Kava

Silver· human data

Also known as: Piper methysticum

An anxiolytic herb with real short-term evidence — and a serious liver caution.

Kava is a Pacific plant with genuine short-term evidence: reviews find kavalactone extracts can reduce anxiety more than placebo, making it one of the better-evidenced anxiolytic herbs.

That benefit is offset by a serious safety concern — reports of severe liver injury led several countries to restrict or ban it. It should not be combined with alcohol, liver-affecting drugs or sedatives, and is not for anyone with liver problems. This is educational information, not a recommendation to use it.

Sources

Written and reviewed by Mathew Beale, MSc Biotechnology, University of Reading.

Last reviewed: