Background Information

Kava or Piper methysticum is a shrub of the pepper family, native to Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia. There are approximately 150 different cultivars with different content and composition of active ingredients, consequently resulting in different intoxicating effects after ingestion. On average, the kava lactones account for 3–20% of dry weight of the kava root and have relatively low solubility in water. The active components of kava are mostly contained in the lipid-soluble resin where the lactones account for approximately 96%.

So far, 18 different lactones have been identified, Beside the lactones, the resin also contains alkaloids and chalcones, also known as flavokavains. The composition of the lactones varies according to the plant parts and the kava species used for extraction. The aerial parts of the shrub contain a relatively higher amount of alkaloids and are generally avoided in traditional preparations.

Kava (Piper methysticum) is a plant that grows in the South Pacific Islands. Eight species have been identified by the local cultivators on the basis of its habitat, such as mountainous versus lowland, in shade versus in full sun. In the Pacific Islands kava has been widely consumed for thousands of years as a traditional ceremonial beverage and for its mood-altering and stress relieving properties. Traditional preparations use aqueous emulsions of the crushed or dried roots or lower stems of the kava shrub, and its pharmacological properties have been attributed to a group of components collectively known as kava pyrones or kava lactones.

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