Kava Kava

kava kava /ka·va ka·va/ a preparation of the rhizome of Piper methysticum, (kava plant), having muscle-relaxing, anticonvulsive, anxiolytic, and sedative effects; used for the relief of stress and restlessness, and for sleep induction; also used in homeopathy and folk medicine.

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Kava

A broad-leafed shrub native to Oceania, which contains alkaloids, lactones, kawain, methysticin, mucilage, starch, yangonin
Ethnomedicine Kava plays a central role in tribal life of Oceania; it is ground and fermented to produce a hallucinogen, used to celebrate birth and marriage, mourn death, placate the gods, cure illness, and remove curses
Herbal medicine It is antiseptic and diuretic; it is used by Western herbalists for prostatitis, urinary tract infections, rheumatic complaints, gout, anxiety, depression, insomnia, muscle spasms
Toxicity Chronic use is associated with dermal, hepatic, ocular, and spinal cord damage

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kava kava,

n See kava.

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kava kava

Toxicology Kava kava's use as an herbal antidepressant has been linked to fulminant liver failure, accompanied by jaundice, fatigue, weight loss, concomitant renal failure and progressive encephalopathy, requiring a liver transplant. See Liver failure.