Kava fact of the day: Isa. What is it?
Today’s fact of the day deals with a curious cultivar of kava that originates from Papua New Guinea in the Madang region. This kava is known as “Isa” pronounced "E-SAH" or Madang Short. Isa is a tall, hearty, more disease resistant plant with green woody stalks and vigorous growth. Kavalactone contents usually run higher than standard drinking kavas with a chemotype around 254631. Isa has an unusual history. Dr. Lebot brought a sample to Hawaii from PNG for botanical purposes. This sample “escaped” the nursery and became a commercial kava in Hawaii. Isa is an interesting cultivar in that it falls into what research classifies as a group outside of the common three we are used to, Noble, Tudei and Wild. Isa is unique in that it’s quite close to Piper Wichmannii and still officially classified as Piper Methysticum. Many have been referring to this kava as a “tudei” kava, and this is incorrect. Isa’s genomic classification puts it in an entirely different category than those found in the standard three categories. Isa is also not considered "tudei" due to the fact that the kava must originate from Vanuatu in order to receive that label. The only other kava in the group it shares this category with is a kava known as Iwi.
Kavalactone Differences: Between the Noble Hawaiian cultivar Mahakea and Isa, Isa routinely has double the total kavalactone content in the root portion, however in the corm area of the Isa plant presented approximately equal levels of kavalactones as those of the corm of Mahakea, given that the rhizome is peeled. The ratio of kavalactones in Isa is distinctly different with DHM being further towards the front being of a higher ratio. DHM is the kavalactone shown as being long-acting, and sedative with a propensity to cause nausea at higher doses.
Flavokavain Differences: Flavokavains, the topics of several facts of the day in regards to cancer treatment, and hepatoxicity occur in higher proportions in Isa than in beverage grade or “Noble” kavas. Flavokavains in Isa were found to be about double that of standard noble varieties. Keep in mind that these chemicals in Isa extract only slightly in standard preparations and are of little concern to the average kava drinker. Really gnarly non-beverage grade or “Tudei” kavas can contain many times more of these chemicals, and can become a source of nausea and hangover if consumed on a regular basis and with some strains, even one session. These types of Tudei kavas are not available to purchase on the regular kava market.
Qualitative Differences: Isa is known to be a heavy, sedating long-acting kava. This is due to its higher concentration of DHM and DHK. The majority of DHM and DHK are found in the stump peelings. A relatively unknown quality regarding Isa is that when only the well-peeled corm of the plant is used flavokavain levels drop drastically. It has been observed that Isa corm that has been peeled meticulously can pass the acetonic test as noble. If unpeeled roots or corm are used the powder will fail the acetone trest.
Health Issues: We normally do not see any reported health issues that specifically stem from the Isa plant, however higher kavalactone concentrations in kavas may bring about the reported kava dermopathy, or skin drying effect more quickly. Nausea can also be an issue when consumed in larger amounts. This kava may make it a bit more difficult to get moving with in the mornings as DHK and DHM have much longer half-lives than that of kavain. It’s generally agreed by most to limit this variety to sporadic consumption. This kava has been known as a “weekend kava” due to its ability to stick around for much longer than your daily drinking kavas. This kava has shown popularity in relieving pain related to menstrual cramps, and may be better than other kavas at specific pain-relief properties.
