Kava Kava
BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION
Family :
Piperaceae
Genus :
Piper
Species :
methysticum
COMMON NAMES
Kava; Kawa; Awa; Waka; Lawena; Sakau; Yaqona
EFFECTS CLASSIFICATION
Depressant; Intoxicant
DESCRIPTION
Kava is a tropical evergreen shrub with large heart-shaped leaves and woody stems. Its thick roots are mashed or ground and made into a cold beverage used similarly to alcohol. It has a long history of ritual and recreational use in Pacific Polynesia and is now a common herbal product.
GENERAL INFORMATION #
ASK EROWID ANSWERS #
ARTICLES & WRITINGS #
RESEARCH & JOURNAL ARTICLES #
Kava Dermopathy - 1994
CULTIVATION #
PREPARATION & RECIPES #
Kava Brew Recipe, by Murple
EXPERIENCES #
Double Whammy: Disability & Depression, by Angel
A Strange Herb, by Andrew
My Little Helper, by lithid
Epitome of Comfort, by InmostLight
Caused Me Anxiety, by Medusa
BOOKS #
Kava: The Pacific Elixir, by Lebot, Merlin, and Lindstrom
Kava: Medicine Hunting in Paradise, by Chris Kilham
The Abandoned Narcotic, by Ron Brunton
Kava-Kava: Famous Drug Plant of the South Sea Islands, by E. Steinmetz
The Straight Path, by Richard Katz
Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs, by D.H. Efron (ed.) (PDF)
OFF-SITE RESOURCES
PRIMARY RESOURCES #
SECONDARY RESOURCES #
TRADITIONAL USE #
Tongan Love Song (text + audio) - NPR, Mar 27 2003
LAW #
Kava-kava: Bans to be Reconsidered - Cropwatch, Jun 2005
MEDIA COVERAGE #
Kava and the Rise of Healthy New York - The New Yorker, Mar 2 2016
Careful Application of Kava Could Hit the Big Time - Food Processing, May 1 2007
Drivers drunk on kava new target for police - Mercury News, Oct 25 2004