This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------5B01CBFFCB7177513C817324 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-mac-type="54455854"; x-mac-creator="4D4F5353" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit http://www.healthy.net/hfh/articlesHFH/kava.htm -- Ron Vetter 1936, '84 PD dz [log in to unmask] http://www.ridgecrest.ca.us/~rfvetter --------------5B01CBFFCB7177513C817324 Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1; name="kava.htm" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Disposition: inline; filename="kava.htm" Content-Base: "http://www.healthy.net/hfh/articlesHFH /kava.htm" Content-Location: "http://www.healthy.net/hfh/articlesHFH /kava.htm" <HTML> = <HEAD> <TITLE>Kava-kava: A calming herb from the South Pacific-- Herbs for Healt= h --HealthWorld Online</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY BACKGROUND=3D"../back.jpg" BGCOLOR=3D"#FFFFFF" TEXT=3D"#000000" LIN= K=3D"#007733" VLINK=3D"0000CC" ALINK=3D"#FFCC66"> <!------------------------ standard header ---> <CENTER><IMG SRC=3D"../logo1.gif"></CENTER> <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> <P> <CENTER> <A HREF=3D"../index.html"><IMG BORDER=3D0 SRC=3D"../home.gif"></A> <A HREF=3D"../hfh.htm"><IMG BORDER=3D0 SRC=3D"../hfh.gif"></A> <A HREF=3D"index.html"><IMG BORDER=3D0 SRC=3D"../sample.gif" WIDTH=3D100 = HEIGHT=3D20></A> <A HREF=3D"http://www.healthy.net/cgi-bin/Cfml.exe?Action=3DQuery&Templat= e=3D/Catalogs/CategoryProducts.dbm&CategoryCode=3DBOOKS&Database=3DInterw= eave"><IMG BORDER=3D0 SRC=3D"../books.gif"></A> <A HREF=3D"../subscribe.htm"><IMG BORDER=3D0 SRC=3D"../subscribe.gif"></A= > </CENTER> <!----------Author: Daniel Sundance French----------> </BODY> </HTML> = = --------------5B01CBFFCB7177513C817324--