← All plantsKava
Piper methysticum
Also: Kava kava, Awa, Yaqona
WarmingDryingRelaxing
Unwinds muscles and nerves while the mind stays clear.
A leafy shrub of the Pacific Islands with heart-shaped leaves and knobby, thick roots that numb the tongue. Kava relaxes tight muscles, eases pain, especially in the bladder and pelvis, and calms anxiety while thinking stays sharp.
- Energetics
- Hot, drying, relaxing
- Taste
- Bitter, pungent, numbing
- Family
- Piperaceae (pepper family)
- Parts used
- Root
Medicinal uses 6
The tags sort the evidence behind each use by kind. Members are able to tap a condition to compare every herb for it.
TTraditional useLLab and mechanism studiesCClinical studies
Calms anxiety, including social anxiety; several clinical trials support it.
A strong muscle relaxant for tension and spasm.
Numbs and relaxes pain from cramps, strains, and headaches.
Eases the pain and spasm of an irritated bladder.
Relaxes menstrual cramps and pelvic pain.
Helps a tense, agitated body settle for sleep.
Preparations
Water-kneaded root as it is drunk in the Pacific, tincture, and bladder blends.
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Cautions
- Kava has been linked to rare but serious liver injury, mostly with extracts made with solvents or from stems and peels. Use preparations of the root, keep courses short, and leave it out with liver disease, heavy drinking, or liver-taxing medicines.
- Don't combine it with alcohol or sedatives, and don't drive after a full dose.
- Heavy, long-term use dries and flakes the skin.
Medication interactions
Practitioner Practitioners are able to see the 2 types of medicine flagged for kava, each with the mechanism and what to do. The plain-language cautions above stay open to everyone.
Pregnancy & breastfeeding
PregnancyAvoid
Its effects on the liver and nervous system keep kava out of pregnancy.
BreastfeedingAvoid
Kava is contraindicated while nursing because of its effects on the liver and nervous system.
Practitioner Practitioners are able to see the full entry from the Moss Herbalism Pregnancy Safety Database: trimester ratings, uterine and placental action, breastfeeding and nursing-baby effects, chemistry, traditional use, studies, and sources.
Folklore
Methysticum comes from the Greek for intoxicating. Across Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and Vanuatu, kava is pounded, kneaded in water, and drunk from coconut shells to open ceremonies, welcome guests, and settle disputes. European naturalists on Captain Cook's Pacific voyages described the drink in the 1770s, and Georg Forster gave the plant its Latin name. Vanuatu's growers still name more than eighty kinds of kava.
How to grow
A tropical shrub grown from stem cuttings in warm, humid shade and rich, well-drained soil. Roots are harvested after three to five years.
In the wild
Cultivated across the Pacific Islands; it was domesticated in Vanuatu and is not known in the wild.
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