Kava bought in the Internet - Stimulants, Dietary Supplements, Medicine or Cancer Risk?

摘要

The inhabitants of the South Pacific islands traditionally use the kava plant (Piper methysticum) for producing a beverage with relaxing effects. Since the 1990s, Kava is also popular in the western countries and has been used in Europe and America in tablet and capsule form to treat anxiety disorders. Kava exhibits anxiolytic and sleep-enhancing effects in humans. Research in experimental animals has proven sedative, anticonvulsant and central muscle relaxant effects, which may be caused by kavalactones as major constituents of kava. In 2002, kava has lost its authorisation as a medicinal product because of considerable side effects, particularly damage to the liver. Test purchases and analyses show that medicinal products containing pharmacologically active concentrations of kavalactones are still sold over the internet to the German consumer as food supplements. The natural origin is highlighted as an advantage over synthetic tranquilizers. A high priority to control the internet market with kava products may arise from its recent evaluation as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" (Group 2B) by the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).