Health
Is Kava Safe?
Question: I hear so much about kava, and my friends are trying to get me to try it. What's the story?
Answer: Friends don't let friends take kava, which is one of the so-called dietary supplements that have been in the news lately. However, while most supplements are just ineffective and a waste of money, kava can be downright dangerous.
It is promoted widely as a "natural" way to control anxiety and cure insomnia, but it has been shown to cause liver damage and other problems. There was even a court case that involved someone driving under the influence of kava. German, Swiss and French officials have issued bans on kava, and England is considering it. Our own FDA is gathering information to help it evaluate the adverse events.
If you have tried kava and have had problems, you can contact the FDA's MedWatch program at 1-800-332-1088 or on the Web site www.fda.gov/medwatch. Because of the DSHEA legislation, which limits FDA's ability to regulate dietary supplements, the only way to get kava products off the market is for people to let FDA know when they have had problems.
Sheldon Margen, M.D., is a professor of public health at the University of California at Berkeley. Dale A. Ogar is managing editor of the University of California at Berkeley "Wellness Letter." They are the authors of The Wellness Lowfat Cookbook (Random House, 1994).
© 2002, Sheldon Margen, M.D., and Dale A. Ogar. Distributed by Los Angeles Times Syndicate International, a division of Tribune Media Services.
