Yaqona, Grog and the Nakamal: Kava Culture Across the Pacific
Almost no important occasion in the Pacific takes place without a bowl being mixed and shared. Kava sits at the very heart of hospitality and ceremony.
Does Kava Work for Anxiety? What the Trials Actually Show
Across multiple trials, standardised kava extract has outperformed placebo for anxiety — but the long-term picture is genuinely unsettled. An honest reading holds both in view.
What Kava Does: Kavalactones and the Calm Without the Fog
Kava relaxes the body and eases tension while leaving the mind reasonably clear. The reason is a family of compounds that gently modulate the brain’s calming system.
How to Prepare Traditional Kava: The Water Method
No boiling, no steeping in hot water, no spirit — just ground root, cool water and patient kneading. Here is the classic way to make a bowl.
The Kava Plant: Botany, Cultivars and the Sterile Clone
Kava is a shrub of the pepper family whose power lives underground. It sets no viable seed, so every plant is a clone passed from hand to hand.
A Short History of Kava, from Vanuatu to the World
Kava was domesticated in northern Vanuatu some three thousand years ago and carried across the Pacific by seafaring islanders. Here is the long arc of its story.