Piper kwashoense

Among communities of Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, and Hawaii, Piper methysticum—commonly called kava—has long been prepared as a beverage from the roots and rhizomes. In Fiji, Fijians traditionally boiled or steeped chopped roots in water to make a calming drink taken at social and ceremonial gatherings (Lebot & Legendre, 2016; Ernst, 2007). On Vanuatu, Melanesian groups have also brewed fresh or pounded roots as a decoction for a social, mildly sedative drink, often shared after work (Lebot & Legendre, 2016). In Hawaii, Native Hawaiians historically made a “kava” infusion from roots as an important ceremonial and social beverage (Handy et al., 1972).

While water extracts are the hallmark of kava, tinctures have also been used in contemporary ethnobotanical practice. Traditional practitioners in Fiji and Tonga have prepared a 1:5 ethanol tincture from ground roots, typically over several weeks in brown glass, drawing on documentation of kava’s use in traditional medicine and as a social beverage (Ernst, 2007; Lebot & Legendre, 2016). Stated purposes in these Pacific contexts include relaxation, reduction of anxiety, and relief from pain, with roots and rhizomes as the plant parts used (Lebot & Legendre, 2016).

A traditional mild tea can be made from fresh or dried roots. Roughly 30 g of chopped root and rhizome is boiled in 500 ml of water for 20–30 minutes, then cooled and strained. The tea is consumed in small bowls at social events and for its mild calming effect (Lebot & Legendez, 2016; Ernst, 2007). Safety: quality matters—traditional water extracts are preferred; modern concerns about hepatotoxicity relate primarily to high‑dose ethanolic extracts and poor‑quality raw material; avoid using kava with other sedatives or during pregnancy and breastfeeding unless advised by a clinician (WHO, 2007).

The calming effects of Piper methysticum are associated with its unique profile of kavalactones—including kawain, methysticin, demethoxyyangonin, dihydromethysticin, yangonin, and dihydrokawain—compounds reported from roots and rhizomes that align with the beverage’s traditional relaxing use (Lebot & Legendre, 2016). Today, water-based kava drinks remain common throughout the Pacific, while standardized capsules and tinctures are sold in international markets and are the subject of continuing pharmacological research (Lebot & Legendre, 2016; Ernst, 2007; WHO, 2007).

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