“It is crucial to preserve at all costs the quality and integrity of kava so future generations can safely use this amazing plant without the fear of contamination or ill health.”
Kava has an interesting history; it has been safely consumed ceremonially in the South Pacific and other parts of the world for over three thousand years. The earliest European knowledge of kava dates back to the late 1700s, with the journeys of Captain Cook. Today, usage of kava beverages in tropical climates is similar to the use of alcoholic beverages in the West, but without the negative side effects. However, the plant from which the beverage is made also has useful properties for anxiety, hyperactivity, stress, and restlessness.
Despite these benefits, there was a real struggle to bring kava to the masses because in late 2001 the FDA investigated alleged kava-related liver toxicity. The following year, Health Canada, among others, banned preparations containing kava[1]. Interestingly, these issues only became known when it became a consumer product. Unlicensed kava is still classified by Health Canada as high risk, and selling it possesses several liability risks for both suppliers and retailers, as well as the safety risk for consumers. Kava continues to carry the stigma that it causes liver toxicity, despite the fact that several studies have confirmed otherwise.[2] Kava taken on its own does not cause liver toxicity as proven when Life Choice first licensed kava and reintroduced it to Canada and the global population.
Kava for mental health
Now kava finally starts to get attention for its benefits. A clinical trial[3] was scheduled to begin in mid-2025 to evaluate how effective kava-talanoa sessions are as a clinical treatment for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). According to the researchers, in their study they “will have several cohorts doing different things, but one will take tablets only and another will drink kava in a traditional setting, with the aim of identifying dose-response relationships and informing the design of standardized intervention guidelines. (…) This comparison will also allow us to explore the relational space that kava facilitates, a cultural dimension that’s essential to fully understanding what kava is.”[4]
Recently we can see that kava is in fact well understood. From the Clinical Use of Kava in Pediatric PTSD and ODD: A Case Study of Two Siblings we can learn about two siblings who had experienced severe early childhood trauma. One of the children was diagnosed with both PTSD and ODD (oppositional defiant disorder); the other had PTSD and ADHD.
Under naturopathic care, they were given standardized kava extract (from Piper methysticum) along with Rauwolfia vomitoria, a plant medicine. According to the report, over time there were improvements in the children’s symptoms: reduced hyperactivity, less aggression and oppositional behavior, better emotional regulation, and improved sleep and focus. No significant adverse effects from the kava were noted in the course of their treatment in this report. The authors propose that this case suggests potential for kava (in combination with other botanical medicines) to be helpful in managing pediatric trauma‐related disorders, though they also note that more rigorous, controlled research is needed.
Kava was also proven to be effective in significantly reducing the symptoms of people suffering anxiety, according to a world-first completed clinical study by an Australian team in 2013. “The study, led by the University of Melbourne and published in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, revealed Kava could be an alternative treatment to pharmaceutical products for the hundreds of thousands of Australians who suffer from Generalised Anxiety Disorders (GAD).”[5]
Besides its positive anti-anxiety, stress and hyperactivity effects, kava has shown anticancer effects as well. In a study from 2020 researchers tested the main ingredients found in two different kava preparations on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells and compared the effects to normal oral cells. Three compounds in particular—Flavokawain A, Flavokawain B, and yangonin—were able to reduce cancer cell growth, movement, and invasion, without harming normal cells. These findings suggest that certain parts of kava could play a role in developing new treatments to help prevent or manage oral cancers.
And it is not just oral cancer that kava can help with. In a study on prostate cancer development chemo-preventive efficacy of kava root extracts (KRE) in transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate (TRAMP) mice was evaluated. They also investigated potential molecular targets of kavalactones, the main components of kava. According to their findings “consumption of kava products through diet can delay prostate cancer development and progression and that kavalactones may be a new structure model for developing a potent dual inhibitor of LSD1 [lysine-specific demethylase 1] and MAO-A [monoamine oxidase A].”[6]
Another animal study found that daily consumption of a kava-derived dietary supplement prevented the formation of 99 percent of tumors in a mouse lung tumor model, which was used to predict lung cancer in humans. Kava was also used in a pilot clinical trial among active smokers where it was proven to be effective in many aspects. “Kava increased urinary excretion of total NNAL [4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol] and reduced urinary 3-methyladenine in participants, suggestive of its ability to reduce the carcinogenicity of NNK [nicotine-derived nitrosamine ketone]. Kava also reduced urinary total nicotine equivalents, indicative of its potential to facilitate tobacco cessation. Plasma cortisol and urinary total cortisol equivalents were reduced upon kava use, which may contribute to reductions in tobacco use. These results demonstrate the potential of kava intake to reduce lung cancer risk among smokers.”[7]
Kava and quality issues
Naturally, the question regarding quality needs to be asked regarding kava as well because of the difference mature kava roots can make. Life Choice has the highest quality standards to maintain in the supplement market due to its first to licensing, we only use 5-year noble kava roots. When true 5-year noble kava roots are used, combined with specific extraction methods the product is perfectly safe and very effective for treating anxiety and stress. True 5-year noble root powder or liquid will cause a numbing effect when placed on the tongue. This is just one test to use when choosing kava. Sadly, just licensing the product does not guarantee that all Kava products are using the top quality material. Life Choice offers Kava Kava with 100% pure pharmaceutical grade ingredients. Extracted from 5-year roots of Noble Kava grown in the South Pacific. Clinically Tested.
It is crucial to preserve at all costs the quality and integrity of kava so future generations can safely use this amazing plant without the fear of contamination or ill health. When choosing to purchase a kava product, support only those companies that prove they are using quality 5-year noble roots that have been prepared ethically and backed by clinical studies. When consumers demand to purchase products that use 5-year noble roots, they ensure the growth and longevity of the kava industry.
References:
- Aporosa, Apo S. et al. 2025. Innovating through tradition: kava-talanoa as a culturally aligned medico-behavioral therapeutic approach to amelioration of PTSD symptoms. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1460731/full
- CBC News. 2002. Kava kava products ordered off the shelves over liver concerns. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kava-kava-products-ordered-off-the-shelves-over-liver-concerns-1.341900
- Li, Xuesen et al. 2021. Kava root extracts hinder prostate cancer development and
- tumorigenesis by involvement of dual inhibition of MAO-A and LSD1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34368644/
- University of Melbourne. 2013. World first clinical trial supports use of Kava to treat anxiety. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130513095750.htm
- Veldkamp, Coco. 2025. Could a kava session offer new path for PTSD treatment? https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/kava-session-and-ptsd/
- Wang, Yi et al. 2020. The Impact of One-week Dietary Supplementation with Kava on Biomarkers of Tobacco Use and Nitrosamine-based Carcinogenesis Risk among Active Smokers. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32102948/
[1] CBC News. 2002.
[2] Among many other studies, the following studies found no evidence of hepatotoxicity with kava: Connor, Kathryn M. et al. 2006, Sarris, Jerome et al. 2013.
[3] Aporosa, Apo S. et al. 2025.
[4] Veldkamp, Coco. 2025.
[5] University of Melbourne. 2013.
[6] Li, Xuesen et al. 2021.
[7] Wang, Yi et al. 2020.