Kava is not used as a poison in fishing.
This one is mildly strange and a little specific, but I've heard it mentioned a few times over the years that kava was once used to catch fish by paralyzing them in streams, traps, and ponds. This never really set right with me because kava, even wild kava or tudei kava, lacks the type of water soluble toxins that would suggest it's effective for this purpose. There are studies with kavalactones being administered to fish through water, and no paralysis or death was observed even at rather high dosages [1].
So, I fired up my research catalog this morning and began reading. Turns out it's not kava, but certainly makes sense why some may have thought it was. The name is similar, and even the process of preparing the toxin is similar to that of kava preparation.
The plant is known as Kava'Aukava or more simply as 'Aukava or “duva” or “derris powder” or “tuba root”. Its scientific name is Derris elliptica. This was the main plant used for this purpose, however two others were also used when 'Aukava could not be found. These were Tephrosia purpurea, and Barringtonia asiatica [2], however we’ll be focusing on ‘Aukava. The principal constituent of ‘Aukava which acts as a paralyzing toxin to fish is the chemical rotenone [3]. Also known as a pesticide, and delousing agent [4], this chemical is obtained by pounding the roots on a hard plate or wooden box. Roots are then squeezed into a bucket with water, and then emptied into the river or stream [5]. The chemical exerts its poisonous effect through the destruction of dopaminergic neurons [6].
It’s good to finally put this bit of myth to rest in regards to kava. When you think about it, if kava were anywhere near as potent as this rotenone compound you would only need a drop of it in your drink. They’re poisoning entire streams and ponds with the roots of this plant. It was found that a concentration of 1 part powdered derris root to 2 million parts of water was sufficient to kill all species of fish tested [7]. This sounds nothing like the safe and gentle kava we know and love.
Kavafacts Substack Article: https://kavafacts.substack.com/p/kava-not-the-plant-used-in-poison
[1] Wang, Dongmei, Longen Yang, Jingtao Wang, Guojun Hu, Ziyuan Liu, Dongni Yan, Nazar Serikuly, et al. 2020. “Behavioral and Physiological Effects of Acute and Chronic Kava Exposure in Adult Zebrafish.” Neurotoxicology and Teratology 79 (May): 106881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ntt.2020.106881.
[2] Kirch, P. V., and T. S. Dye. 1979. “ETHNO-ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF POLYNESIAN FISHING STRATEGIES.” The Journal of the Polynesian Society. Polynesian Society 88 (1): 53–76. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20705394.
[3] Zubairi, Saiful Irwan, Zetty Shafiqa Othman, Mohamad Roji Sarmidi, and Ramlan Abdul Aziz. 2016. “Environmental Friendly Bio-Pesticide Rotenone Extracted from Derris Sp.: A Review on the Extraction Method, Toxicity and Field Effectiveness.” Jurnal Teknologi 78 (8). https://journals.utm.my/jurnalteknologi/article/view/5942
[4] Wood, David Michael, Hadi Alsahaf, Peter Streete, Paul Ivor Dargan, and Alison Linda Jones. 2005. “Fatality after Deliberate Ingestion of the Pesticide Rotenone: A Case Report.” Critical Care / the Society of Critical Care Medicine 9 (3): R280–84. https://doi.org/10.1186/cc3528.
[5] II. milkfish farming practices. Potential of milkfish farming development in fiji. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2, 2022, from https://www.fao.org/3/ac893e/AC893E03.htm
[6] Alam, M., and W. J. Schmidt. 2002. “Rotenone Destroys Dopaminergic Neurons and Induces Parkinsonian Symptoms in Rats.” Behavioural Brain Research 136 (1): 317–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0166-4328(02)00180-8.
