Acute effects of kava on measures of cognitive performance, physiological function and mood

Volunteer subjects were assigned to receive a mixture of the intoxicating substance, kava, in a mixture with fruit juice, or juice alone. Subjects then undertook tasks of acute cognitive functioning, including reaction time and tracking tasks, and a measure of body sway. Heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure were recorded and subjects were asked to rate their degree of intoxication and complete a stress/arousal check list. Subjects receiving kava reported feelings of intoxication which peaked approximately one hour after kava ingestion. Compared to the group receiving juice alone, the group receiving kava also had increased body sway. There were no other statistically significant differences between groups, although the mean cognitive performance of the group receiving kava was generally poorer.