Kava
Kava or kava kava ("Piper methysticum": Latin 'pepper' and Latinized Greek 'intoxicating') is a crop of the Pacific Islands. The name "kava" is from Tongan and Marquesan, meaning 'bitter'; other names for kava include "ʻawa" (Hawaiʻi), "ʻava" (Samoa), "yaqona" or "yagona" (Fiji), "sakau" (Pohnpei), "seka" (Kosrae), and "malok" or "malogu" (parts of Vanuatu). Kava is consumed for its sedating effects throughout the Pacific Ocean cultures of Polynesia, including Hawaii, Vanuatu, Melanesia, and some parts of Micronesia, such as Palau. To a lesser extent, it is consumed in nations where it is exported as a herbal medicine.

The root of the plant is used to produce a drink with sedative, anesthetic, and euphoriant properties. Its active ingredients are called kavalactones. A systematic review done by the British nonprofit Cochrane concluded it was likely to be more effective than placebo at treating short-term anxiety.

Moderate consumption of kava in its traditional form, i.e., as a water-based suspension of kava roots, has been deemed to present an "acceptably low level of health risk" by the World Health Organization. However, consumption of kava extracts produced with organic solvents, or excessive amounts of poor-quality kava products, may be linked to an increased risk of adverse health outcomes, including potential liver injury.
Q159536
Piper
Concept
Q397
Latin
Concept
Q35497
Greek
Concept
Q19617380
Pacific Islands
LOC
Q34094
Tongan
Concept
Q33781
Marquesan
MEDIA
Q782
Hawaiʻi
LOC
Q7409895
"ʻava"
UNK
Q683
Samoa
LOC
Q712
Fiji
LOC
Q319836
Pohnpei
LOC
Q459848
Kosrae
LOC
Q686
Vanuatu
LOC
Q574801
sedating effects
Concept
Q98
Pacific Ocean
LOC
Q35942
Polynesia
LOC
Q782
Hawaii
LOC
Q686
Vanuatu
LOC
Q37394
Melanesia
LOC
Q3359409
Micronesia
LOC
Q695
Palau
LOC
Q861699
herbal medicine
Concept
Q41500
root
Concept
Q847705
sedative
Concept
Q4990531
anesthetic
Concept
Q203994
euphoria
Concept
Q408171
kavalactone
Concept
Q1504425
systematic review
Concept
Q1105202
Cochrane
ORG
Q269829
placebo
Concept
Q544006
anxiety
Concept
Q7817
World Health Organization
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Q1259977
extract
Concept
Q146505
organic solvents
Concept
Q1349821
liver injury
Concept
Q161067
Kava
Concept
Q161067
Kava
Concept
located on terrain feature
lowest point
located in or next to body of water
part of
lowest point