Kava: From Ethnology to Pharmacology (Medicinal and Aromatic Plants - Industrial Profiles)

178 Pages·2004·9.15 MB·English

by  Yadhu N. Singh

Kava
From Ethnology to Pharmacology
Medicinal and Aromatic Plants — Industrial Profiles
Individual volumes in this series provide both industry and academia with in-depth coverage of one major
genus of industrial importance.
Edited by Dr Roland Hardman
Volume 1 Volume 21
Valerian, edited by Peter J. Houghton Narcissus and Daffodil, edited by
Volume 2 Gordon R. Hanks
Perilla, edited by He-ci Yu, Kenichi Kosuna Volume 22
and Megumi Haga Eucalyptus, edited by John J.W. Coppen
Volume 3 Volume 23
Poppy, edited by Jenö Bernáth Pueraria, edited by Wing Ming Keung
Volume 4 Volume 24
Cannabis, edited by David T. Brown Thyme, edited by E. Stahl-Biskup and F. Sáez
Volume 5 Volume 25
Neem, edited by H.S. Puri Oregano, edited by Spiridon E. Kintzios
Volume 6 Volume 26
Ergot, edited by Vladimír Kˇren and Citrus, edited by Giovanni Dugo and
Ladislav Cvak Angelo Di Giacomo
Volume 7 Volume 27
Caraway, edited by Éva Németh Geranium and Pelargonium, edited by
Volume 8 Maria Lis-Balchin
Saffron, edited by Moshe Negbi Volume 28
Volume 9 Magnolia, edited by Satyajit D. Sarker and
Tea Tree, edited by Ian Southwell and Robert Lowe Yuji Maruyama
Volume 10 Volume 29
Basil, edited by Raimo Hiltunen and Yvonne Holm Lavender, edited by Maria Lis-Balchin
Volume 11 Volume 30
Fenugreek, edited by Georgios Petropoulos Cardamom, edited by P.N. Ravindran and
Volume 12 K.J. Madhusoodanan
Gingko biloba, edited by Teris A. Van Beek Volume 31
Volume 13 Hypericum, edited by Edzard Ernst
Black Pepper, edited by P.N. Ravindran Volume 32
Volume 14 Taxus, edited by H. Itokawa and K.H. Lee
Sage, edited by Spiridon E. Kintzios Volume 33
Volume 15 Capsicum, edited by Amit Krish De
Ginseng, edited by W.E. Court Volume 34
Volume 16 Flax, edited by Alister Muir and Niel Westcott
Mistletoe, edited by Arndt Büssing Volume 35
Volume 17 Urtica, edited by Gulsel Kavalali
Tea, edited by Yong-su Zhen Volume 36
Volume 18 Cinnamon and Cassia, edited by
Artemisia, edited by Colin W. Wright P.N. Ravindran, K. Nirmal Babu and M. Shylaja
Volume 19 Volume 37
Stevia, edited by A. Douglas Kinghorn Kava, edited by Yadhu N. Singh
Volume 20 Volume 38
Vetiveria, edited by Massimo Maffei Aloes, edited by Tom Reynolds
Kava
From Ethnology to Pharmacology
Edited by Yadhu N. Singh
Medicinal and Aromatic Plants — Industrial Profiles
CRC PR ESS
Boca Raton London New York Washington, D.C.
Contents
Listofcontributors vi
Preface vii
1 AnIntroductiontoKavaPipermethysticum 1
YADHU N. SINGH
2 History,Folklore,TraditionalandCurrentUsesofKava 10
LAMONT LINDSTROM
3 Kava:Production,MarketingandQualityAssurance 29
YADHU N. SINGH
4 BotanyandEthnobotanyofKava 50
YADHU N. SINGH
5 ChemistryofKavaandKavalactones 76
IQBAL RAMZAN AND VAN HOAN TRAN
6 PharmacologyandToxicologyofKavaandKavalactones 104
YADHU N. SINGH
7 Kava:ClinicalStudiesandTherapeuticImplications 140
NIRBHAY N. SINGH, SUBHASHNI D. SINGH AND YADHU N. SINGH
Index 165
Contributors
LamontLindstrom SubhashniD.Singh
DepartmentofAnthropology ONEResearchInstitute
UniversityofTulsa 7401SparkleberryLane
Tulsa,OK74104 Chesterfield,VA23832
USA USA
YadhuN.Singh
IqbalRamzan DepartmentofPharmaceuticalSciences
DepartmentofPharmaceutics CollegeofPharmacy
FacultyofPharmacy SouthDakotaStateUniversity
TheUniversityofSydney Box2202C
Sydney,NSW2006 Brookings,SD57007
Australia USA
VanHoanTran
NirbhayN.Singh DepartmentofPharmaceutics
ONEResearchInstitute FacultyofPharmacy
7401SparkleberryLane TheUniversityofSydney
Chesterfield,VA23832 Sydney,NSW2006
USA Australia
TF1730 disclaimer.fm Page 1 Wednesday, December 3, 2003 1:02 PM
Original cover illustration by V. Lebot, reproduced with permission from the National Botanical Garden, Hawaii, USA.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kava : from ethnology to pharmacology / edited by Yandhu N. Singh.
p. cm. — (Medicinal and Aromatic plants—industrial profiles; v. 38)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-415-32327-4 (hardback: alk. paper)
1. Kava plant. 2. Kava plant—Therapeutic use. 3. Kava (Beverage)
[DNLM: 1. Kava. 2. Plants, Medicinal. 3. Anti-Anxiety Agents—therapeutic use.
4. Plant Extracts—therapeutic use. QV 766 K21 2003] I. Singh,
Y.N. (Yadhu Nand) II. Series.
RM666.K38K38 2003
615'.32325—dc21 2003008341
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Preface
In thepast few decades, kavahasbecome known throughoutthe world for its calming
and relaxing properties. But before that, it was extensively used in the Pacific in most
islandsofPolynesiaandMelanesiaandsignificantpartsofMicronesia,atleastuntilthe
full impact of contact with Europeans in the form of colonization and missionization
wasfeltbytheinhabitants.Justasthepotentialtherapeuticbenefitsofthisherbinthe
treatment of stress, anxiety, insomnia, and restlessness began to be recognized, reports
ofitsallegedinvolvementincasesoflivertoxicitystartedappearingintheWest.Con-
sequently,thedemandforcommercialpreparationsofkavahasbeenseverelycurtailed.
However, its consumption in the traditional beverage form has continued unabated,
bothintheSouthPacificandotherpartsoftheworld,asitsusehasneverbeenassociated
with any organ dysfunction except for a scaly skin condition, called kava dermopathy,
whichappearsinhabitualconsumersofexcessivequantitiesofthedrink.
In addition to organizations and individuals elsewhere, the governments and other
institutions in the kava-producing countries are promoting initiatives in the form of
scientific, medical, social, and economic research to elucidate the pharmacological and
toxicological properties of this herb and to evaluate its full therapeutic and market
potential.Hopefullythestudieswillalsoidentifytheoriginsofthekava-inducedliver
toxicity.Theseendeavorsareofvitalimportancebecauseoftheseriousimpactthecase
reports have had not only on the economic viability of these small island nations but
alsotosafeguardthehealthstatusoftheircitizensandotherswhocontinuetoconsume
kava. Furthermore, kava represents an attractive alternative to some antistress and
antianxiety agents which are known to have severe adverse effects. Thus, it is my sin-
cerehopethatthisbookwillprovetobeavaluableresourcefortheseandotherrelated
activities by the interested parties as they proceed with their investigations to resolve
thiscontroversy.
Inthepreparationofthisvolume,Ihavebeenfortunatetoreceivetheassistanceand
counsel of a number of people to whom I extend my heartfelt gratitude. In particular,
I wish to thank the chapter authors, Drs Lamont Lindstrom, Iqbal Ramzan, Nirbhay
Singh, Van Hoan Tran, and Ms Subhashni Singh. I also thank Mr Prakash Singh,
MrYatesh Singh, Dr John Brown, Dr Pierre Cabalion, Dr Richard Davis, Mr Frank
King, Ms Judy Siers, Dr Patricia Siméoni, and Dr Sadaquat Ali who all kindly
providedmaterialsforsomeoftheillustrations.
Finally,Iwouldliketodedicatethisvolumetothethreepeoplewhomattermostin
mylife,mywifeKamal,forallherlove,encouragement,andsupport,andourchildren
YateshandKashmir.
YadhuN.Singh

