KAVA KAVA

Kava kava

Lat.: Piper methysticum

Family: Piperaceae

This plant has been used at traditional social gatherings and in cultural/religious ceremonies to achieve a higher level of consciousness. Also plays a central role in many ceremonies, including marriages, funerals, healing ceremonies, naming ceremonies, and initiation for young girls and boys.Grows in the islands of the Pacific Ocean. Kava is a tall shrub, which produces large, green, heart-shaped leaves that grow thickly on the branches. Long, slender flowers grow where the branches meet the stems. The roots look like bundles of woody, hairy branches. The root is the part of the plant.

In Hawaii, the plant is called "awa".

The main active ingredients that kava root contain are kavalactones (kavapyrones).

Available Forms of Kava kava:

• liquid form (as tinctures or extracts)
• powdered in capsules or tablets