Isa, while it doesn't get that official "Tudei" stamp, it's still non-noble kava. Is it as sickening as real Ni-Vanuatu tudei kavas? Decidedly not, and thank goodness.
If we had our hands on full bore tudei kavas, we would have a distinctly different opinion of its availability on the market.
Here's an excerpt from Lebot & Levesque 1989
"According to Lawrence (1984), who since 1949 has engaged in anthropological research among the Garia in the mountains just north of Usino in Madang Province, kava is prepared for funerals, and the person's relative consume about half a coconut shell before bearing the body to the grave. Informants claimed that it had a "toxic" effect, and this seems to be borne out by the fact that, after the funeral, those who drank it immediately fell asleep. The Garia refer to this kava in Pidgin English as Koniak, and in their own language as 'ISA'."
Lebot, V., and J. Lèvesque. 1989. “THE ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION OF KAVA (PIPER METHYSTICUM FORST. F., PIPERACEAE): A PHYTOCHEMICAL APPROACH.”
Allertonia 5 (2): 223–81.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/23187398.
To each their own, and I understand the pull of curiosity. To some people "Funeral Kava" is just too enticing to pass up.
I would be a hypocrite if I said I hadn't had my fling with Isa. I think it's something most of us just have to sample to understand why it's spoken about the way it is.
Bottom line, Isa (madang short, PNG) isn't going to detrimentally harm you. If you drink it daily, it'll make your skin turn to ash and it can make you wish you hadn't drunk it, but you'll end up on the other side.
Cultivar: Madang Short from PNG
kavafacts.substack.com