A cultural beverage that has been consumed by Pacific Islanders for thousands of years is now deemed safe to drink by state health experts.
The Hawai‘i Department of Health on Tuesday declared the drink as generally "safe" to drink in response to a 2020 U.S. Food and Drug Administration memorandum stating that kava wasn’t approved for consumption.
Kava, also known as ʻawa in Hawaiian, is prepared by pounding the roots of the plant and soaking it in water. The drink's active ingredients, specifically kavalactones, have been known to produce numbing and anxiety-reducing effects on the human body.
“The (2020 FDA) memo doesn’t really do a good job of clarifying what the studies were regarding kavalactone extraction using acetone and other organics, as opposed to steeping the root in water, which was the traditional method of preparation and consumption for Pacific Islanders,” said environmental health program manager Michael Burke in an email.
He said the ingredient's levels were up to 10 times higher compared to extracting using water.
“DOH’s determination is to clarify that traditional preparation and consumption are, distinguished from organic extraction and that based on federal and state regulations, we can determine ‘awa as safe provided it’s prepared traditionally, as it has been done for thousands of years throughout the Pacific,” Burke continued.
The state health experts say any other preparation of ‘awa will be unapproved by the DOH and violates state law.
