Kava Kava                       

Kava has recently been made illegal. The herbal ingredient has been assessed by the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM), independent advisers to the Medicines Control Agency (MCA). The CSM concludes that the safety risks associated with kava kava far outweigh any possible therapeutic benefits.

Kava (Piper methysticum) is an ancient crop of the western Pacific. Other names for kava include ʻawa (Hawaii), 'ava (Samoa), yaqona (Fiji), and sakau (Pohnpei). It is also alternatively spelled kawa. The word kava is used to refer both to the plant and the beverage produced from it.
The beverage is prepared from the root of a shrub called the pepper plant, Piper methysticum, found in Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia. The kava root is ground to a powder, and it has a brownish color. The brownish powder is then mixed with water and drank as a beverage, without being fermented. Extracts from the kava root are placed in capsules and sold as kava or kava kava. 

The onset of a moderate potency kava drink is 20-30 minutes, with effects usually lasting for two hours. Effects can be felt up to eight hours after ingestion.
These effects of drinking kava, in order of sensation, are slight tongue and lip numbing caused by the contraction of the blood vessels in these areas (the lips and skin surrounding may appear unusually pale); mildly talkative and euphoric behaviour; anxiolytic (calming) effects, sense of well-being, clear thinking; and relaxed muscles. Sleep is often restful and there are no after-effects the next day. In Vanuatu, drinking strong kava is normally followed by a hot meal or tea. Meals consumed along with kava traditionally follow some time after the beverage so that the psychoactives are absorbed into the bloodstream more quickly.
A drink of high potency results in a faster onset with a lack of stimulation, somnolence, and then deep, dreamless sleep within 30 minutes. Unlike alcohol-induced sleep, after wakening the drinker does not experience any mental or physical after effects.
Heavy consumption of kava can produce dermatological effects ranging from light, red bumps; to heavy, scaly, ulcerous skin. Kava contains lactones that bind to skin proteins forming antigens which then lead to the allergic response. Discontinuation or reduction of consumption resolves the effects.
It is reported that many people experience rather vivid dreams after consumption of kava.
Kava can also be combined with coffee to produce kavajava, the effects of which are said to combine the most pleasant qualities of each.

Having talked to quite a number of kava users, recommended it to patients, and having taken it myself, I have discovered that not everyone reacts exactly the same way to this herb. This is due to the fact that each one of us has a different biochemistry. Furthermore, different products on the market may have different amounts of constituents within them, depending on the time of year of the harvest, which island it's from, how's its processed, etc. The form of kava, whether liquid, tincture, or capsule, may also make a difference on how you feel, or how quickly you feel the effects. However, most of the time, the effects are noticed within an hour or two.

• As a rule, the following are some common feelings that most users report after taking kava kava: A state of relaxation, without feeling drugged
• Muscle tenseness is less
• Peacefulness and contentment
• More sociable, especially with the right company
• Mild euphoria, sometimes
• Mental alertness is often not effected, except on high doses
• Initial alertness followed by drowsiness which comes on after a few hours, so kava can be taken in the evening, a few hours before bedtime.