Kava Kava supplements and liver damage
- Thread starter MezZedUp
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johnboy
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there's an article here which mentions liver damage found in kava-using Aboriginals.
I had heard a rant by someone about how kava was suggested by the Australian Government as a treatment/substitute for alcoholism amongst Aboriginal communities, and that the program was withdrawn after widespread liver damage was discovered. I only heard this as hearsay, so I wouldn't want anyone taking it as gospel. The above article uses the following study as a reference:
http://www.erowid.org/plants/kava/kava_journal16.shtml
and other papers here:
http://www.erowid.org/plants/kava/kava_journal.shtml
I had heard a rant by someone about how kava was suggested by the Australian Government as a treatment/substitute for alcoholism amongst Aboriginal communities, and that the program was withdrawn after widespread liver damage was discovered. I only heard this as hearsay, so I wouldn't want anyone taking it as gospel. The above article uses the following study as a reference:
http://www.erowid.org/plants/kava/kava_journal16.shtml
and other papers here:
http://www.erowid.org/plants/kava/kava_journal.shtml
I must say I swear completely by Kava kava for its relaxing properties. I sometimes find it extremely difficult to sleep at night, which leads to exessive worrying that I can't sleep, which leads to me not sleeping etc
Blackmores KavaKava complex (atallgoodhealthfoodstores). The recommend dose before bed is 3 capsuals, but I find 2 is well and truely enough to send me into la la land. 3 capsuals I would almost equate to a temazepam dose for sleeping, without waking up and feeling at all shitty. In fact its a really good sleep that is achieved.
A little concerned about the liver damage thing. I wonder if this is a case of 'everything is dangerous if enough is consumed'. Is there any indictation of the type of quanities involved?
[ 10 April 2002: Message edited by: Soma ]
Blackmores KavaKava complex (atallgoodhealthfoodstores). The recommend dose before bed is 3 capsuals, but I find 2 is well and truely enough to send me into la la land. 3 capsuals I would almost equate to a temazepam dose for sleeping, without waking up and feeling at all shitty. In fact its a really good sleep that is achieved.
A little concerned about the liver damage thing. I wonder if this is a case of 'everything is dangerous if enough is consumed'. Is there any indictation of the type of quanities involved?
[ 10 April 2002: Message edited by: Soma ]
BigTrancer
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Just remember to carefully research the supplements you're taking - when trying to 'protect' your liver or mess about with metabolic rates, some of the supplements you may encounter will be very hazardous to combine for example with MDMA.
This example, though, that Tarsarlan has mentioned seems to be a very helpful one: The major helpful chemical in milk thistle is called silymarin, and is acknowleged to have anti-oxidant and hepatoprotective actions (the anti-oxidant strength of milk thistle is said to be considerably stronger than even Vitamin E). Extracts of milk thistle are sometimes examined for treatment alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver, and acute viral hepatitis (incidentally milk thistle is also an antidote to Death Cap mushroom poisoning, which kills by causing damage to liver cells.
Please take care with combining chemicals which work on the liver, and research your drug combinations carefully.
BigTrancer
This example, though, that Tarsarlan has mentioned seems to be a very helpful one: The major helpful chemical in milk thistle is called silymarin, and is acknowleged to have anti-oxidant and hepatoprotective actions (the anti-oxidant strength of milk thistle is said to be considerably stronger than even Vitamin E). Extracts of milk thistle are sometimes examined for treatment alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver, and acute viral hepatitis (incidentally milk thistle is also an antidote to Death Cap mushroom poisoning, which kills by causing damage to liver cells.
Please take care with combining chemicals which work on the liver, and research your drug combinations carefully.
BigTrancer
MezZedUp
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Soma, there was no indications of doseage levels in the article, I'll do a search later this evening when I've got some time to see if I can find anything relevant to that. The recommendation (from the Complementary Healthcare Council) to use kava for only 4 weeks at a time suggests that following the packet directions for that amount of time, or less frequently should be handled by most healthy livers. I think the main thing is to not ignore signs of potential liver damage associated with use of kava.
As Tarsalan said above, the use of Milk Thistle for maintaining healthy liver function may be a good protective measure, but there's unlikely to be any substantive information about the success of this additional supplementation.
As Tarsalan said above, the use of Milk Thistle for maintaining healthy liver function may be a good protective measure, but there's unlikely to be any substantive information about the success of this additional supplementation.
BigTrancer
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This may be of interest (NB: Just stumbled onto it while looking up something else, haven't read through it fully).
Response to concerns about Piper methysticum Forst. f., Kava. A submission prepared by the Traditional Medicines Evaluation Committee (TMEC), a subcommittee of the European Herbal Practitioners Association.
Submission Date: 11/1/02
Introduction
This submission has been written by TMEC in response to a report recently circulated by the German BfArM. This agency has recently advised that there have been a number of adverse events associated with the use of concentrated standardised preparations of kava reported from Germany and Switzerland.
Kava is a significant herbal medicine with some unique properties and the ability of herbal practitioners to care for their patients would be seriously affected if its use were restricted and they were unable to use it. This TMEC submission argues that many of the adverse events cited by BfArM ought not to be attributed to kava and that, in addition, the properties of concentrated standardised extracts, as opposed to those preparations which approximate to traditional kava use, may be a contributory factor in causing adverse events. This paper proposes a number of simple measures that will ensure that kava may continue to be safely available in the UK.
Full article at: http://www.nimh.org.uk/kava_mcadefence0102.htm
BigTrancer