Kava

Research corpus coverage

Chemistry notes

• CHEMISTRY: Relevant reported constituents include kavalactones; constituent presence alone does not establish clinical efficacy.

Traditional / historical use

Documented traditional use — not a claim of established efficacy.

• TRADITIONAL: Kava has been used for anxiety; ceremonial/social relaxation; this records historical/traditional use and does not establish efficacy.

  MODERATE · evidence synthesis/fact sheet · NCCIH Herbs at a Glance

Modern evidence

• EVIDENCE: For the major use set (anxiety; ceremonial/social relaxation), the evidence assessment is limited/mixed: Limited evidence of short-term anxiolytic effect, but safety concerns constrain interpretation.

  MODERATE · regulatory monograph and mixed scientific literature · NCCIH Herbs at a Glance

  Mixed findings, product heterogeneity, or indirect evidence are preserved in the detailed profile.

Forms used traditionally

A listed form does not imply it suits every plant part, or that one preparation is interchangeable with another — see the plant’s own notes below.

Dogs

• Caution

  Oral exposure to kavain, a constituent of kava (Piper methysticum), produced mild toxicity in dogs at the high-dose group after daily exposure for 3 months, including thyroid epithelial-cell proliferation and multicentric liver necrosis in one dog.

  Intrinsic toxicity · ORAL · Kavain administered as a kava constituent; extract or other preparation details not specified · MODERATE · regulatory_guidance · [PDF] Scientific Memorandum: Kava (8/11/2020) - FDA

Cats & dogs

• High risk

  Kava has been associated with hepatotoxicity, headache, urticaria, skin irritation, ataxia, and altered mental status; additive effects may occur with CNS depressants.

  Intrinsic toxicity · OTHER · kava product · MODERATE · veterinary_manual · Herbal Medicine in Veterinary Patients - Therapeutics

Additional safety notes (general, unstructured)

Free-text safety notes carried from their source — not broken out by species, route, or hazard type, and not equivalent to the structured records above. Each note names the kind of source it came from.

• SAFETY: Major issues include Potentially severe liver injury; sedation; dermopathy. Contraindications/cautions include Liver disease; depression; heavy alcohol use.

  HIGH · observational/case series and expert review · LiverTox: Herbal and Dietary Supplements

• SAFETY: Clinically relevant interaction concerns include Additive CNS depression; hepatotoxic drugs; CYP interactions.

  MODERATE · observational/case series and expert review · LiverTox: Herbal and Dietary Supplements

  Some interactions are theoretical or based on case reports/pharmacokinetics rather than outcome trials.

• SAFETY: Pregnancy/lactation reference: Avoid in pregnancy/lactation.

  MODERATE · regulatory monograph or evidence synthesis · NCCIH Herbs at a Glance

  Absence of evidence is not evidence of safety.

• Kava has been associated with hepatotoxicity, headache, urticaria, skin irritation, ataxia, and altered mental status; additive effects may occur with CNS depressants.

  MODERATE · veterinary_manual · Herbal Medicine in Veterinary Patients - Therapeutics

  Species and route were not specified; kavapyrones were named but not explicitly identified as toxic constituents.

• Oral exposure to kavain, a constituent of kava (Piper methysticum), produced mild toxicity in dogs at the high-dose group after daily exposure for 3 months, including thyroid epithelial-cell proliferation and multicentric liver necrosis in one dog.

  MODERATE · regulatory_guidance · [PDF] Scientific Memorandum: Kava (8/11/2020) - FDA

  The study concerns administered kavain rather than a specified kava preparation, and findings were reported in the high-dose group.

Taxonomic identity note

• Kava is treated here as Piper methysticum G.Forst. in the family Piperaceae; recorded older names include Piper methysticum var. wichmannii.