Kava
| Kava | |
|---|---|
| Piper methysticum leaves | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Piperales |
| Family: | Piperaceae |
| Genus: | Piper |
| Species: | P. methysticum |
| Binomial name | |
| Piper methysticum | |
Kava or kava kava (Piper methysticum: Latin 'pepper' and Latinized Greek 'intoxicating') is a plant in the pepper family, native to the Pacific Islands. The name kava is from Tongan and Marquesan, meaning 'bitter'. Kava can refer to either the plant or a psychoactive beverage made from its root. The beverage is a traditional ceremonial and recreational drink from Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia. Nakamals and kava bars exist in many countries. Traditional kava is made by grinding fresh or dried kava root, mixing it with water or coconut milk, and straining it into a communal bowl. Outside the South Pacific, kava is typically prepared by soaking dried root powder in water and straining it. It is consumed socially for its sedative, hypnotic, muscle relaxant, anxiolytic, and euphoric effects, comparable to those produced by alcohol. Kava also produces a numbing sensation in the mouth.
Kava consists of sterile cultivars clonally propagated from its wild ancestor, Piper wichmanii. It originated in northern Vanuatu, where it was domesticated by farmers around 3,000 years ago through selective cultivation. Historically, the beverage was made from fresh kava; preparation from dry kava emerged in response to the efforts of Christian missionaries in the 18th and 19th centuries to prohibit the drinking of kava.
According to in vitro research, the pharmacological effects of kava stem primarily from six major kavalactones that modulate GABAA, dopamine, norepinephrine, and CB1 receptors, and inhibit MAO-B and ion channel mechanisms. Reviews of research have indicated an effect of kava on anxiety, but its specific efficacy for generalized anxiety disorder remains inconclusive. There appears to be no significant cognitive impairment from consumption. Kava does not exhibit the addictive properties associated with many other substances of abuse.
Moderate consumption of kava in its traditional form, as a water-based suspension of kava roots, is considered by the World Health Organization to present an "acceptably low level of health risk." However, consumption of kava extracts produced with organic solvents or excessive amounts of low-quality kava products may be linked to an increased risk of adverse health outcomes, including liver injury.