Top 14 Beauty & Health Benefits Of Kava Kava – Its Uses & Side Effects

What Is Kava Kava?

Family: Piperaceae (black peppers)

Scientific name: Piper methysticum

Other Names: Ava Root, Ava Pepper, Awa, Intoxicating Long Pepper, Gea, Gi, Intoxicating Pepper, Kavain, Kavapipar, Kao, Kawa, Kawa Kawa, Kawapfeffer, Kew, Kawa Pepper, Lawena, Malohu, Maluk, Long Pepper, Maori Kava, Milik, Meruk, Poivre des Cannibales, Rauschpfeffer, Poivre des Papous, Rhizome Di Kava-Kava, Waka, Wurzelstock, Sakau, Tonga, Yagona, Yaqona, Yaquon, Yangona, Yongona.

Kava kava is a small shrub that is native to the islands located in the South Pacific. Its stems and root are made into a psychoactive, non-alcoholic beverage that has been used ceremonially and socially for many years in Fiji, Tonga, and Hawaii. Kava is traditionally made by putting the ground stem and root into a clean porous sack, soaking in water, and then squeezing its juice into a bowl. Pacific Islanders have used kava kava as a part of ceremonies and rituals, but today it is commonly used as a social beverage, similar to alcohol. In this article, I will introduce to you top 14 beauty & health benefits of kava kava along with its uses and side effects. So, if you want to discover this list of benefits, please read this post on the Effectiveremedies.com site.

What Are The Benefits Of Kava Kava And Uses On Health & Beauty?

Since the early 1990s, the business of promoting for kava kava has always focused on its capacity of treating stress, anxiety, and sleep disorders. It is loaded with chemical compounds named kavalactones that are in charge of the psychoactive properties of this plant. Kava kava can be used to replace prescription antianxiety drugs, including tricyclic antidepressants and benzodiazepines. However, kava kava should not be taken with the prescription drugs. Don’t drink alcohol when taking kava kava.

Kava kava root contains a lot of essential nutrients and organic compounds that make this plant valuable, including water, minerals, starch, protein, kavalactones, and dietary fiber. Some of the important benefits of kava kava on health & beauty are to reduce anxiety, prevent premature aging, aid weight loss, reduce menopause symptoms, help quit smoking, relax muscles, aid sleep, protect the kidneys, and prevent headaches. Now, let’s have a closer look at these health benefits of kava kava.

1. Health Benefits Of Kava Kava – Treat Headaches & Migraines

Kava kava is very useful for treating migraine because its properties help to give you a peaceful feeling and a deep relaxation. These properties reduce headaches & migraine and improve your sleep without reducing concentration. Simply, take 180 milligrams kava kava extract a day for 3 days. Kava kava is a strong herb, so taking its high levels may cause side effects on your liver. Avoid taking more than the recommended dose.

Learn more: Best Natural Home Remedies For Headaches Pain

2. Benefits Of Kava Kava On Health – Help Quit Smoking

Quitting smoking becomes toughest when the withdrawal symptoms such as mood swings, anxiety, etc. exist. If you can control the withdrawal symptoms, it is easier for you to quit smoking. And, kava kava may aid you in coping with these withdrawal symptoms. You may take kava kava powder by adding it to your milk or other drinks. You may also have its extract, capsules, or tea made with the chopped kava kava root.

3. Benefits Of Kava Kava – Relieve Anxiety And Stress

The symptoms of anxiety, including nervousness, dizziness, and restlessness, have been relieved by using kava kava. In 2003, German researchers compared taking 400 milligrams kava kava a day with standard dosages of two medications used for anxiety in 129 people. After 2 months, the effectiveness of three treatments was equal.

