i believe the overwhelming results are that its very toxic and can lead to liver problems thats why they took if off the shelves a few years back.. I still have some that i bought a few years back, one bottle is still sealed. I bought mainly for relaxing and keeping my mind sharp but was discouraged to used it due to the liver side effects
No.
It's the stems and leaves, not the root. It's highly studied for anti-anxiety effects, which are on par with pharmeceuticals, with fewer side effects. Demand in Europe soared, so the EU manufacturers were scrambling to keep up. They discovered that the Fijians won't touch the stems and leaves, but that those have far higher concentrations of kavalactones, so they started buying up the discarded stems and leaves to use in product, without taking into account the reason they were being discarded.
A total of 2 people in the EU died, IIRC, with links to heavy kava use. They were using an extract of the stems and leaves, and had pre-existing liver issues, IIRC. No one in the US has had a problem from kava use. It was not banned, but a warning is required on shelves where it is sold.
Islanders drink kava every day, all day. They use whole root, and traditionally, the old women in the village would chew the root, and spit the juice in a big bowl, whereupon it would be shared among everyone. This practice was banned by the Brits or Dutch (or whoever invaded the Islands) as being barbaric. Anyway, they have been using heavily for centuries.
I use whole powdered Fijian root 1-2 times a week, and fully avoid tinctures or extracts.
wiki said:
n 2001 concerns were raised about the safety of commercial kava products. [16] There have been allegations of severe liver toxicity, including liver failure in some people who had used dietary supplements containing kava extract (but not in anyone who had drunk kava the traditional way). Out of the 50 people worldwide taking kava pills and extracts that have had some type of problem, almost all of them had been mixing them with alcohol and pills that could have effects on the liver.[16] The fact that different kava strains have slightly different chemical composition made testing for toxicity difficult as well.
