Kava Science A new study fails to confirm the effectivness of kava in the treatment of anxiety

[stalebird]

It's a bit more complicated. What the study suggests is that if you actually suffer from clinical GAD, kava (or at least 1 shell of kava per day) won't just "cure" you, but it might not even alleviate the symptoms of your condition. The authors note that in all likelihood actually no pharmacological agent can do this, psychotherapy is the right response in such cases. However, kava may potentially be useful for situational anxiety (e.g. you being stressed before giving a speech) or as an additional aid used as part of a more complex treatment.

I’m on day 9 of Kava. One shell wouldn’t provide me as much pleasure as a sneeze. But I’m doing 6 shells and feeling nice and relaxed. Enough to not need my normal nightly beers. One man’s story, though.

 

[VictoriousSpoon]

To add more material to the discussion- at the bottom of this link, there's cited references for peer reviewed research supporting kava's anxiolytic efficacy : https://examine.com/supplements/kava/research/#citations

I think it's only natural results will wildly vary, especially when there is no standardized extract and kavalactone ratios/content will vary considerably depending on the cultivar, and extraction method used.

 

[EmeraldKava3690]

A lot was wrong with this study but what people have to realize is that testing this substance and any substance on GAD is going to result in negative results. People who truly have GAD are not just suffering from situational anxiety or are simply a little bit more likely to get anxious than others, their lives are plagued with anxiety over everything, the smallest things, no matter what they do, the therapies they undergo [initially] or the drugs they take [though some may ease their symptoms over time]. It would be wonderful to hear that Kava is a magic root for anxiety, while in all reality it is a great agent to relax one and boost one's mood, but not a cure-all, especially for people who are plagued with deep-rooted anxiety that hardcore SSRI's can hardly make a dent in. [for most people]. I would still call Kava an anxiolytic as reduction in anxiety is a potential effect, along with alcohol, alprazolam, morphine, and a whole host of other substances with depressant and sedative effects. This is more a reflection of the population than the root. A root is not going to cure deep-rooted neurosis, self-healing is, which is why proper, effective therapy is so important.