[7] Leonard, J. W. (n.d.). Notes on the use of Derris as a fish poison. (fisheries research report: 479). Retrieved March 2, 2022, from https://quod.lib.umich.edu/f/fishery/AAG2862.0479.001
This one is mildly strange and a little specific, but I've heard it mentioned a few times over the years that kava was once used to catch fish by paralyzing them in streams, traps, and ponds. This never really set right with me because kava, even wild kava or tudei kava, lacks the type of water soluble toxins that would suggest it's effective for this purpose. There are studies with kavalactones being administered to fish through water, and no paralysis or death was observed even at rather high dosages [1].
So, I fired up my research catalog this morning and began reading. Turns out it's not kava, but certainly makes sense why some may have thought it was. The name is similar, and even the process of preparing the toxin is similar to that of kava preparation.
The plant is known as Kava'Aukava or more simply as 'Aukava or “duva” or “derris powder” or “tuba root”. Its scientific name is Derris elliptica. This was the main plant used for this purpose, however two others were also used when 'Aukava could not be found. These were Tephrosia purpurea, and Barringtonia asiatica [2], however we’ll be focusing on ‘Aukava. The principal constituent of ‘Aukava which acts as a paralyzing toxin to fish is the chemical rotenone [3]. Also known as a pesticide, and delousing agent [4], this chemical is obtained by pounding the roots on a hard plate or wooden box. Roots are then squeezed into a bucket with water, and then emptied into the river or stream [5]. The chemical exerts its poisonous effect through the destruction of dopaminergic neurons [6].
It’s good to finally put this bit of myth to rest in regards to kava. When you think about it, if kava were anywhere near as potent as this rotenone compound you would only need a drop of it in your drink. They’re poisoning entire streams and ponds with the roots of this plant. It was found that a concentration of 1 part powdered derris root to 2 million parts of water was sufficient to kill all species of fish tested [7]. This sounds nothing like the safe and gentle kava we know and love.
Kavafacts Substack Article: https://kavafacts.substack.com/p/kava-not-the-plant-used-in-poison
[1] Wang, Dongmei, Longen Yang, Jingtao Wang, Guojun Hu, Ziyuan Liu, Dongni Yan, Nazar Serikuly, et al. 2020. “Behavioral and Physiological Effects of Acute and Chronic Kava Exposure in Adult Zebrafish.” Neurotoxicology and Teratology 79 (May): 106881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ntt.2020.106881.
[2] Kirch, P. V., and T. S. Dye. 1979. “ETHNO-ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF POLYNESIAN FISHING STRATEGIES.” The Journal of the Polynesian Society. Polynesian Society 88 (1): 53–76. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20705394.
[3] Zubairi, Saiful Irwan, Zetty Shafiqa Othman, Mohamad Roji Sarmidi, and Ramlan Abdul Aziz. 2016. “Environmental Friendly Bio-Pesticide Rotenone Extracted from Derris Sp.: A Review on the Extraction Method, Toxicity and Field Effectiveness.” Jurnal Teknologi 78 (8). https://journals.utm.my/jurnalteknologi/article/view/5942
[4] Wood, David Michael, Hadi Alsahaf, Peter Streete, Paul Ivor Dargan, and Alison Linda Jones. 2005. “Fatality after Deliberate Ingestion of the Pesticide Rotenone: A Case Report.” Critical Care / the Society of Critical Care Medicine 9 (3): R280–84. https://doi.org/10.1186/cc3528.
[5] II. milkfish farming practices. Potential of milkfish farming development in fiji. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2, 2022, from https://www.fao.org/3/ac893e/AC893E03.htm
[6] Alam, M., and W. J. Schmidt. 2002. “Rotenone Destroys Dopaminergic Neurons and Induces Parkinsonian Symptoms in Rats.” Behavioural Brain Research 136 (1): 317–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0166-4328(02)00180-8.
[7] Leonard, J. W. (n.d.). Notes on the use of Derris as a fish poison. (fisheries research report: 479). Retrieved March 2, 2022, from https://quod.lib.umich.edu/f/fishery/AAG2862.0479.001