Donald J. Herbal Prescriptions for Better Health. Rocklin, Califor=
nia: Prima, 1996.<BR>
Foster, Steven. Herbs for Your Health. Loveland, Colorado: Interweave Pre=
ss, 1996.<BR>
Lehmann, E., et al. "Efficacy of a Special Kava Extract (<I>Piper Methyst=
icum</I>) in Patients with States of Anxiety, Tension and Excitedness of =
Non-Mental Origin--A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study of Four Weeks =
Treatment." Phytomedicine 1996, 3(2):113 - 119.<BR>
Leung, Albert Y., and S. Foster. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredien=
ts Used in Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics. 2nd ed. New York: Wiley, 1996.<BR>=

Schelosky, L., et al. "Kava and Dopamine Antagonism." Journal of Neurolog=
y, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 1995, 58(5):639 - 640.<BR><BR>
<HR>
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