EDITOR’S SUMMARY: According to the research, consuming kava shows mixed results—positive and negative. Needless to say, it’s a strong plant! This points to being highly intentional with your use of kava, and perhaps incorporating its potent qualities for sincere symptoms only. Like anything else you might put in/on your body, you’ll have to weigh out the benefits versus the risks.
By Kathryn West
Often referred to as “kava kava,” this pepper plant is native to the Pacific Islands (Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia), where it’s been cultivated and used for thousands of years to promote relaxation. Its scientific name is Piper methysticum, and was first discovered in Northern Vanuatu on the island of Maewo in the early 1600s. The bitter root (particularly the “noble” variety) was socially consumed in kava ceremonies as a medicinal tonic. In certain cultures of the South Pacific, custom determined who could use kava and for what purpose. Historically, men (mostly) would drink kava tea when they had to find solutions to problems. This sip-and-solve often occurred at dusk, on an empty stomach. The psychoactive fluid was rarely savored, but usually drunk all at once thanks to tradition and its bitter taste. The kava drinkers would then eat a small meal and go to bed.
Though kava was consumed for a myriad of other reasons as well, including welcoming guests, celebrating births and life events, and marking the beginnings of war, today its usage is decidedly more docile. In short, kava is packaged and marketed principally as an over-the-counter preparation for anxiety and stress, in the form of teas, capsules, powders, and liquid extracts. It may help you fall asleep, and feel less anxious while you’re awake, and there’s a glut of scientific studies to prove it.
Grind and Unwind
Kava’s popularity has been rising for some time. By the mid-1990s, kava became trendy in the West as an alternative medicine and herbal sedative. Kava bars began sprouting up across the United States, and now many cities cater to them, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, CA, Asheville, NC, Santa Fe, NM, and New York, NY, among others. Popular drinks you may find on the menus include kava lattes, kava mocktails, and kava extracts. Kava’s profitability has been rising, too. In 1998, kava was the fifth leading seller in the North American botanicals market with estimated sales of $106 million. In 2023, market value reached $1.4 billion; by 2032, it’s estimated at $4.9 billion.
The customary way of preparing the soothing kava brew is to grind the root and mix it with coconut milk to form a paste. The concoction is then diluted with water and strained, resulting in an aromatic beverage said to induce a peaceful state of mind, and general sense of well-being. Many kava users say the herb has a sedative effect but doesn’t alter mental clarity or awareness. One study, “Kava and valerian root are effective in the treatment of stress-induced insomnia,” seemed to prove them right, finding that kava shortened the time it took to fall asleep, increased the duration of hours slept, and had a positive impact on waking mood.
Though scientists don’t currently understand the sleep-inducing effects of the kava plant in full, they presume it has something to do with affecting neurotransmitters in your brain. Kava contains plant chemicals called kava lactones. These potent phytochemicals are more concentrated in the roots rather than the plant’s upper stems or leaves. Kava lactones seem to turn on GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid) receptors, which control how nerve signals are sent to your brain.
Kava lactones work similarly, though not identical, to antidepressant drugs, such as Xanax or Valium, in that they slow down the speed at which messages travel between your body and brain. Recent studies showed similar effects of increasing the number of GABA-binding sites, however, the majority of studies have found that kava lactones do not bind to GABA receptors. Animal studies, meanwhile, suggest kava induces sleep by acting on the limbic system—the part of the brain involved in behavior and emotion. In addition, kava may increase serotonin, a neurotransmitter regulating mood. Furthermore, kava lactones also may turn on a protein called p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, which helps keep the body from reacting to too much stress. This protein may induce a sense of calm, and therefore, help you sleep well.
From the Journal of Affective Disorders, “Clinical efficacy of kava extract WS 1490 in sleep disturbances associated with anxiety disorders. Results of a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial,” kava was found to be more effective than a placebo at improving sleep quality and reducing anxiety:
”We conclude that sleep disturbances associated with non-psychotic anxiety disorders can be effectively and safely treated with kava extract,” the study’s authors wrote.
Another study, “Effects of kava-kava extract on the sleep-wake cycle in sleep-disturbed rats,” suggested that taking kava can help you fall asleep faster. The researchers concluded:
“Kava-kava extract is an herbal medicine having not only hypnotic effects, but also sleep quality-enhancement effects.”
(Note: These two studies used kava extract, which is different from kava tea. Kava extract is more concentrated, and produced by extracting the kava lactones with a solvent, such as ethanol or acetone.)
Uptight
Modern society doesn’t just have a sleeping problem, it seems; anxiety is just as much a chronic issue. And anxiety is frequently connected to sleeping problems, according to the Sleep Foundation. As any parent of a teenager can testify, excess worry and fear make it harder to fall and stay asleep. Furthermore, sleep deprivation can worsen anxiety, spurring a negative cycle involving insomnia and anxiety disorders.
