Natural Health Products
Non-traditional solutions to help boost your health and wellness.
Kava
General Information
Kava 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 Name(s)
Scientific Name(s)
How is this product usually used?
The root and rhizome (underground stem) of kava are used to prepare beverages, extractextractto get, separate, or isolate a desired active ingredients, capsules, tablets, and topical solutions.
What is this product used for?
Kava has been used to help people fall asleep and fight fatigue, as well as to treat asthma and urinary tract infections.
topicallytopicallyto be applied on the skin, kava has been used as a numbing agent.
Today, kava is used primarily for anxiety, insomnia, and menopausal symptoms.
Your health care provider may have recommended this product for other conditions. Contact a health care provider if you have questions.
What else should I be aware of?
Although scientific studies provide some evidence that kava may be beneficial for the management of anxiety, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning that using kava supplements has been linked to a risk of severe liver damage.
Kava is not a proven therapy for other uses.
Kava has been reported to cause liver damage, including hepatitis and liver failure (which can cause death) in otherwise healthy people. On August 21, 2002, Health Canada issued a stop-sale order for all products containing kava.
Kava has been associated with several cases of dystonia (abnormal muscle spasm or involuntary muscle movements). Kava may interact with several drugs, including drugs used for Parkinson’s disease.
Other drugs that may interact with Kava include:
- benzodiazepine
- alcohol
- barbiturates
- other agents that are metabolized by the liver’s cytochrome P450 enzyme system
- haloperidol
Long-term and/or heavy use of kava may result in scaly, yellowed skin.
Avoid driving and operating heavy machinery while taking kava because the herb has been reported to cause drowsiness.
Before taking any new medications, including natural health products, speak to your physician, pharmacist, or other health care provider. Tell your health care provider about any natural health products you may be taking.
Source(s)
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). Kava. https://nccih.nih.gov/health/kava Accessed April 17 2017.
- Boon, HS. Kava: a test case for Canada’s new approach to natural health products. JAMC. 25 Nov. 2003; 169(11).
- Natural Medicines. Kava. Accessed April 17 2017.
- Lexicomp. Kava. http://online.lexi.com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/lco/action/doc/retrieve/docid/fc_rnp2/3750215. Accessed April 17 2017
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