Kava Soothes Frazzled Nerves

Kava kava is popularly used in the treatment of anxiety, insomnia, mild depression, and nervous tension.

Herbalists have specifically identified its use for genitourinary tract infections like cystitis, prostatitis, urethritis, and dysuria (Fisher and Painter, Materia Medica of Western Herbs).

Kava works mainly by affecting the reticular system (Weiss, Herbal Medidcine).

The reticular system, which extends into the spinal cord and diencephelon (mainly the thalamus and hypothalamus) is the part of the brain stem (medulla, pons, and mid brain) that is made of gray matter interspersed amongst the white matter.

It has sensory and motor functions, and is responsible for maintaining consciousness and waking from sleep. These latter qualities can probably explain why kava kava works so well in improving mental acuity even when it has a calming effect on the central nervous system. In fact, at fatal doses, when the central nervous system is ultimately slowed, full consciousness is maintained.

Kava kava is very effective at providing pain relief, and has been found to be as effective as benzodiazepine, but without the side effects common to it like slowed reaction time (Fisher and Painter).

It also relaxes skeletal muscle, and has an anasthetic effect on the mucosa of the bladder and gastric tissue, hence its use in irritable bladder condtions.

Kava's main active ingredients are lactones, but the effects of the whole plant are very much synergistic. Hence a preparation based on the whole plant rather than only the lactones is preferable. Energetically, kava is considered a 'warm' herb, and has no notable amounts of vitamins or minerals.

Kava has received some negative publicity in recent years and has been restricted (in Australia) or banned (in Germany) because of concern that it is toxic to the liver. A paper from the National Herbalists Association of Australia discusses this. They quote a paper by a herbalist and former chemist, Mr Kerry Bone, that makes the point that whist certain preparations of kava kava have the potential to produce liver damage, this type of liver damage is not only very rare but can occur after taking many of the prescrption or over the counter drugs (like aspirin). In fact, they say kava kava is less likely to pose a risk of this type of liver damage than currently available pharmeceutical drugs, based on current information.

Further, they state that not all types of kava preparations are likely to pose this risk. They describe the acetone extracts commonly used in Germany and Switzerland to be the only types they have confirmed to be of concern.

Mathias Schmit also states, after reviewing all relevant international information, that whilst potential liver toxicity cannot be ruled out, risks from kava kava when used for treating stress and anxiety disorders are low when taking into account the risks from alternative treatments, including drug treatment.

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