Using kava-containing dietary fill...

Using kava-containing dietary fill ups carries the potential risk of hard liver injury, according to a March 25 2002 consumer advisory from the US forage and Drug Administration. A plant indigenous to the southerly Pacific, kava (ie, Piper methysticum) is used in correlatives that aid in relaxation, sleeplessnes and menopausal symptoms, among others.

Regulatory agencies in several countries, including Germany, Switzerland, France, Canada, and the United Kingdom, have taken action against kava as well. These actions range from warning consumer to removing kava-containing productions from shelves. Liver-related injuries have been linked to kava in more than 25 reports of adverse circumstances in other countries. Officials in the United States have received reports of a previously healthy female who took kava and required a liver transplantation.

folks with liver disease or question s and those taking medications that affect the liver should deliberate a physician before taking kava. commonalty using kava-containing products who experience signs of illness associated with liver disease also should deliberate together a physician. These symptoms include jaundice, brown urine, nausea, vomiting, light-colored stool, unusual tiredness, weakness, stomach or abdominal pain, and los of appetite.

Kava's personality in a supplement should be noted in succession the product's label. Many names commonly are used for kava, including

* ava,

* ava pepper

* awa,

* intoxicating pepper

* kava,

* kava kava,

* kava pepper

* kava root

* kava-kava,

* kawa,

* kawa kawa,

* kawa-kawa,

* kew

* Piper methysticum,

* Piper methysticum Forst.f.,

* Piper methysticum G Forst.,

* rauschpfeffer,

* sakau,

* tonga,

* wurzelstock, and

* yangona.

Kava-containing Dietary addition s May Be Associated with bitter Liver Injury (consumer advisory, Rockville, Md: Center for nutriment Safely and Applied Nutrition, US nourishment and Drug Administration, March 25 2002) http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/addskava.html (accessed 9 April 2002)

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