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For those of us who have been very
concerned recently about the purported toxicity of the use of Kava
Kava will be relieved to hear that contamination seems to have
played a large part in the recent problems with the herb. In
herbal medicine (as with most medicines), there is a fine line
between medicine and poison. In the case of Kava Kava, there
seems to have been contamination of the leaf and stem peelings of
the plant in some European pharmaceutical formulations.
Traditionally the herb is derived from the root of the plant rather
than the toxic leaves and stem. Our recommendation still stands that
all herbs should be purchased from reputable HERBAL companied
with knowledgeable herbalists in charge of all aspects of
productions. Many herbs can be toxic and your naturopathic
doctor can help you identify whether an herb is suitable for your
use. The health food supplement
industry is rarely regulated by the FDA and because of this it is
very important to know the source and maker of your health food
products and herbs.
Below is a comment from the president of
the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians and the recent
findings from the University of Hawaii.
"An Associated Press release on April
8, 2003 reveals what may be the answer to the question
about the purported toxicity of Kava. The historical, ethnobotanical
and medicinal use of Kava has been with the plant's root
alone. Reports from Europe
about hepatotoxicity from patients using Kava
led to warnings, including one from the FDA in March 2002, which
were suspicious, given that the
plant has been used throughout the Pacific
for 2,000 years without any significant toxicity. University
of Hawaii scientists C.S. Tang, Klaus Dragull and W.Y.
Yoshida reported that they have
found a potentially dangerous alkaloid called
pipermethystine in some of the Kava extracts produced by European
pharmaceutical companies which
made use of the stem peelings and leaves.
The researchers have submitted a paper to the journal Phytochemistry
which has been accepted for publication".
--Michael Traub, ND
President, American
Association of Naturopathic Physicians
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