Other German scientists also compared taking 100 milligrams kava kava 3 times per day with standard dosages of two medications in the Valium (Diazepam) family of tranquilizer in 172 people. Within 6 weeks, the effectiveness of three treatments was the same. Two research teams in Britain and Germany carried out sophisticated statistical tests on studies of this herb for anxiety. The British team reviewed 7 trials; the German team reviewed 6 trials. In both analyses, this herb proved an effective remedy for anxiety.

See more: All Natural Home Remedies For Anxiety Attacks Relief

4. Benefits Of Kava Kava On Health – Get Rid Of Gingivitis

Mix equal parts of the kava kava powder and myrrh gum powder with 5 drops of a type of essential oil and 1 tsp. of white oak bark solution to create a paste. Then, take this paste and brush your teeth daily.

Read more: Natural Home Remedies For Gingivitis In Toddlers & Adults

5. Benefits Of Kava Kava – Treat Sore Gums, Toothache, & Sore Throat

The antiseptic, anesthetic, & anti-inflammatory effects in kava kava can aid in relieving pain caused due to sore gums, toothaches, and sore throat. For sore gum & toothaches, chew on 1/4 piece of the dried kava root for 5 to 10 minutes or rub a drop of its oil on the affected tooth or gums. For sore throats, you may also chew on a small piece of kava root or drink a cup of its tea twice daily.

Learn more: Natural Home Remedies For Toothache Pain Relief

6. Benefits Of Kava Kava – Treat Insomnia

Taking kava kava before bedtime has been shown to lead to restful sleep. It effectively improves the quality of sleep and reduces the needed time to fall asleep. According to a research from Germany, people who suffer from anxiety related to sleep deprivation and were treated with taking 200 milligrams kava kava daily experienced a better quality of sleep after 1 month compared to the placebo team.

Or, you may mix 1 tsp. kava kava powder with 1 cup of clean water to get the kava kava tea. Now, wait for about 15 minutes and drink this tea before bedtime while stirring it occasionally.

See more: Natural Home Remedies For Insomnia Treatment In Adults

7. Benefits Of Kava Kava – Treat Urinary Tract Infections

The antibacterial and antifungal effects of the kava kava help to deal with the infections from the bladder. Kava kava is also a diuretic, so it may flush out all bacteria causing germs in the bladder and aid in curing this health problem and some other bladder infections.

You may add the kava kava powder to water and mix it thoroughly for 10 minutes with a blender. Then, filter the kava kava with a strainer, wire mesh, or cheesecloth. Finally, consume this solution.

Read more: Natural Home Remedies For UTI Relief In Children & Adults

8. Benefits Of Kava Kava – Treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

According to a 2011 article published in the “Complementary Therapies in Medicine”, kava kava is also an effective treatment for people suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. After reviewing studies that evaluated the effects of nutritional supplements on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, they concluded that this herb showed potential as a great treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, while both St. John's wort and ginkgo biloba did not. According to the researchers, the apparent effectiveness of the kava kava in curing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can be thanks to its sedative properties and ability to improve cognition.

9. Benefits Of Kava Kava – Treat Menopause Symptoms

According to a study in 2003, kava kava helps to treat mood problems occurring in menopausal women by decreasing the anxiety levels. Researchers also found that kava kava is more effective than ginkgo and valerian in treating the menopause symptoms. Therefore, you should add kava kava in the capsule or tea forms to your daily routine.

10. Benefits Of Kava Kava – Aid For Body Building

In fact, proper elimination and maintenance of adequate water amount are inevitable for body building, especially building muscles because excessive retention of water may lead to a disaster for building muscles and getting the right tone. Luckily, kava kava tea is a diuretic; it can help to remove excess water from the body. Do not skip this tea if you want to build muscles now.

11. Beauty Benefits Of Kava Kava – Aid Weight Loss

Stress & anxiety is one of the main reasons for weight gain. Stress enhances the production of cortisol – a stress hormone that initiates some metabolic reactions influencing your weight. Cortisol enhances the release of sugar and burning fat for the purpose of giving energy to your body in the fight-or-flight response. Cortisol causes your body to refill the energy although you have not used many calories in your stress state. This makes you very hungry. As the result, your body continues pumping out the cortisol when the stress continues. Luckily, kava kava helps to control your weight by dealing with stress and anxiety.

