Kava: An Herbal Treatment for Anxiety
The "new" herb capturing the attention of Americans today is Kava Kava. In the world of herbs, kava has carved out a well-deserved reputation as an anti-anxiety herb. Dr. Harold Bloomfield, author of the best-selling Hypericum & Depression, places kava alongside St. John's Wort as a tried-and-true natural solution to anxiety.
Kava is found throughout the South Pacific islands from Hawaii to New Guinea. Kava culture is more or less developed on most Pacific islands, but is best-developed on the island of Vanuatu. In various Polynesian, Melanesian and Micronesian cultures, kava still maintains its centuries old significance as a valuable symbol of friendship, fellowship and camaraderie.
Most of the current western scientific data on kava comes from Germany, where it first made its appearance in pharmacies in the 1860s. Kava preparations have been available in Germany since that time. The biologically active constituents in kava, known as kavapyrones (also as kavalactones), were first discovered in 1966.
The major kavapyrones responsible for the herb's calming qualities (without altering consciousness) include kawain, dihydrokawain, methysticin and dihydromethysticin. In Germany, quality standards call for the dried root to contain at least 3.5 percent kavapyrones (calculated as kawain). These compounds have been identified as being primarily responsible for biological activity.
Kava is a safe stabilizing treatment for anxiety, which at normal therapeutic doses does not dampen alertness or interact with mild alcohol consumption. Unlike the benzodiazepine drugs there is no risk of tolerance or addiction with kava. Its slight antidepressant activity makes it suitable for the treatment of anxiety associated with minor forms of depression.
Kava is one of the few safe skeletal muscle relaxants known in the plant kingdom. This property makes it useful for the treatment of nervous tension and conditions associated with skeletal muscle spasm and tension, such as headaches due to neck tension.
Kava is certainly a useful herb, especially for states of anxiety and nervous unrest, used for a time period of up to three months. It is considered an especially useful herbal alternative to synthetic tranquilizers.
Information from Health Foods Business magazine and Medi-Herb.