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Kava extract for treating anxiety.

M H Pittler1, E Ernst

  • 1Department of Complementary Medicine, University of Exeter, 25 Victoria Park Road, Exeter, Devon, UK, EX2 4NT. M.H.Pittler@ex.ac.uk

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|June 22, 2002
PubMed
Summary
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Kava extract shows superiority over placebo for anxiety treatment, with mild and infrequent side effects. Further rigorous studies are recommended to confirm its efficacy and safety.

Area of Science:

  • Herbal medicine
  • Psychopharmacology
  • Evidence-based medicine

Background:

  • Synthetic anxiolytics cause adverse events, and psychological interventions are often impractical.
  • An effective and safe oral medication for anxiety is needed.
  • Kava extract (Piper methysticum) is a potential alternative treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review evidence from clinical trials on kava extract for anxiety.
  • To assess the efficacy and safety of kava extract compared to placebo.

Main Methods:

  • Searched multiple databases (Medline, Embase, etc.) for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of kava extract for anxiety.
  • Included only RCTs of oral kava extract mono-preparations versus placebo.
  • Systematically extracted data and evaluated methodological quality using the Jadad scoring system.

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Main Results:

  • Seven trials met inclusion criteria, all suggesting kava extract is superior to placebo.
  • Meta-analysis of three studies showed a significant treatment effect favoring kava extract (WMD: 9.7, 95% CI: 3.5–15.8).
  • Adverse events reported were mild, transient, and infrequent.

Conclusions:

  • Kava extract appears superior to placebo and relatively safe for anxiety treatment.
  • Findings support kava extract as a potential therapeutic option.
  • Further rigorous research is warranted to confirm efficacy and safety.