Yep, I'm back on that topic again. This is a refresher on what went down in regards to the liver toxicity scare in Europe which inevitably spread over the entire globe by ways of bans and restrictions. Remember this only occurred during a small time frame between 1998-2004. This time, don't just listen to me, read the included paper. It's not all that complicated and really fills in the blanks where a number of questions still stand in people's minds.
This paper addresses the German court, refuted adverse event reports, a bit of ethnobotanical history, phytochemistry of cultivars, and possible theories concerning perceived "liver damage". This includes aerial (above ground) portions, organic solvent, excessive flavokavains, adulteration and mold contamination.
I bring this up because I've seen a rather notable uptick in suggestions that stems cause liver damage. This has not been proven, and studies administering large doses of Pipermethystine (the alkaloid found in the aerial portions of the kava plant) do not cause hepatotoxicity when administered in-vitro at doses of 10mg/kg (aka, WAY more than you would be able to get even eating kava leaf and stems). Now, would I recommend brewing up a batch of stems on a regular basis, no it wouldn't feel good, but it's not necessarily something that automatically damages the liver.
We need to move past this, and understand that yes, some bullshitery probably did happen between those years in question, however it speaks nothing to the ultimate quality and safety of kava as a beverage and a plant. Kava the plant was a perfect scapegoat for these pharmaceutical manufacturers to back away from the table and claim "oh...must be something toxic with the plant itself. Definitely not us. nope. Not our preparation. No way.". Even though all of the manufacturers in Europe at the time of the liver issue were using the same source, and kava extract preparations made with alcohol have been used safely for WELL over 100 years. Still nope, couldn't be their Frankenstein of a kava extract.
If you drink kava regularly, do yourself a favor and read this document. It may even make you a little angry about the way kava is and has been treated. Kava is a CULTURAL KEYSTONE SPECIES being treated as some toxic swill. Kava demands more respect than this.
Read this document:
Kuchta, Kenny, Mathias Schmidt, and Adolf Nahrstedt. 2015. “German Kava Ban Lifted by Court: The Alleged Hepatotoxicity of Kava (Piper Methysticum) as a Case of Ill-Defined Herbal Drug Identity, Lacking Quality Control, and Misguided Regulatory Politics.” Planta Medica 81 (18): 1647–53. https://sci-hub.se/10.1055/s-0035-1558295.
This paper addresses the German court, refuted adverse event reports, a bit of ethnobotanical history, phytochemistry of cultivars, and possible theories concerning perceived "liver damage". This includes aerial (above ground) portions, organic solvent, excessive flavokavains, adulteration and mold contamination.
I bring this up because I've seen a rather notable uptick in suggestions that stems cause liver damage. This has not been proven, and studies administering large doses of Pipermethystine (the alkaloid found in the aerial portions of the kava plant) do not cause hepatotoxicity when administered in-vitro at doses of 10mg/kg (aka, WAY more than you would be able to get even eating kava leaf and stems). Now, would I recommend brewing up a batch of stems on a regular basis, no it wouldn't feel good, but it's not necessarily something that automatically damages the liver.
We need to move past this, and understand that yes, some bullshitery probably did happen between those years in question, however it speaks nothing to the ultimate quality and safety of kava as a beverage and a plant. Kava the plant was a perfect scapegoat for these pharmaceutical manufacturers to back away from the table and claim "oh...must be something toxic with the plant itself. Definitely not us. nope. Not our preparation. No way.". Even though all of the manufacturers in Europe at the time of the liver issue were using the same source, and kava extract preparations made with alcohol have been used safely for WELL over 100 years. Still nope, couldn't be their Frankenstein of a kava extract.
If you drink kava regularly, do yourself a favor and read this document. It may even make you a little angry about the way kava is and has been treated. Kava is a CULTURAL KEYSTONE SPECIES being treated as some toxic swill. Kava demands more respect than this.
Read this document:
Kuchta, Kenny, Mathias Schmidt, and Adolf Nahrstedt. 2015. “German Kava Ban Lifted by Court: The Alleged Hepatotoxicity of Kava (Piper Methysticum) as a Case of Ill-Defined Herbal Drug Identity, Lacking Quality Control, and Misguided Regulatory Politics.” Planta Medica 81 (18): 1647–53. https://sci-hub.se/10.1055/s-0035-1558295.