Research Guides: Traditional Pacific Island Crops: Kava

Key Web Resources for Kava (Piper methysticum)

Piper methysticum is known by many indigenous names throughout the Pacific. Among the most well known are ‘awa in Hawaii, kava in Tonga, sakau in Pohnpei, and yoqona in Fiji. Outside of the Pacific region, it is commonly known as kava. The greatest genetic diversity of kava is in Melanesia, especially Vanuatu which is considered the most likely place of origin. Kava was carried throughout the Pacific by ancient voyaging societies.

The most important kava product continues to be the traditional beverage made from the roots and stump of the plant. Modern pharmaceutical uses are based on the psychoactive properties of the kavalactones. Because of its use in modern and alternative medicines, kava has become a valuable cash crop in the Pacific. However, much of what is produced is still consumed locally. Most production occurs in Vanuatu, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Pohnpei, and Hawaii.

IN THIS BOX are links to COMPREHENSIVE or OVERVIEW web resources on this crop.

For web resources on SPECIFIC TOPICS, select the appropriate category in the BOX BELOW.

Farm and Forestry Production and Marketing Profile for Kava (Piper methysticum)
(S.C. Nelson. 2009. Specialty Crops for Pacific Island Agroforestry) Covers cultivation, harvest, processing, composition, economics and marketing; includes references. (1.9 Mb PDF file)
Hawaiian 'Awa: Views of an Ethnobotanical Treasure (part 1 of 2)
(Ed Johnston and Helen Rogers, eds. rev. 2010. Association for Hawaiian 'Awa) Chapters cover Hawaiian cultural information, active ingredients and chemistry, Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian cultivar information, and preparation. Also includes information on production and integrated pest management. (Second part available here.)
Hawaiian 'Awa - Piper methysticum: A Study In Ethnobotany
(Kawika Winter. 2004. MS Botany thesis, UH Manoa) Covers all aspects of the history, production, and use of 'awa (kava) in Hawaii. (2.82 Mb PDF file)

Specific Topics for Kava (Piper methysticum)

No free, full-text resources have been found for this specific topic.

In many cases, the documents linked in the Key Web Resources section above will provide some information on this topic. Additional information may also be available by searching the resources in the Databases tab.

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Pacific Kava: A Producer's Guide
(Tom Osborn. 2001. Secretariat of the Pacific Community) This guide provides information on improved farming methods for kava production in the Pacific including harvesting and postharvest handling and marketing. A separate section provides information on production in Hawaii. (5.4 Mb PDF file)

Integrated Pest Management for 'Awa (Piper methysticum)
(Scot Nelson. 2005. CTAHR, UH Manoa) Problems with kava production in Hawaii include kava dieback viral disease, Pythium root rot, root-knot nematode, Phoma shot hole, melon aphids, node rot, weeds, and various other pests are described. Recommended IPM and best management strategies are given. (1.1 Mb PDF file)
Kava Pest and Disease Image Gallery (Hawaii)
(Scot Nelson, CTAHR, University of Hawaii at Manoa) Online quick reference for kava growers in Hawaii and the Pacific. "More than 100 digital photos of pests and diseases of Hawaiian ‘awa (kava, Piper methysticum L.) in Hawaii and several reference articles are provided here to help growers diagnose their pest or disease problems."
The Pacific Islands Pest List Database
(Secretary of the Pacific Community) This database contains records of pests and diseases that are currently known to affect agriculture, forestry and the environment in Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs). Country pest lists are currently available for Samoa, Tonga, Niue, French Polynesia, Fiji, American Samoa, Cook Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, FSM, Palau and Marshall Islands. The database can be also be searched by crop; use either English common name or botanical name. The database contains records for all of the crops covered by this Web site.
Plant Pests and Insects Publications (Agricultural Pests of the Pacific)
(ADAP Project. 2000) Leaflet series with color photographs of insect pests and crop damage. Includes pests of banana, betel nut, breadfruit, cassava, coconut, kava, pandanus, sugarcane, sweet potato, and taro. All available in PDF format.
Plant Disease, 1997 - present
(College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR), UH Manoa) Access to free full text in pdf format of the College's plant disease publications. The collection includes publications on diseases of banana, coconut, kava ('awa), noni, sweet potato, and taro.

