July 13, 2005 – Banned in 2002 in several countries, kava (Piper methysticum) may be on the way back to legality. At least that is what suggests a recent decision of the German medical authorities who have just lifted the complete ban which struck this medicinal plant for three years.
In June 2002, the German state preventively banned the sale of kava and its extracts, citing the possibility that they could have toxic effects on the liver. Following Germany, the authorities of seven other countries did the same (Australia, France, Canada, Ireland, Singapore, Switzerland and England).
However, it should be noted that the decision of the German authorities to lift the ban does not mean that consumers in this country will soon find kava on their shelves. But, applications for marketing authorization could again be taken into consideration by the German medical authorities, while since 2002, they were rejected. a priori.
According to Joerg Gruenwald, director of the International Kava Executive Council (IKEC), an organization that represents kava producers who are concentrated in the South Pacific, “the ban on kava has created a vacuum in the therapeutic arsenal for the treatment of mild or moderate disorders associated with stress and anxiety. We are very happy that dialogue with the German authorities is once again possible ”. He said he was satisfied that more attention is now focused on the effectiveness of kava than on its hypothetical toxicity.
There is no doubt that kava is effective in relieving anxiety among researchers. A meta-analysis published in 2003 by the highly regarded Cochrane Library of Medicine in England1, confirms its effectiveness as well as its safety for treatments whose duration can vary from 1 to 24 weeks.
Dr Edzard Ernst, an eminent researcher attached to the University of Exeter in England, goes in the same direction: “Already in the year 2000, we had scientific data establishing the effectiveness and harmlessness of kava.2. Unfortunately, it must be recognized that the criteria of evidence-based medicine do not always govern decisions made by medical committees responsible for regulating drugs. Prejudices sometimes take over3 “.
It is not yet clear whether the recent German decision will have a ripple effect in other countries where kava is currently banned.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
According to HerbalGram.
1. Pittler MH, Ernst E. Kava extract for treating anxiety. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2003; (1): CD003383.
2. Pittler MH, Ernst E. Efficacy of kava extract for treating anxiety: systematic review and meta-analysis.J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2000 Feb; 20 (1): 84-9.
3. Comments collected by Pierre Lefrançois from Dr Edzard Ernst at the Canadian Society for Research on Natural Health Products Colloquium, held in Montreal in February 2004.
