Positive Health Online

Abstract

DENHAM and colleagues, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK, adenham@uclan.ac.uk, report on the unfolding story of Kava .

Background

The paper originated as a report to the Medicines Control Agency and Committee for the Safety of Medicines, in response to concerns raised by the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Products (BfArM) about adverse events associated with the use of concentrated standardized preparation of Kava . As not only the public wishing to use Kava preparations for medicinal use is concerned but also the livelihood of Kava farmers throughout Polynesia, it was felt to be important to update the general public on the controversy .

Methodology

Review (48 references). Report on work in progress .

Results

Conclusion

It is found that of about 30 adverse events reported by BfArM, some are duplicated. It has also been argued by the European Herbal Medicines Evaluation Committee that some of the adverse events should not be attributed to Kava . Moreover, it is thought that the properties of concentrated standardized preparations of Kava are for more likely to contribute to adverse events than preparations created for traditional use . This report proposes a number of simple measures to ensure that safe Kava preparations continue to be available in the UK.

References

Denham A, McIntyre M, Whitehouse J. Kava – the unfolding story: report on a work-in-progress. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 8 (3): 237—263, Jun 2002.