Learn more: Best Natural Home Remedies For Weight Loss Fast

12. Health Benefits Of Kava Kava – Treat Kidney Stones

Kava kava acts as a natural calcium channel blocker that disrupts the movement of calcium. Kava kava also has been used for relaxing the urethra. In addition, it also helps to reduce the risk of kidney stones effectively. Therefore, when looking for natural treatments for kidney stones, do not skip kava kava. You may take kava kava in the capsules or tea forms. Remember to consult your doctor before taking kava kava capsules.

See more: Best Natural Home Remedies For Kidney Stones Removal

13. Beauty Benefits Of Kava Kava – Combat Premature Aging

One of the major factors for aging is definitely stress. Stress may reduce the physiological reactions in your body that have an effect on the skin and cause the release of a stress hormone (cortisol). This will reduce the production of collagen in the body. Collagen is in charge of the smoothness and elasticity of the skin. Although many skin moisturizers and creams promise to restore the collagen of the skin; if the natural production of collagen is reduced, no skin cream helps. Instead, sip a cup of the kava kava tea regularly to reduce stress and prevent aging.

Read more: How To Get Rid Of Wrinkles Above Your Lips

14. Benefits Of Kava Kava – Prevent Cancer

According to a 2012 report in the “Nutrition and Cancer” published by researchers at the University of Minnesota, kava kava may help to give you a lower risk of developing types of cancer. In this report, they give rats with colon cancer lesions kava kava extract. After 14 weeks, the rats had notably fewer tumors than another group, which had not used kava kava. After all, these researchers concluded that the anti-carcinogenic properties of this herb reduce the risk of developing colon cancer.

What Are The Side Effects Of Using Kava Kava?

Kava kava seems to be unsafe to take by mouth. Serious diseases, such as liver damage, have occurred even with using its normal doses in a short term. Using this herb in a small dose for 1 to 3 months has led to the liver transplants or even death. Early signs of liver damage are fatigue, dark urine, and yellowed eyes and skin. If you still want to take kava kava, make sure to test your liver function frequently.

Using kava kava may make you unable to operate machinery or drive safely. Avoid taking kava kava before driving.

Special Precautions And Warnings:

Pregnancy & breastfeeding: Never use kava kava during pregnancy or breastfeeding because it may affect the uterus. Kava seems to be unsafe to take by mouth. In addition, some dangerous chemicals found in kava kava may pass into the breast milk and may hurt breastfed infants.

Liver problems: Kava kava may cause liver problems. Taking kava kava even when you already have the liver-related disease is very dangerous. People with liver problems should avoid using kava kava.

Depression: Kava kava may worsen the condition of depression.

Parkinson's disease: Kava kava may worsen Parkinson's disease. Avoid taking kava kava if you suffer from this disease.

Surgery: Kava kava may have an effect on your central nervous system. It may increase the effectiveness of anesthesia and some other medications that are used during & after surgery. Stop using this herb at least 2 weeks when having a surgery.

Where To Buy Kava Kava?

You may find kava kava at many herbal food stores and online in a lot of forms such as oil, extract, powder, pills/capsules, teas, and dried roots. When buying this herb, look for products containing higher amounts of Kavalactones. Remember to check that its Kavalactone component has been obtained from the kava kava roots instead of the kava kava stems because the Kavalactones obtained from the kava kava stems may increase the risk of getting liver toxicity.

Here is the long list of beauty & health benefits of kava kava, uses, and side effects that you should not miss. If you want to learn more other useful articles, please visit our Superfoods page. If you know other benefits of kava kava, feel free to share with us.

References:

http://cms.herbalgram.org/press/122001press.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23635869

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0157700

http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/kava-kava

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