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This Sunday Heidi Chang |
UH scientist gets to the
root of kava’s reputationWhen scientists at the University of Hawaii at Manoa meet to discuss their kava research, they start off by sharing a bowl of kava, a Pacific Island drink.
"Kava has the quality of making people peaceful and therefore we don't fight in our research meeting," says C.S. Tang, chuckling.
HEIDI CHANG
C.S. Tang relaxes in his office.
Tang's given name is Chung-Shih, which means "worship of truth." That's a good name for the Chinese-born scientist, who believes he may have solved the mystery that caused Germany to ban kava in 2002, with other countries following suit.
Tang's findings will be published in the May issue of the journal Phytochemistry.
The College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources professor did the research with help from his graduate student Klaus Dragull.
They were puzzled about why German authorities suddenly made allegations that dietary supplements made from kava extracts were linked to 37 cases of liver problems.
South Pacific islanders have been drinking kava in ceremonial and social gatherings for 3,000 years and haven't suffered from acute liver problems. Polynesian settlers brought kava to Hawaii, where it's known as "awa."
The kava-liver controversy crippled a multimillion dollar industry worldwide, devastating kava farmers in the South Pacific and Hawaii, the only commercial growers of kava in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning about a possible link between kava use and liver damage, but did not ban kava.
Hawaii had been exporting kava to Germany until World War II. In the mid 1990s, demand for kava in Europe and the United States prompted kava's comeback in Hawaii. The price of kava increased, too.
The traditional drink is made by grinding the roots of the plant and straining it in water.
However, Tang says he has evidence manufacturers knowingly extracted parts of the kava plant not normally used -- the stem peelings. Manufacturers apparently bought these waste products because they were cheaper than roots but still contained ingredients valued for their calming effects.
In his paper, Tang describes how a natural toxin called pipermethystine was found in the stem peelings and leaves. He warns people not to consume those parts of the plant.
Tang also worked with CTAHR professor Pratibha Nerurkar, and discovered that pipermethystine damaged human liver cell cultures. So far, the FDA has not commented on Tang's paper.
Tang believes drinking kava the traditional way is safe. Others, like kava grower Ed Johnston on the Big Island agree that "the ancient people knew it all along."
Jason Keoni Verity first drank kava as part of Hawaiian protocol in carving outrigger canoes. He calls the use of kava "an expression of culture and identity."
In 1999, Verity opened Hale Noa (house without restrictions) in Honolulu -- the first kava cafe in the United States in recent times. Today there are six kava cafes nationwide. Verity serves fresh kava from Pu'u O Hoku Ranch on Molokai and says business is improving.
Hale Noa has become a nightly hangout for locals and tourists who come to drink the traditional beverage that looks like muddy water and tastes pretty earthy, too.
Jonathan Yee, who sells kava from his Web site Hawaiiankavacenter.com, also stops by. While he's optimistic about Tang's research, Yee says "a lot more needs to be done." That's why he's organizing "A Hawaii Pacific Islands Kava Festival" at the Lyon Arboretum this fall.
Meanwhile, another CTAHR scientist, Amy Brown, is working on a study to determine if drinking kava affects the liver.
As they raise bowls of kava, many in Hawaii hope the UH team of researchers and other scientists around the world will continue to seek the truth.
If you'd like to participate in a study to screen the liver function via blood tests of kava and non-kava drinkers, contact Amy Brown at 808-956-3846 or e-mail Amybrown@hawaii.edu.
Heidi Chang is a freelance writer and producer. She is one of four local columnists who take turns writing "This Sunday."