Henri Vandenbroucke, Pierre Mournet, Roger Malapa, Jean-Christophe Glaszmann, Hana Chaïr, and Vincent Lebot. Comparative analysis of genetic variation in kava (Piper methysticum) assessed by SSR and DArT reveals zygotic foundation and clonal diversification. Genome. 58(1): 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1139/gen-2014-0166
Lebot, V., Kaoh, J. & Legendre, L. High-Throughput Analysis of Flavokawains in Kava (Piper methysticum Forst. f.) Roots, Chips and Powders and Correlations with Their Acetonic Extracts Absorbance. Food Anal. Methods 13, 1583–1593 (2020).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12161-020-01781-9
Wang, J., Qu, W., Bittenbender, H.C. et al. Kavalactone content and chemotype of kava beverages prepared from roots and rhizomes of Isa and Mahakea varieties and extraction efficiency of kavalactones using different solvents. J Food Sci Technol 52, 1164–1169 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-013-1047-2
Today’s fact of the day deals with a curious cultivar of kava that originates from Papua New Guinea in the Madang region. This kava is known as “Isa” pronounced "E-SAH" or Madang Short. Isa is a tall, hearty, more disease resistant plant with green woody stalks and vigorous growth. Kavalactone contents usually run higher than standard drinking kavas with a chemotype around 254631. Isa has an unusual history. Dr. Lebot brought a sample to Hawaii from PNG for botanical purposes. This sample “escaped” the nursery and became a commercial kava in Hawaii. Isa is an interesting cultivar in that it falls into what research classifies as a group outside of the common three we are used to, Noble, Tudei and Wild. Isa is unique in that it’s quite close to Piper Wichmannii and still officially classified as Piper Methysticum. Many have been referring to this kava as a “tudei” kava, and this is incorrect. Isa’s genomic classification puts it in an entirely different category than those found in the standard three categories. Isa is also not considered "tudei" due to the fact that the kava must originate from Vanuatu in order to receive that label. The only other kava in the group it shares this category with is a kava known as Iwi.
Kavalactone Differences: Between the Noble Hawaiian cultivar Mahakea and Isa, Isa routinely has double the total kavalactone content in the root portion, however in the corm area of the Isa plant presented approximately equal levels of kavalactones as those of the corm of Mahakea, given that the rhizome is peeled. The ratio of kavalactones in Isa is distinctly different with DHM being further towards the front being of a higher ratio. DHM is the kavalactone shown as being long-acting, and sedative with a propensity to cause nausea at higher doses.
Flavokavain Differences: Flavokavains, the topics of several facts of the day in regards to cancer treatment, and hepatoxicity occur in higher proportions in Isa than in beverage grade or “Noble” kavas. Flavokavains in Isa were found to be about double that of standard noble varieties. Keep in mind that these chemicals in Isa extract only slightly in standard preparations and are of little concern to the average kava drinker. Really gnarly non-beverage grade or “Tudei” kavas can contain many times more of these chemicals, and can become a source of nausea and hangover if consumed on a regular basis and with some strains, even one session. These types of Tudei kavas are not available to purchase on the regular kava market.
Qualitative Differences: Isa is known to be a heavy, sedating long-acting kava. This is due to its higher concentration of DHM and DHK. The majority of DHM and DHK are found in the stump peelings. A relatively unknown quality regarding Isa is that when only the well-peeled corm of the plant is used flavokavain levels drop drastically. It has been observed that Isa corm that has been peeled meticulously can pass the acetonic test as noble. If unpeeled roots or corm are used the powder will fail the acetone trest.
Health Issues: We normally do not see any reported health issues that specifically stem from the Isa plant, however higher kavalactone concentrations in kavas may bring about the reported kava dermopathy, or skin drying effect more quickly. Nausea can also be an issue when consumed in larger amounts. This kava may make it a bit more difficult to get moving with in the mornings as DHK and DHM have much longer half-lives than that of kavain. It’s generally agreed by most to limit this variety to sporadic consumption. This kava has been known as a “weekend kava” due to its ability to stick around for much longer than your daily drinking kavas. This kava has shown popularity in relieving pain related to menstrual cramps, and may be better than other kavas at specific pain-relief properties.
Henri Vandenbroucke, Pierre Mournet, Roger Malapa, Jean-Christophe Glaszmann, Hana Chaïr, and Vincent Lebot. Comparative analysis of genetic variation in kava (Piper methysticum) assessed by SSR and DArT reveals zygotic foundation and clonal diversification. Genome. 58(1): 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1139/gen-2014-0166
Lebot, V., Kaoh, J. & Legendre, L. High-Throughput Analysis of Flavokawains in Kava (Piper methysticum Forst. f.) Roots, Chips and Powders and Correlations with Their Acetonic Extracts Absorbance. Food Anal. Methods 13, 1583–1593 (2020).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12161-020-01781-9
Wang, J., Qu, W., Bittenbender, H.C. et al. Kavalactone content and chemotype of kava beverages prepared from roots and rhizomes of Isa and Mahakea varieties and extraction efficiency of kavalactones using different solvents. J Food Sci Technol 52, 1164–1169 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-013-1047-2
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