Healing Gardens

Kava Family Name: Piperaceae Latin Name:   Piper methysticum       Common Names: ‘Awa, Kava Kava, Kava pepper, Yangona

 Sitting With/Dreams/Sense of the Plant:  I started putting 2 droppers full of the Kava tincture into my nightly cup of tea on the 1^st of February, as I observe that day in honor of Imbolc on the turning of the wheel of the year.  Every night that I included the Kava with my tea, I slept very soundly, and woke up earlier in the morning then I was used to, feeling completely refreshed.  I don’t really remember the dreams that I had. 

 Body System Affiliations: 1.  Nervous2.  Urinary

 Botanical Description:            Habit: Perennial shrub            Size:  6 to 20 feet tall depending on growing conditions            Arrangement: Alternate.            Leaves: Large (6-8 inches long), Heart-shaped            Flowers: Tiny, green, round, Sterile            Bark:  Green, covering the stems of the plants            Twigs: The stems has green swollen nodes;can reach up to 10ft. long.            Underground Parts:  The Kava plant has a rhizome which grows horizontally under the ground.  Every 2 to 4 inches it sends up stalks of the Kava plant.  The root is brown and is covered with a thin bark.  

 Ecology:Habitat: Tropical shrub which needs warm temperatures to grow well.  Requires well drained rich rocky soil. (11, online).Range: Native to Pacific Islands, cultivated in US and Australia.Native Where: Native to Pacific Islands.Ecological Relationships:  None listed.

 Western (European-American) Uses/Relationships:  The first western description of this tall, lush plant with heart-shaped leaves came to the West from Captain Cook on his celebrated voyages through the South Seas (4, 64).             Food:  None listed Materials/Technology:  None listed other then medicinal            Medicine: Part Used:  Rhizome                        Medicinal Actions: Antispasmodic, Sedative                        Indications: Anxiety, Depression, Dizziness, Insomnia, Spasms, Tight Muscles, Weak Bladder (4, 66)                        Body System Associations:  Nervous, UrinaryConstituents:  “Lipid-soluble compounds: A group of alpha-pyrones (6 major ones) with the 4-methoxy-2-pyrone ring system. The major compounds are kawain (34.5%), methysticin (20.8%), dihydrokawain (17.1%), dihydromethysticin (5.3%), and yangonin (0.8%). The percentages are based on the ethyl acetate extract (Smith, et al.). The total pyrone content of the rhizome is usually about 3-4% (Lewis & Lewis) (1).”
Applications: Tincture; Extract; Decoction, Capsules (6, 119).                         Preparation: Traditionally, the Kava root is dried and then chewed with saliva before being mixed into a drink to be shared.  It was also pounded into a powdered using volcanic rock.  For modern use, the tincture seems to be the most convenient and easy to use.  Pharmacy: 2-4 droppers full 2-3 x daily; 1-2 tablets 2-3 x daily; 1 cup 3-4 x daily.  Or 60-75 mg of kavalactones, taken 2 – 3 times daily (4,67).                        Cautions:  Taken in typical doses, kava has only mild side effects – occasional skin rashes in sensitive individuals, headache, or mild stomach upset (4, 67).  Should not be taken on a daily basis for more then 3 months; Should not be taken with alcohol or other sedatives (4, 68).  Should not be taken by pregnant women (5, 284).

 Indigenous and Non-Western Use/Significance/Relationships:  Kava or ‘Awa was the most important cultivated plant from a social perspective in the history of Pacific island societies  (7, 24).  It has been consumed as a social and ceremonial drink by Pacific Islanders for more than 3,000 years (4, 64).     Medicine:                        Indigenous Group:  Throughout the Pacific Islands including:  Micronesia (Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, Naura, Palau); Melanesia (Fiji, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuata); Polynesia (French Polynesia, Hawaii, Somoa, Tonga, Tuamoto Archipelago, Tubuai Islands, Tuvalu)Part Used:  Rhizome                        Medicinal Actions:  Primarily as a sedative, relaxant and for ceremonial use.Energetics:  Many ceremonial and magical uses, depending on the island it was used on.  ‘Awa was seen as a gift from the Gods (7).Harvest: Roots harvested any time of year.  Propagated from rhizome runners in late winter or early spring (6, 119).Storage: If explicitly mentioned.                        Preparation: The traditional drink is prepared from the dried powdered roots of the plant.  Since they are fat- or lipid-soluble, they don’t dissolve in water but form an emulsion of oil and water in the traditional drink (4, 66)  Traditionally it was chewed and fermented with saliva, or pounded between lava rocks, and then mixed in with water or in some cases coconut milk (6, 119).                        Applications:  Traditional ceremonial drink; also used for relaxation.                        Cautions:  Taken in typical doses, kava has only mild side effects – occasional skin rashes in sensitive individuals, headache, or mild stomach upset (4, 67).  Should not be taken on a daily basis for more then 3 months; Should not be taken with alcohol or other sedatives (4, 68).  Should not be taken by pregnant women (5, 284).

