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Kava Composition and Safety

Kava drying in Fiji. Photo by Littleblackpistol On Wikimedia Commons

Composition

Fresh kava root contains on average 80% water. Dried root contains approximately 43% starch, 20% fibers, 15% kavalactones, 12% water, 3.2% sugars, 3.6% proteins, and 3.2% minerals. Kavalactone content is greatest in the roots and decreases higher up the plant. Relative . . . → Read More: Kava Composition and Safety

Kava Culture and Botanical Information

Traditional bundle of Kava roots from Fiji. Photo by Hsz282 on Wikimedia Commons

Kava culture

Kava is used for medicinal, religious, political, cultural and social purposes throughout the Pacific. These cultures have a great respect for the plant and place a high importance on it. In Fiji, for example, a formal yaqona . . . → Read More: Kava Culture and Botanical Information

Kava Medicinal Use and Effects on People

Kava Powder. Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

Herbal medicine

Kava is chewed by some to relieve symptoms of throat pain, as Kava produces a “numbing” effect on the tongue and throat. The Kava is first chewed in the back of the mouth for 5 to 10 minutes while swallowing the saliva and kavalactones released . . . → Read More: Kava Medicinal Use and Effects on People

Kava Introduction and Preparations

Kava photo by Forrest and Kim Starr on Wikimedia Commons.

Kava

Kava or kava-kava (Piper methysticum) (Piper: Latin for ‘pepper’, methysticum: (Latinized) Greek for ‘intoxicating’) is a crop of the western Pacific.

The roots of the plant are used to produce a drink with sedative and anesthetic properties. Kava is consumed throughout the . . . → Read More: Kava Introduction and Preparations