1 An Introduction to Kava Piper
methysticum
Yadhu N. Singh
I can remember the evening gatherings when I was young at my home in the Fiji
Islandswhenkavastockwaspoundedintopowderinwoodenmortarswithmetalrods,
andthenusedinthepreparationofthecharacteristicinfusion.AsIgrewolderitfellto
me more and more often to purchase the kava from the neighborhood store, do the
pounding and preparing of the beverage, and serve it to the assembled people, who
invariably were men. It was only later when I was much older that I could appreciate
thevariousfacetsoftheprocessandthehistoricalandculturalrationaleandsignificance
forthem.
Thekavabuyerwastoldtoalwayspurchasethelateralrootsandrootlets(calledwaka
inFiji)asthebestdrinkwaspreparedfromthem.Nextinpreferencewerethethickened
underground parts of the stem and stump comprising the rhizome (lewena). The kasa
(thefirstfewnodesandinternodesofthestemorstalk)oftheplantwasacceptableonly
if the waka or lewena was unavailable. On no account was already powdered kava to be
used,asitmighthavebeenderivedfromthestalks,oramixtureofstalksandroot,and
therewasthepossibilityofadulterationwithsawdust,flour,soil,orothercontaminants.
Furthermore, the drinkers often examined and smelled the rootstock for freshness as
deteriorationoccurswithstorage(DuveandPrasad,1983).Inadditiontopotency,the
older material also loses its characteristic odor and flavor, both of which are highly
relishedbythedrinkers.
Kava is an attractive shrub (Figure 1.1) that is propagated vegetatively, as are most
ofthetraditionalPacificcrops.Theactiveprinciplesareagroupofpsychoactivechemicals
called kavalactones or kavapyrones (Chapter 5), which are concentrated mostly in the
rhizomeandroots,andinotherpartsoftheplantstoalesserextent.Thedesiredphysi-
ological effects are obtained by ingesting the active compounds present in cold-water
infusionsofground,macerated,pounded,orsometimeschewedkavastumpsandroots.
Ithasnowbeenshownthatthosecultivarswithhighproportionsofthekavalactone
kavain (or kawain) give the more palatable drink and produce pleasant and desirable
physiological effects. Cultivars that have high levels of dihydrokavain and dihydro-
methysticin are unpopular and, if possible, avoided by drinkers (Lebot and Brunton,
1985). Thus, although many cultivars have been available, the process of selection by
kavausershasreducedtoasmallnumberthecultivarsthataremostcommonlypropagated
andutilizedforrecreationalpurposes.
The preparation of the beverage must be done in the proper manner to ensure that
the strength of the drink is to the liking of the imbibers. A weak infusion is not well
regarded, and could be the cause of major embarrassment to the host. The habit of