Kava kava may help, because not only has it been shown to help with shuteye, it has been proven in many studies to help prevent anxiety. A placebo-controlled study in 2013 from the Journal of Psychopharmacology, “Kava in the Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study,” found that standardized kava (grown and processed according to modern food industry standards by agribusinesses) may be a moderately effective short-term option for the treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).
GAD is part of a broader range of anxiety disorders annually affecting 40 million adults in the United States, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Symptoms include, but are not limited to excessive worry, fatigue, nervousness, and muscle tension; all negatively affecting daily life. Given kava’s positive effects, it may be worth looking into if you have a stress disorder, nervous tension, or restlessness. According to the study published in Life Sciences, “Kava-kava and anxiety: growing knowledge about the efficacy and safety”:
“Furthermore, it decreases anxiety without the loss of mental acuity. Although kava-kava has been found to be very effective, well tolerated, and non-addictive at therapeutic dosages, potential side effects can occur when very high doses are taken for extended periods.”
Side Effects of Kava
Similar to other consumable herbs, side effects are to be considered. Of course with the use of pharmaceuticals, this is a given. For starters: Researchers advise avoiding the combination of kava and alcohol and/or psychotropic (affecting mental state) medications. You wouldn’t want to drive or operate heavy machinery, either. And for regular users, routine liver function tests are advised. Digging deeper, the use of kava should be avoided with the vast majority of medications. Kava can increase the effects of drugs used to treat seizures and depression. It can strengthen diuretics (drugs that reduce fluid buildup in the body), raising the risk of dehydration. And it can interfere with blood clotting, and should be avoided if you take blood thinners. Avoid kava if you’re pregnant or nursing.
If you’re considering consuming kava, there is one rare concern. Cases of liver damage, otherwise known as hepatotoxicity, have been linked to kava use. Because of this, kava was taken off the market in Europe and Canada in the early 2000s, though it was eventually reinstituted as legal (with restrictions, in some cases). It’s important to note that hepatotoxicity occurred only with commercially-processed kava (any kava that you purchase, from teas to tinctures), not homegrown. Traditional kava growers and users have not seemed to experience any serious effects or ill health.
Take our friends from Down Under, for example. Studies carried out in the Northern Territories of Australia have demonstrated:
“In a population where traditional extracts of kava have been taken by individuals regularly in quantities equivalent to between ten and 50 times the recommended daily dose of kava lactones, no evidence of liver damage has been seen (Clough, 2002). But, liver damage has been reported in people taking standardized extracts.”
According to the study, the extraction process is responsible for the difference in toxicity. The two types of extraction processes are water, and ethanol or acetone (industrial chemicals). The extraction of glutathione, in addition to the kava lactones, is important to provide protection against liver damage. It is unknown if the glutathione is included in the final tea, powder, or extract you buy, but in traditional preparations, the kava lactones are balanced by the availability of glutathione. Glutathione is produced by the liver and is involved in many body processes, such as tissue building and repair, and immune system function. Additionally, kava lactones have been linked to liver damage because they depend on certain enzymes (cytochrome P450) for clearance by the liver.
By improving kava quality and adherence to therapeutic recommendations, Rolf Teschke, M.D., said, you can most likely prevent liver injury by kava usage. From the scientific journal Liver International:
“Kava hepatotoxicity occurred independently of the extraction medium used for the kava extracts and may primarily be attributed to daily overdose, prolonged treatment and to a few kava extract batches of poor quality.”
Kicking It With Kava
How can you be sure you’re consuming kava in a wise manner? Start by considering your health, circumstances, and schedule. If you’re not pregnant, nursing, liver-damaged, taking psychotropic medications, or drinking an abundance of alcohol, give kava a try during an unhurried block of time at home. You can grow and prepare your own kava brew if you’re so inclined, but if home gardens aren’t your thing, many grocery stores carry kava tea.
Source organic kava tea to be on the safe side of avoiding pesticides and chemical fertilizers (though not typically used on small farms in the Pacific Islands), and look for brands that use plastic free tea bags. There are also many companies that sell kava online. You’ll find plenty of how-to video clips demonstrating kava tea techniques; they involve hot water, a strainer, and coconut milk.
Research brands for the following information:
- The kava’s origins (aim for the Pacific Islands)
- What variety of kava plants are used (look for noble kava, the traditional breed used in the aforementioned islands)
- How it was extracted (water is the preferable method)
- How many milligrams of kava lactones the product contains (experts recommend your daily kava lactones intake does not exceed 250 mg)
Try a few different varieties of kava to discover how they make you feel. Choosing this remedy as a natural treatment for inadequate sleep or unmanaged stress, or simply to enhance your mood, may prove to be a worthwhile endeavor. Best case scenario, your worries fade for the night, as you drift away into a restful slumber, and wake in the morning with a clear mind. Perhaps kava will give you a daily “calm-infusion,” and like a weighted blanket or blackout curtains, will be a helpful tool in your deep sleep cycle toolkit.
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