Clinical Study Shows Medicinal Plant Kava Effective Against Anxiety Disorders, Increases Sex Drive

A clinical study by an Australian team found strong evidence that the medicinal plant Kava, found in the South Pacific region, significantly reduces the symptoms of people suffering anxiety, and as a positive side-effect also increases the sex drive in women.

The study shows that Kava, without side-effects or risk of addiction, can be a great alternative to pharmaceutical products for the millions of people who suffer from Generalised Anxiety Disorders (GAD)

Lead researcher, Dr Jerome Sarris from Department of Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne, said GAD is a complex condition that significantly affected people’s day-today lives. Existing medications have a modest clinical effect and new effective options were needed for patients with anxiety.
“Based on previous work we have recognised that plant based medicines may be a viable treatment for patients with chronic anxiety. In this study we've been able to show that Kava offers a potential natural alternative for the treatment of chronic clinical anxiety. Unlike some other options it has less risk of dependency and less potential for side effects,” he said.

During the eight-week study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 75 patients with clinically diagnosed Generalised Anxiety Disorder were given Kava or placebo, and anxiety levels were regularly assessed.

Participants in the Kava group were given tablets twice per day consisting of water-soluble extracted Kava (peeled rootstock) for a total dose of 120mg of kavalactones for the first three-week controlled phase.

Results showed a significant reduction in anxiety for the Kava group compared to the placebo group at the end of the study.

Following the completion of the controlled phase, 26 per cent of the Kava group were classified as in remission from their symptoms compared to six per cent of the placebo group.

An additional novel finding of the study, recently published in Phytotherapy Research was that Kava increased women’s sex drive compared to those in the placebo group, believed to be due to the reduction of anxiety, rather than any aphrodisiac effect.

The study was funded by the NHMRC and Integria Healthcare who manufacture MediHerb and Thompson’s Kava products.