Stress, kava treatment

In a pilot study, 24 patients with stress-induced insomnia were treated for 6 weeks with kava 120 mg/day, followed by a 2-week washout period and then treatment with valerian 600 mg/day for another 6 weeks (4). Stress was measured in three areas, including social, personal, and life events, and insomnia was assessed by evaluating the time taken to fall... 

Wheatley D. Kava and valerian in the treatment of stress-induced insomnia. Phytother Res 2001 15(6) 549-51. 

In the 1990s, kava emerged as a popular item within the homeopathic and, more generally, the hohstic health and herbal marketplace. Today, kavalactones, sometimes combined with other substances in tonics or capsules, are on sale as dietary supplements in health food stores, pharmacies, and supermarkets around the world. By 1998, kava sales in the US reportedly had grown to about 20 million. Kava is packaged and marketed principally as a treatment for anxiety and stress, although other benefits of the plant are also touted. Aloha Seed Herb, for example, markets Kava-for-Health on the Internet ... 

In German phytomedicine, the dried rhizome and its preparations were used for conditions of nervous anxiety, stress, and unrest. Combined with pumpkin seed oil, kava extracts have been used in the treatment of irritable bladder syndrome. Use is contraindicated during pregnancy, lactation, and depression. The German monograph on the plant also notes that continuous use can cause temporary yellow discoloration of the skin, hair, and nails, or rare allergic skin reactions. May interact with alcohol, barbiturates, and other psychopharmaceuticals or interfere with operation of machinery or vehicles (weiss). ... 

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