In the modern world, many people turn their views to the newer natural methods. But, herbal medicines are widely used by panic and anxiety people. Let us see the benefits and risks of kava kava which acts as the natural anxiety solution.
What is Kava Kava?
It grows as a tall shrub in the islands of South pacific and it belongs to the member of pepper family. The various uses of this shrub are:
- Many traditional Polynesian cultures consider it as a sacred plant.
- It is used while doing prayers and during rituals.
- It is mainly used to recover from asthma, rheumatism to weary muscles and also in the case of sleeplessness.
The active components like kava lactones are found in the root of the plant. It affects the levels of neurotransmitters in the blood and also affects the body’s fight-or-flight part. In olden days, the kava root was in the form of beverage or chewing gum. Today, the kava kava is available in the form of capsule, tablet, kava kava tea and liquid extract forms.
Benefits:
It became the popular natural anxiety solution due to its state of relaxation without mental functioning, memory or alertness. It does not produce tolerance like other medications such as Xanax or Valium. The kava root is effective as per the clinical trials and it improves the mood, well-being and mental functions.
Risks:
The various side effects in kava kava are,
- Indigestion,
- Mouth numbness,
- Skin rash,
- Head ache,
- Drowsiness and
- Visual disturbances.
Some of the reports tell that kava kava extract results in liver toxicity including hepatitis, liver failure and cirrhosis. But, no clinical trails found the evidence for liver toxicity. This would mainly cause due to the liver disease, alcohol consumption, taking more doses and combining the herbs with medicines. It causes blood pressure, blood clotting in which the people are advised not to take in case of bleeding disorders or two weeks of surgery. Due to the effect in neurotransmitters kava kava should not be taken along with medications like anti-anxiety and anti-depressant. You can take only after getting advise from physician.