 Propagation:            Technique:  The most common means of propagation is division of the root.  To perform a division, remove the plant from its container, remove excess soil and split the root-ball up in appropriate looking places.  Then replant into growing medium and keep in moist warm place.

 Harvest:

  Personal Experience:            Medicine:Part Used:  Root                        Desired Medicinal Actions: Relaxation, Destress.                        Targeted Indications: Stress, Insomnia.                        Procurement:                                    Source:  Radiance                                    Condition:  Tincture                                    Cost:  $6.99/ozOther Procurement Information:  Can be procured through numerous sites online.                                         Application/Preparation/Pharmacy:                                    Applications:  Tea with tincture addedPreparation:  I brewed chamomile & mint tea and then added 2 droppers full of the tincture.Pharmacy:  2 droppers full of the tincture daily, in the evenings before bed.                                    Reason/Purpose: Relaxation, to help me sleep better.                                    Experience:  I have had a really positive experience with my use of Kava thus far.  I am currently taking 5 days off, to let it get completely out of my system, and then I am going to try using it again, to see if I get the same results.                                    Cautions based on experience:  I didn’t experience any severe symptoms with the use of the Kava.  I did however, notice that on the nights I didn’t use it, I didn’t sleep as soundly, and I woke up a little grumpy in the mornings.

 Other Notes of Interest:  According to Hyla Cass,  “Kava, or Piper methysticum, has been consumed as a social and ceremonial drink by Pacific Islanders for more than 3,000 years.  The first description of this tall, lush plant with heart-shaped leaves came to the West from Captain Cook, on his celebrated voyages through the South Seas.  To this day, when village elders or others come together for significant meetings, they begin with an elaborate kava ceremony.  Kava also is used to welcome visiting dignitaries:  pope Paul, Queen Elizabeth II, and President Lyndon B. Johnson all were treated to a ceremonial drink at one time.  A perfect icebreaker, kava eases tension and allows freer communication.  It makes you warm and friendly, and as one early writer put so well, ‘You cannot hate with kava in you.’  Less formally it is drunk daily as a mild after-work inebriant in the islands’ ubiquitous kava bars or ‘nakamals’ (4, 64).”   

References Cited:   1.      Hobbs, Christopher L. Ac., AHG.  Common Herbs & Conditions.  Philomath, Oregon: Botanica Press, 2005.  2.      Phillips, Nancy & Michael.  The Herbalists Way.  White River Junction, VT:Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 2005. 3.      Freeman, Sally.  Everywomans Guide to Natural Home Remedies.  Garden City, New York: Guild America Books, 1999.  4.      Cass, Hyla, MD.  Natural Highs.  New York, NY: Penguin Putnam, Inc., 2002.  5.      Lininger, Skye, DC; Wright, Jonathan, MD; Brown, Donald, ND.  The Natural Pharmacy.  Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing, 1998.  6.      Chevallier,Andrew.  The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants.  New York, NY: DK Publishing, Inc, 1996 7.      Gutmanis, June.  Hawaiian Herbal Medicine.  Waipahu, Hawai’i:  Island Heritage Publishing, 2004 8.      Foster, Steven.  Steven Foster Group, Inc.  Herb and Medicinal Plant Stock Photography. Feb 2007.  Online at      http://www.stevenfoster.com/education/monograph/kava.html.  Visited 3-12-2007.  9.      Author Unknown.  Bishop Museum’s Ethnobotany Website.  Online at http://www2.bishopmuseum.org/ethnobotanydb/plants/awa.jpg .  Constantly Updated.  Visited 2-10-2007. 10.  Kunisaki, J., Araki, A., Sagawa, Y..  College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.  Mocropropagation of ‘Awa.  Online at http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/BIO-4.pdf.  Updated constantly.  Visited 2-13-2007 11.  Bouncing Bear Botanicals.  Growing Entheogenic Plants.  Online at http://www.plot55.com/growing/p.methysticum.html .  Updated constantly.  Visited 2-13-2007

Cheryl Kirk      -   Healing Gardens   -   Winter   -  2007