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KAVA KAVA
We have numerous Kava Kava products,
and carry only super-potent, world renown Kona Kava Farm
products from Hawaii. Try anyone else's Kava, and you will
always return to Kona Kava's Mahakea variety of Kava,
guaranteed. Only their Kava has been found to contain the
coveted 426 kavalactone lineup; the most desirable lineup for
maximum potency.
With our
SAME DAY SHIPPING
and
HIGH QUALITY products made
with
EXACTING STANDARDS,
we guarantee our service is better, our prices are lower, and
our quality is the same to better than anyone else on the net,
period.
WE WILL MATCH ANY
PRICE ON ANY SITE
See our exclusive 100% SATISFACTION
GUARANTEE for more.
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KAVA KAVA
DEFINITION |
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Kava Kava is also known by the names Ava, Ava Pepper, Intoxicating Pepper, Kawa
Awa, Kawa Kawa, Wati, Yogona, and Waka. This herb, a member of the pepper
family, grows as a bush in the South Pacific.
Explorer Captain James Cook, who gave this plant the botanical name of
"intoxicating pepper", first discovered Kava Kava. Kava has been used for over
3,000 years for its medicinal effects as a sedative, muscle relaxant, diuretic,
and as a remedy for nervousness and insomnia. The rhizome (root stock) is used
medicinally. This botanical marvel has been used in parts of the Pacific at
traditional social gatherings as a relaxant, and in cultural & religious
ceremonies to achieve a "higher level of consciousness".
The roots can be made into a mildly narcotic beverage that is comparable to
popular cocktails in Western culture. Kava is used ceremoniously in the South
Pacific to celebrate beginnings and endings, such as marriages, birth and death.
It is often used to honor a guest, to enhance communication, and even to help in
settling disputes and sealing business agreements.
In Germany, Kava Kava is used as a nonprescription drug to reduce anxiety. Kava
was first mentioned in scientific records in 1886, and it is gaining popularity
in the US for its relaxing effects. More recently, Kava Kava has also gained
popularity with the natives of Hawaii, Australia and New Guinea where it is used
medicinally as well as recreationally.
Kava also is effective as a pain reliever and can be used instead of aspirin,
acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Recent clinical studies have shown that the herb
Kava is a safe, non-addictive anti-anxiety medicine, and as effective as
prescription anxiety agents containing benzodiazepines such as Valium®.
While benzodiazepines tend to promote lethargy and mental impairment, Kava has
been shown to improve concentration, memory, and reaction time for people
suffering from anxiety. Kava has been clinically demonstrated as a means of
achieving a state of relaxation without the adverse side effects.
In a 1996 randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study, two groups of 29
patients with anxiety syndromes were treated with 100 mg of Kava extract
standardized to 70- percent kavalactones three times a day for four weeks. The
symptoms of anxiety were significantly reduced in patients taking Kava as
compared to placebo. No adverse reactions were observed in the Kava group.
In a 1997 multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled study, a total of 101
outpatients were given one capsule of a Kava extract containing 70 mg of
kavalactones or placebo three times daily. In this twenty-five-week study, all
the patients suffered from moderate to severe anxiety, including agoraphobia,
generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobia, and social phobia. The results
showed that the short- and long-term effectiveness of Kava was superior to that
of placebo. After twenty-four weeks, over half of the Kava group were rated as
"very improved" whereby anxiety, fear, tension, and insomnia decreased steadily
with treatment. Kava was well tolerated, and adverse reactions were mild and
rare. The researchers concluded that Kava was a treatment alternative to both
benzodiazepines and synthetic antidepressants for anxiety disorders.
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KAVA KAVA
LIVER TOXICITY |
In November 2001, the German Federal Drug Agency announced
that 24 cases of liver toxicity and one death associated with Kava (also known
as Kava kava or Piper methysticum) had been reported. On December 19, 2001, the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent a letter to U.S. Health Care
Professionals that stated, “The agency is investigating whether the use of
dietary supplements containing kava is associated with liver toxicity.”
On March 25, 2002, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a Consumer
Advisory regarding the potential risk of severe liver injury associated with the
use of kava-containing dietary supplements. “Although liver damage appears to be
rare,” the Advisory states, “FDA believes consumers should be informed of this
potential risk.” This advisory was released in spite of the fact that an
independent analysis of the European and U.S. case reports found “no clear
evidence that the liver damage reported in the U.S. and Europe was caused by the
consumption of kava.”
Unfortunately, in its release of reports to the media, the German Federal Drug
Agency left out significant portions of the case information. The one and only
reported death is now known to be due to an alcoholic liver failure in an
elderly woman who also happened to be taking Kava at the same time. Four cases
were listed twice; 3 had no connection with Kava; 11 had probable causal
connection to other prescription medication; 4 had an uncertain causal
connection to Kava, but could not be excluded; in 6 others the causal connection
with Kava could not be determined; in 3 the cause was listed likely due to the
excessive dosage and misuse of Kava; and in only 1 where Kava was taken within
the recommended dosage range was it listed as the likely cause of liver
toxicity.
