Kava

FDA Issues Consumer Advisory for Dietary Supplements Containing Kava

On March 25, 2002, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an advisory notifying consumers that kava-containing dietary supplements may be associated with severe liver injury. The FDA reported that kava-containing products have been associated with liver-related injuries, including hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver failure, in over 25 reports of adverse events in other countries. In the U.S., FDA received a report of a previously healthy young female who required liver transplantation, as well as several reports of liver-related injuries.

• FDA Consumer Advisory: Kava-Containing Dietary Supplements May be Associated with Severe Liver Injury (3/25/2002)

FDA Memorandum: Literature Review of Safety of Kava

•  Review of the published literature pertaining to the safety of Kava for use in conventional foods (8/11/2020) 

CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

• Hepatic Toxicity Possibly Associated with Kava-Containing Products — United States, Germany, and Switzerland, 1999–2002 (11/29/2002)

Other Resources

• Kava (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health [NCCIH], Updated: 8/2020) 
• Kava Kava (LiverTox, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Updated: 4/2018)