How Much Do We Know?
- There has been a fair amount of research in people on the use of kava for anxiety, but few studies have been done on other conditions.
What Do We Know About Safety?
- The use of kava has been linked to liver injury that is sometimes serious or even fatal. The exact cause and frequency of the liver damage are unclear.
- Kava can cause digestive upset, headache, dizziness, and other side effects. The use of kava may affect the ability to drive or operate machinery. Long-term use of high doses of kava may cause kava dermopathy, a condition that involves dry, scaly, flaky skin with a yellow discoloration.
- Kava may have special risks if taken during pregnancy or while breastfeeding because of the presence of harmful pyrone constituents.
Keep in Mind
- Take charge of your health—talk with your health care providers about any complementary health approaches you use. Together, you can make shared, well-informed decisions.
NCCIH Clearinghouse
The NCCIH Clearinghouse provides information on NCCIH and complementary and integrative health approaches, including publications and searches of Federal databases of scientific and medical literature. The Clearinghouse does not provide medical advice, treatment recommendations, or referrals to practitioners.
Toll-free in the U.S.: 1-888-644-6226
Telecommunications relay service (TRS): 7-1-1
Website: https://www.nccih.nih.gov
Email: info@nccih.nih.gov (link sends email)
PubMed®
A service of the National Library of Medicine, PubMed® contains publication information and (in most cases) brief summaries of articles from scientific and medical journals. For guidance from NCCIH on using PubMed, see How To Find Information About Complementary Health Approaches on PubMed.
Website: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), National Institutes of Health (NIH)
ODS seeks to strengthen knowledge and understanding of dietary supplements by evaluating scientific information, supporting research, sharing research results, and educating the public. Its resources include publications (such as Dietary Supplements: What You Need To Know) and fact sheets on a variety of specific supplement ingredients and products (such as vitamin D and multivitamin/mineral supplements).
Website: https://ods.od.nih.gov
Email: ods@nih.gov (link sends email)
Key References
- Becker MW, Lourençone EMS, De Mello AF, et al. Liver transplantation and the use of kava: case report. Phytomedicine. 2019;56:21-26.
- Kava kava. LiverTox: clinical and research information on drug-induced liver injury. Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; 2018.
- Kava. Natural Medicines website. Accessed at naturalmedicines.therapeuticresearch.com on January 22, 2020. [Database subscription].
- Kim J, Lee SL, Kang I, et al. Natural products from single plants as sleep aids: a systematic review. Journal of Medicinal Food. 2018;21(5):433-444.
- Pittler MH, Ernst E. Kava extract for treating anxiety. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2003;(1):CD003383 [edited 2010]. Accessed at www.thecochranelibrary.com on March 6, 2020.
- Sarris J. Herbal medicines in the treatment of psychiatric disorders: 10-year updated review. Phytotherapy Research. 2018;32(7):1147-1162.
- Sarris J, Stough C, Bousman CA, et al. Kava in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. 2013;33(5):643-648.
- Smith K, Leiras C. The effectiveness and safety of kava kava for treating anxiety symptoms: a systematic review and analysis of randomized clinical trials. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2018;33:107-117.
- White CM. The pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and adverse events associated with kava. Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 2018;58(11):1396-1405.