Supplement
Kava is a drink and extract made from the root of a Pacific Island plant, whose active compounds, called kavalactones, act on calming GABA receptors in the brain. People mostly look at it for anxiety, and the evidence is strong: a pooled analysis of seven studies found anxiety symptoms improved. Those studies were moderate in size, with 380 people in total, and the evidence for sleep and thinking was limited, resting on very small groups.
Sources: PMID 35378276; PMID 10653213
- Updated
- How we grade
- 13 studies cited
- Best evidence
- Grade A
- Conditions studied
- 11
- Outcomes
- 37
- Graded outcomes
- 3080
Evidence by condition
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
Anxiety Disorders Other
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anxiety Symptoms Moderate Improvement | Improves (the measure goes down) | Moderate effect | 7 studies | 198 people | ||
Studies that measured anxiety symptoms
| ||||||
| Stress Signs and Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 2 studies | 24 people | |||
| Sleep Quality | Improves (the measure goes up) | 24 people | ||||
Anxiety Disorders (Other)
- Anxiety Symptoms: improves
- Aggression: improves
- Subjective Well-Being: improves
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Aggression: improves
- Anxiety Symptoms: improves
- Subjective Well-Being: improves
Agoraphobia
- Aggression: improves
- Anxiety Symptoms: improves
- Subjective Well-Being: improves
Cognitive Improvement
- Cognition: improves
- Subjective Well-Being: improves
- Reaction Time: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognition Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes up) | Small effect | 20 people | |||
| Subjective Well-Being | Improves (the measure goes up) | 3 studies | 20 people | |||
Studies that measured subjective well-being
| ||||||
| Reaction Time | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 20 people | |||
Studies that measured reaction time | ||||||
Mood Improvement
- Cognition: improves
- Subjective Well-Being: improves
- Reaction Time: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognition Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes up) | Small effect | 20 people | |||
| Subjective Well-Being | Improves (the measure goes up) | 3 studies | 20 people | |||
Studies that measured subjective well-being
| ||||||
| Reaction Time | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 20 people | |||
Studies that measured reaction time | ||||||
Sleep Health
- Sleep Quality: improves
- Stress Signs and Symptoms: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep Quality Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes up) | Small effect | 24 people | |||
| Stress Signs and Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 2 studies | 24 people | |||
Social Anxiety Disorder
- Aggression: improves
- Anxiety Symptoms: improves
- Subjective Well-Being: improves
Insomnia
- Anxiety Symptoms: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anxiety Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 7 studies | 678 people | |||
Studies that measured anxiety symptoms
| ||||||
Mental Resilience
- Stress Signs and Symptoms: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stress Signs and Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 2 studies | 54 people | |||
Key findings
- Anxiety SymptomsImproves (the measure goes down)
- AggressionImproves (the measure goes up)
- CognitionImproves (the measure goes up)
Shop the evidence-backed picks
Third-party tested Kava products, in the forms the graded studies used where we can match them.
- Grade A
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Studies cited
13 studies from PubMed
- Kava-kava extract WS 1490 versus placebo in anxiety disorders--a randomized placebo-controlled 25-week outpatient trial
- Treatment of anxiety, tension and restlessness states with Kava special extract WS 1490 in general practice: a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind multicenter trial
- Efficacy of kava-kava in the treatment of non-psychotic anxiety, following pretreatment with benzodiazepines
- Kava extract for treating anxiety
- Clinical efficacy of kava extract WS 1490 in sleep disturbances associated with anxiety disorders. Results of a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial
- Kava treatment in patients with anxiety
- Medicinal herbs for the treatment of anxiety: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.
- Efficacy of kava extract for treating anxiety: systematic review and meta-analysis.
- A placebo-controlled study of Kava kava in generalized anxiety disorder
- The Kava Anxiety Depression Spectrum Study (KADSS): a randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial using an aqueous extract of Piper methysticum
- Kava and valerian in the treatment of stress-induced insomnia
- Effect of kava and valerian on human physiological and psychological responses to mental stress assessed under laboratory conditions
- Enhanced cognitive performance and cheerful mood by standardized extracts of Piper methysticum (Kava-kava)