Posted by rmshed on June 18, 2001, at 21:23:46
In reply to Re: Kava Info, posted by yo-wazzzup on June 18, 2001, at 15:38:01
> A friend of mine recently went to Fiji. She sent me some things from Fiji. Umong those items were 2 packs of FIJI 'YAQONA' (kava) -premium quality-50 grams net- The back of each packet reads as follows;
> Yaqona, Fiji's national drink, also called Kava in parts of the South Pacific, has an important place > PsychoSomatics (American Psychosomatic Society)in all Fijian ceremonies & is used widely as a token of good will & respect umongst the South Pacific people.
>
> The yaqona beverage is prepared by straining powder made from pounded dried roots (Fijian: waka) & dried base stems (Fijian: lewena) withwater, commonly, through a muslin cloth. Traditionally yaqona is strained through specially prepared plant strands as the wild hibiscus bush-Fijian vaudina.
>
> The Yaqona (KAVA) plant is botanically known as piper methysticum. We are told that the generalproperties of Yaqona constituents include: anaesthetic (numbing effect), analgesic (pain deadening), anti-convulsive, spasmolyic (anti-smooth muscle contraction), antimycotic (antifungal), and barbitumte narcosis intenstilcation (sleep prolonging).
>
> We hope you enjoy this unique product of Fiji.
>
> (MIXING INSTRUCTIONS FOLLOW)
>
> I haven't tried it yet. My friend tells me the effect can be much like smoking pot?!?
> > Volume 61(5) September/October 1999 p 712:
> > Dietary Supplements and Natural Products as Psychotherapeutic Agents:
> >
> > "Kava (Piper methysticum)
> > Widely used in Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia as a ceremonial, tranquilizing beverage, kava, a psychoactive member of the pepper family, is used medicinally for anxiety and insomnia in Europe and the United States. It is approved in Germany for “states of nervous anxiety, tension, and agitation” in doses of 60 to 120 mg of kavalactones for up to 3 months. Kava seems to be a safe herb for short-term relief from stress and anxiety. A MEDLINE search for “kava” produced 78 publications. Several placebo-controlled trials have shown significant anxiolytic activity. The principal ones are mentioned briefly.
> >
> > In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 58 patients with various ICD-diagnosed anxiety and neurotic disorders were randomly assigned to receive 70 mg of kavalactones from extract WS 1490 (Laitan) or placebo three times daily for 4 weeks. Compared with the placebo group, the kava group demonstrated a significant reduction in anxiety (assessed by HAM-A) by the end of the first week; differences between the two groups increased during the course of the study. Side effects were minimal, with the authors reporting “no undesirable events."
> >
> > Kava is one of the few herbs for which active constituents are well delineated; these are the kavapyrones, including kawain, dihydrokawain, methysticin, and dihydromethystican. The kavapyrones are centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxants and anticonvulsants. Their effects seem to be due to inhibition of sodium and calcium channels as well as effects on glutamate systems. Kava extract has been reported to affect GABAA receptors, as shown by enhanced muscimol binding, but has also been reported to have no effect on GABA or benzodiazepine binding. Several kavapyrones, including methysticin and dihydromethysticin, are potent inhibitors of norepinephrine uptake.
> >
> > Adverse Effects and Interactions.
> > Therapeutic doses may result in mild gastrointestinal complaints or allergic skin reactions (incidence, 1.5%). Chronic use of kava up to 100 times the therapeutic dose results in an ichthyosiform eruption known as kava dermopathy, which is often accompanied by eye irritation. This scaly dermatitis is similar to that seen in pellagra, but niacin deficiency is apparently not the mechanism, because a randomized controlled trial of administration of 100 mg of nicotinamide in 29 habitual kava drinkers with dermopathy showed no difference between the treatment and placebo groups. Abstaining from kava results in complete resolution of symptoms.
> >
> > Kava may interact with benzodiazepine metabolism. A 54-year-old man on daily doses of alprazolam, cimetidine and terazosin was hospitalized after experiencing an acute change in mental status 3 days after starting to take kava. He recovered from his lethargy and disorientation within several hours..."I have tried kava kava, it did nothing for me except interfere with my sleep. I had terrible nightmares that woke me up. Your mileage may vary.
poster:rmshed
thread:66981
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010618/msgs/67014.html