 KavaMarch 21, 2018 |
Deep breath!
Kava is a tropical shrub in the pepper family native to Pacific islands like Fiji, Vanuatu, and Hawaii. For millennia, its macerated roots have been steeped in water to create a bitter, muddy beverage known for its relaxing properties, traditionally consumed in ceremonies and social gatherings.
Wait, did someone just say relaxing properties? That's enough to make the ears of anxiety-addled people around the globe perk up (especially with headline treatments like a recent one in the New York Times, which dubbed kava "nature's Xanax").
Kava (not to be confused with Cava, the sparkling wine from Spain) isn't new to the world market: It was commonly marketed as a stress-relief supplement in the 1990s, before concerns about its potential toxicity led to restrictions in several countries. In 2007, a World Health Organization study suggested that adverse effects were rare, leading to a gradual loosening of regulations and piquing consumer interest.
This time, there's a healthy dose of the "artisanal" in the kava craze: The rise of kava bars in places like New York, San Francisco, and South Florida has heralded a surge in demand not seen since the '90s.
The comeback brings with it a renewed need for islands to regulate an ancient practice. Because while kava itself might be soothing, the modern market is suddenly pretty intense.
367%: Increase in the price of 1 kilogram of kava in the Fijian capital of Suva from 2016 to 2017
100: Approximate number of American kava bars on the market, up by about a third from 2012
26%: Increase in Vanuatu kava exports since 2016
$31 million: Value of kava produced by 21,000 farms on Fiji
$3.6 million: Amount that of kava exported
$118,000: Returns per acre on a kava crop after four years
Why is kava relaxing?
Kava consumption seems "to promote storytelling, socializing and acceptance—all useful for small, isolated villages that must function well together," according to the Times. Fijians say the contented feeling it imbues "aids discussion and conflict resolution." (Residents of another island, Manhattan, say the beverage chills them out so they can focus on work and socialize without intoxicants.)
But how does it work? The calming effects can be traced to the presence of kavalactones, a class of compounds concentrated in the roots of the plant. There have been 18 kavalactones identified to date, six of which are primarily responsible for kava's mild psychoactive effects, which boost dopamine and relax muscles. These compounds don't act directly on the brain itself; hence kava is not a drug. It's legal today in most of the world—only Poland has an outright ban. The US FDA has issued warnings before, but only regulated it as a supplement, not a controlled substance.
Is it entirely safe, and in what form and quantity? The verdict is still out.
"Bula!"
— A Fijian greeting and expression of good faith used before drinking kava.
"I'm dazed, but not confused."
A rat, sugarcane, and two hens
Although the kava (or kava kava) plant is widely believed to have originated on the islands of Vanuatu, a Samoan legend weaves together threads from a number of kava origin stories across the Melanesian islands.
The story goes that a young Samoan woman, returning from a stint in Fiji, noticed a rat chewing on two plants growing side-by-side. After chewing on the first plant, the rat fell asleep. When the rat woke up, it began chewing on the roots of the second plant, becoming more alert and animated. Noting this, the woman collected the plants with the assumption that the former must have soothing qualities, and the latter energetic properties.
Upon her return to Samoa, a chief from a neighboring island noticed how well the two plants were growing and traded two hens for the roots of the two plants. This legend explains how these twinned plants—sugar cane and kava—became central to the cultural foundations for the islands. Sugar cane is widely prescribed as a traditional antidote to the effects of kava kava.
Kava's long, strange trip
1400s: A flourishing kava trade between Vanuatu and Tonga is established, according to oral histories.
1772: Captain James Cook becomes the first European to try kava on his second Pacific voyage. Cook gave the plant its formal Latin name, Piper methysticum, or "intoxicating pepper."
1777: German naturalist Georg Forster introduces kava to Europe. An account detailing a kava ceremony is published in A Voyage Round the World.
1895: The New York Times publishes an account of an encounter with kava: "I was strongly reminded of soapsuds; but this unpleasant idea wore off after a time."
1986: While traveling through Fiji, Pope John Paul II enjoys a shell of kava with the prime minister.
1997: US sales of kava hit $30 million, as a wave of unregulated supplements promising its anxiety-reducing effects hit store shelves.
1998: Kava exports from Fiji spike almost 500% in one year.
2001: The root becomes a popular ingredient in "functional beverages" like VitaminWater, Snapple, and SoBe.
2002: A number of European countries ban the sales of kava after German scientists reported that the plant was responsible for 30 cases of liver toxicity.
2015: Germany lifts its ban.
2015: The first kava bar opens in New York City.
2017: Whole Foods names kava one of the year's top 10 ingredients.
Price surge
Prices of Kava have soared in the last two years, thanks to rising demand from overseas and a supply crunch caused by crop-destroying cyclones in Fiji and Vanuatu. A kilogram of kava that went for 30 Fijian dollars ($14) in 2016 was going for $140 a year later, according to Nikkei.
The bump in earnings "funded a solar power 'revolution' for much of the rural population, who were excluded from the national electricity grid," while also helping farmers finance their children's educations and buy Toyota Land Cruisers with kava money. (A Land Cruiser costs the equivalent of about 1,500 tons of raw kava.)
But some analysts worry about maintaining crop consistency through the boom. Kava plants take four to five years to cultivate, but rather than sticking to planting and harvesting schedules, many farmers end up pulling plants when they need cash.
There are also fears that farmers will be tempted to supplement crops with a faster-growing, easier to propagate, but potentially dangerous relative of kava. (Some growers have also resorted to mixing supply with sawdust or other filler to stretch supply.) As a result, many importers have partnered with labs to check the quality of their product, and Fiji's government is in the process of developing regulatory measures that would require registration for farmers and licensing for exporters.
How it's brewed
On Captain James Cook's second Pacific voyage (1772–1775), Georg Forster, a German naturalist aboard Cook's ship, recorded this description of classic kava preparation:
"[Kava] is made in the most disgustful manner that can be imagined, from the juice contained in the roots of a species of pepper-tree. This root is cut small, and the pieces chewed by several people, who spit the macerated mass into a bowl, where some water (milk) of coconuts is poured upon it. They then strain it through a quantity of fibers of coconuts, squeezing the chips, till all their juices mix with the coconut-milk; and the whole liquor is decanted into another bowl. They swallow this nauseous stuff as fast as possible; and some old topers value themselves on being able to empty a great number of bowls."
The modern method is a little different: Dried kava roots are ground into a fine powder, either by hand or machine. Then the powder is steeped in water. It doesn't completely dissolve, so to extract the kavalactones correctly it must be kneaded by hand (in cheese cloth, for example) or blended in a blender, and then strained. The result is a liquid a bit more viscous than tea, which shops might serve in a coconut shell as an homage to tradition.
Kava: The Drink of the Gods (1998) is a feature-length documentary from German ethnologist Thorolf Lipp about kava harvest, preparation, ceremony, and its central role in Melenesian culture.
The kava reddit is a great introduction to the practical and hilarious subculture that surrounds kava.
Poll What's your favorite "relaxing" beverage? |
In yesterday's poll about random stow, 55% of you said you won't be adopting chaos as an organization tactic until you can afford a robot.
Today's topic was suggested by Obsession reader Karen! Marley is also a kava fan, while Simon, Kathe, Ben, Paul, Mia, and Amy are all about tea.
Today's email was written by LinYee Yuan, edited by Jessanne Collins, and produced by Luiz Romero.
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