Newspapers across the U.S. however, sensationalized the reports with exaggerated
headlines such as, “Anti-Stress Herb Causing Anxiety, Liver Failure,” and “Kava
users May Risk Liver Damage, FDA Says,” etc. Kava should not be accused so
quickly. The Media, out of fairness, should at least investigate Kava’s
character references before laying blame, and discrediting a safe and effective
herbal alternative to anti-anxiety drugs.
A meta-analysis of all clinical trials investigating the effectiveness of Kava,
supports Kava’s beneficial effects in treating anxiety, without any reported
cases of liver toxicity. (Pittler MH, Ernst E., Efficacy of kava extract for
treating anxiety: systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Psychopharmacol
2000 Feb;20(1):84-9). Kava root has been used in traditional cultures of the
South Pacific for its relaxing qualities for over 1,000 years without any record
of causing any liver problems.
Although Kava has been found to be associated with a few mild side effects, such
as a skin rash, when taken at high doses for prolonged periods of time, it has
never been found to cause heptatotoxicity. Dr. Paul Cox, at the National
Tropical Botanical Garden in Hawaii, stated “in my nearly three decades of work
in Polynesia, I have never heard of a single case of liver toxicity caused by
kava consumption.”
It is quite possible that the culprit is some other drug taken concurrently by
these people, a contaminant introduced into one brand of Kava that is
manufactured only in Germany, or the use of Kava stems by these manufacturers.
The reports of liver toxicity are primarily associated with the German Kava
product known as Laitan.® Kava stems are considered toxic by the native
Polynesians who have been using Kava roots for centuries for its calming health
benefits. Nevertheless, stems are sometimes used by some manufacturers because
they contain higher amounts of kavalactones than the more difficult to acquire
and more expensive roots.
Dr. Michael McGuffin, President of the American Herbal Products Association, has
said, “Despite the fact that the kava products under scrutiny are ones
manufactured and sold in Europe, we believe that it is critical that kava’s long
history of safe use be re-affirmed by a review of the information. We are taking
the German and Swiss situation very seriously and as such, the industry
coalition has initiated an expert scientific evaluation of all of the adverse
event reports. Safety is our first concern.”
An independent analysis of the European and U.S. case reports, completed in
February, 2002, by Donald P. Waller, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology and
Toxicology in the Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacodynamics at the
University of Illinois at Chicago’s College of Pharmacy has provided information
on 26 case reports related to kava that have been received by the U.S Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) between May 1998 and September 2001 and approximately
30 cases identified by the German health authority. While all of the German
cases reported some liver associated effect, only five of the U.S. cases have
any such hepatic indication.
From his review of all of the cases in Europe and the U.S., Dr. Waller concluded
that there is "no clear evidence that the liver damage reported in the U.S. and
Europe was caused by the consumption of kava” and that even those cases in which
there is a possible association between kava extract and the liver “appear to
have been hypersensitivity or idiosyncratic base responses.”
Dr. Waller’s Report concludes with the following statement:
“It is my opinion, based on currently available information, that kava when
taken in appropriate doses for reasonable periods of time has no scientifically
established potential for causing liver damage. However as with any
pharmacologically active agent, there is always the possibility of drug
interactions, preexisting disease conditions and idiosyncratic or
hypersensitivity reactions, which can exacerbate the toxicity of any such agent.
Increased surveillance or reports of adverse effects and judicious use of
kava-derived products under the conditions recommended by the natural products
industry would be a most prudent approach to confirm its safety and minimize any
risk of liver damage.”
The Report also provided a caution that “the medical community and the general
public should be made aware that concomitant intake of prescription drugs
associated with liver damage, excessive alcohol consumption and preexisting
liver disease with compromised liver function are conditions which may preclude
any kava consumption.” At the same time, attention was drawn to two specific
cases of consumption of very large quantities of kava, that, “[from a
toxicological perspective…provide some evidence that kava itself is not a direct
hepatotoxin even in extremely high concentrations.”
Waller observed that essential medical information was lacking from all of the
case reports. The Report noted that, with regard to the U.S. cases, “analysis…
remains limited by the paucity of specific clinical and historical information”
and that the European cases were similarly “seriously lacking in detail” and so
“should be revisited where possible to obtain further information.”
SUMMARY: There is no clear evidence that the liver damage reported in the U.S.
and Europe was caused by the consumption of kava. Even those few cases in which
there is a possible association between kava extract and the liver, it appears
that any liver toxicity would most likely be due to the concomitant use of a
liver toxic drug, a contaminant, including kava stems, or very rare
hypersensitivity. Additional evidence from two specific cases of consumption of
very large quantities of kava root indicates that kava itself is not directly
toxic to the liver, even at extremely high concentrations.
Excerpted from
http://www.konakavafarm.com |
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