We have put forward a case to the Registrar of Medicines for our case to unban Kava Kava through the Medicines Control Counsil of South Africa. I will post their response to this page once they have evaluated the evidence I have presented to them. For those interested in reading the body of the email, it contains the following: Good Day, I would like to present my statement to the MCC with clinical trials to back up my statement hoping that you would consider changing the legal status of Kava Kava (Piper Methysticum) from a banned substance to a legal herbal supplement in line with Valerian Root. From my understanding Kava was banned in South Africa by the MCC due to concerns over potential liver toxicity, Europe has since lifted the ban after various clinical trials showed the root of kava kava to be non-hepatoxic and extremely effective at treating anxiety In addition to this, it also possesses sedative and antidepressant properties and one trial has even shown that the root of kava potential to reduce the incidence of lung cancer by 99%. I would like to begin by pointing to clinical trials on efficacy and safety: Organization: University of Melborne (Australia) Publish Date: May 13 2013 Summary: A world-first completed clinical study by an Australian team has found Kava, a medicinal South Pacific plant, significantly reduced the symptoms of people suffering anxiety. Additional Quotes: Kava was also well tolerated. Results showed no significant differences across the two groups for liver function which had previously been a concern for Kavas medicinal use. Link: sciencedaily/releases/2013/05/130513095750.htm Organization: University of Queensland (Australia) Publish Date: May 11 2009 Summary: Weve been able to show that Kava offers a natural alternative for the treatment of anxiety, and unlike some pharmaceutical options, has less risk of dependency and less potential of side effects Additional Quotes: We also found that Kava has a positive impact on reducing depression levels, something which had not been tested before Link: uq.edu.au/news/article/2009/05/uq-research-finds-kava-safe-and-effective Clinical Trial showing equal efficacy when compared to Opipramol and Buspirone: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12807341 In addition to this it has also been shown to reduce the incidence of lung cancer by 99%: journalgazette.net/article/20140108/NEWS10/140109432/1005/news10 If I might also add some speculation, it is well known that Kava leaves and stems are hepatoxic and therefore should still be banned, even though the exportation of stems and leaves of kava is now illegal in the South Pacific. Many extracts that were produced by pharmaceutical companies used the stems and leaves to create their extracts, this could be of concern as the stems and leavs are known to be hepatoxic. In other words, Kava is much like a potato; the root is suitable for human consumption but the leaves and stems are toxic and as such; all parts of the plant except kava kava root should still be banned, this includes ethanol extracts (which have been made from stems and leaves before) as well as dried leaf and stem. However, Kava root powder has never been shown to be hepatoxic even in areas where it is grown and consumed in large quantities such as Vanuatu. In addition to all this, the MCC could save the department of health millions of rands by allowing the use of kava root powder, since it is inexpensive and proven to be as effective as antidepressants yet safer than benodiazepine therapy when taken into the context of those suffering from anxiety disorders. I urge the MCC to reconsider its stance on Kava Kava, as it is an invaluable natural treatment that could change the lives of millions suffering from anxiety, insomnia, depression and maybe even cancer. Kind Regards, Kent Van Heerden
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 15:20:03 +0000
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