Info: 60 Vegetarian Capsules
Kava Kava is made from the roots of Piper methysticum, a shrub that grows in the western South Pacific regions of Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia. It was traditionally crushed and boiled with water to consume, to help with anxiety, sleep, and sometimes to enhance cognition. It's now widely used as an anxiety-reducing beverage, recreational drink, and dietary supplement.
Info: 60 Vegetarian Capsules
Kava Kava is made from the roots of Piper methysticum, a shrub that grows in the western South Pacific regions of Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia. It was traditionally crushed and boiled with water to consume, to help with anxiety, sleep, and sometimes to enhance cognition. It's now widely used as an anxiety-reducing beverage, recreational drink, and dietary supplement.
Product Notes:
Kavalactones are the main active constituent with relaxation effects in the Kava root, and depending on the symptoms you’re seeking to relieve, it can either serve as a sleep aid, at higher doses; or be used for Generalized Anxiety Disorder, at lower doses.
It does affect the central nervous system, and acts by recapturing noradrenaline (the stress hormone) and dopamine (another neurotransmitter, which helps regulate our heart rate, sleep, and mood) and interacting with γ-amino butyric acid (aka Gamma-aminobutyric acid or GABA, the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in our brain, which has both a stress-reducing and sleep enhancing effect), and inhibiting monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B, an enzyme which breaks down neurotransmitters like dopamine).
NOW's Kava Kava formulation has been standardized to yield 75 mg of those kavalactones per capsule.
This formula also includes an adaptogen, Siberian ginseng, to enable a more potent and synergistic effect on your anxiety by helping to manage stress and support immune function.
Siberian ginseng has been shown to have sleep improvement as well as anti-fatigue and memory enhancing properties (to improve your daytime performance), and may have neuroprotective effects, as well.
Safety Note
Kava Kava has been banned in some countries at times because some preparations of it have been associated with liver damage. However, it turns out those preparations involved extracting it with acetone rather that alcohol, and it was being used for unapproved uses.
In contrast, NOW Foods conducts 99 quality tests on each of its ingredients to ensure it is safe and that it only contains what is stated on the bottle, and scientific research indicates standardized Kava Kava preparations like this are indeed safe and well tolerated for short-term (4-8 weeks) therapeutic use at a dosage of 120 to 280 mg per day of kavalactones.
Ingredients:
Each capsule contains:
Kava-kava (Piper methysticum) (root) (standardized to contain 75 mg kavalactones): 250 mg
Siberian Ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) (Root): 100 mg
Non-medicinal ingredients: Veg. Capsule (hypromellose, water), Microcrystalline Cellulose, Magnesium Stearate and Silica.
Suggested Usage:
Adults: Take 1 capsule twice daily with meals. Consult a healthcare practitioner for use beyond 1 month.
Warnings:
Do not use kava kava supplements if you have high blood pressure. Consult a healthcare practitioner prior to using NOW Foods Kava Kava if you are pregnant or breastfeeding; or if you have any type of acute infection; or if you suffer from liver disease or epilepsy; or if you are using conventional sedative-hypnotics (or natural health products with similar effects), anxiolytics, MAO inhibitors, and other psychopharmacologic agents, levodopa (or other drugs for Parkinson's disease), anti-platelet agents; or if your symptoms persist or worsen after use.
Consumption with alcohol or anticonvulsants is not recommended. Excessive use, or use with products that cause drowsiness, may impair your ability to operate a vehicle or heavy machinery. Discontinue use and consult a health care practitioner if you develop symptoms that may signal liver problems (e.g. unexplained fatigue, abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, dark urine, yellow eyes or skin).
Health Canada Natural Product Number: 80041489.
Supporting Science:
Bian, Tengfei et al. “Kava as a Clinical Nutrient: Promises and Challenges.” Nutrients, 2020.
Huang, Lin-Zhang et al. “The effect of Eleutheroside E on behavioral alterations in murine sleep deprivation stress model.” European Journal of Pharmacology, 2011.
Li, Xi-Tao et al. “Pharmacological effects of Eleutherococcus senticosus on the neurological disorders.” Phytotherapy Research: PTR, 2022.
Ooi, Soo Liang et al. “Kava for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Review of Current Evidence.” Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (New York, N.Y.), 2018.
Sarris, Jerome. “Herbal medicines in the treatment of psychiatric disorders: 10-year updated review.” Phytotherapy Research: PTR, 2018.
Thomsen, Michael, and Mathias Schmidt. “Health policy versus kava (Piper methysticum): Anxiolytic efficacy may be instrumental in restoring the reputation of a major South Pacific crop.” Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2021.