Kava Can Help Decrease Anxiety
Anxiety disorders are among the most common psychiatric disorders today. They are commonly treated with talk therapy, medications or both (12Trusted Source, 13Trusted Source).
Many types of medications are available, but they may come with unwanted side effects and can be habit-forming (14Trusted Source).
This has increased the demand for presumably safe, natural remedies like kava.
The first long-term study investigating the effects of kava extract in people with anxiety was published in 1997 (15Trusted Source).
Compared to a placebo, it significantly decreased the severity of participants’ perceived anxiety.
The researchers also noted no side effects related to withdrawal or dependency, whereas these effects are common with other drugs often used to treat anxiety (14Trusted Source).
Since this study, several other studies have demonstrated the benefits of kava on anxiety. A review of 11 of these studies concluded that kava extract is an effective treatment for anxiety (16Trusted Source).
What’s more, another review of a specific kava extract came to a similar conclusion, reporting that it could be used as an alternative to certain anxiety drugs and other antidepressants (17Trusted Source).
Recent research has continued to find evidence that kava is effective for anxiety