No free, full-text resources have been found for this specific topic.

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Re-evaluation of Kava (Piper methysticum)
(E. Ernst. 2007. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 64(4): 415-417.) Kava (Piper methysticum), a herbal anxiolytic drug was banned in the UK and other countries. About 70 case reports had suggested hepatotoxicity. This article summarizes the research since the ban. Several theories have emerged to explain possible mechanisms of toxicity. Yet uncertainty as to whether or not kava is hepatotoxic prevails. (Open access; free full text)
Kava: Herbal Panacea or Liver Poison?
(R..F Moulds RF and J. Malani. 2003. Medical Journal of Australia 178(9):451-3.) Following reports of liver toxicity, including liver failure, associated with extracts from the Pacific islands plant kava (Piper methysticum), these have been banned from sale as a herbal anxiolytic in many Western countries, to the detriment of Pacific island economies. Pacific Islanders have used kava extensively for centuries, without recognised liver toxicity. For both economic and public health reasons, it is important to determine if kava is inherently hepatotoxic, and what the mechanisms of toxicity are. (Open access; free full text.)
The Pacific Islands Food Composition Tables, 2nd ed.
(Cecily Dignan, Barbara Burlingame, Shailesh Kumar and William Aalbersberg. 2004. FAO) Food tables for a large variety of foods consumed in Pacific Islands. There are 22 nutrients in the main body of the tables, which are presented in a fixed format for each record. The order of presentation is based on major nutrient categories and convention.

No free, full-text resources have been found for this specific topic.

Please email us if you know of resources for this page.

Federated States of Micronesia - Merchandise Trades Statistics
(Federated States of Micronesia, Division of Statistics) Provides dollar value of exports for banana, kava, betel nuts, copra, and root crops for 2000 through 2006.
Kava - National Agricultural Statistics Service (Hawaii)
The report on Hawaii production of kava was discontinued after 2003. This page provides access to reports from 2000 to 2003 in PDF format under the heading Sugarcane and Specialty Crops.

H.C. "Skip" Bittenbender (CTAHR, University of Hawaii at Manoa)
Extension Specialist in Fruits and Nuts; crop research interests include kava. Projects include: kava variety germplasm maintenance and comparison of solvents for kavalactone determination in kava.
Scot C. Nelson (CTAHR, University of Hawaii at Manoa)
Plant pathology and disease management; crop research interests include bananas, kava ('awa), and noni. Projects include: banana bunchy top and banana farming.
Alvin S. Huang (CTAHR, University of Hawaii at Manoa)
Food chemist; crop research interests include bananas, breadfruit, kava, and taro.
Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Land Resources Division
Working in partnership with its 26 members and with regional and international agencies, SPC assists the people of the region by delivering a wide range of technical, research, educational and planning services. The Land Resources Division provides assistance and does research on a variety of Pacific crops including banana, breadfruit, cassava, kava, pandanus, sweet potato, taro and other aroids, and yam. Land Resources Division (LRD) has established an email based Helpdesk system to provide technical advisory support to Pacific Island Countries & Territories (PICTs).
`Awa Development Council
The ‘Awa Development Council (ADC) is devoted exclusively to educational, science, and religious activities.

AgEcon Search
(University of Minnesota and Agricultural and Applied Economics Association) AgEcon Search collects, indexes, and electronically distributes full text copies of scholarly research in the broadly defined field of agricultural economics including sub disciplines such as agribusiness, food supply, natural resource economics, environmental economics, policy issues, agricultural trade, and economic development.
PubAg
(National Agricultural Library, USDA) PubAg is a portal to USDA-authored and other highly relevant agricultural research. At launch, it delivered over 40,000 full-text journal articles by USDA staff and includes nearly 450,000 citations. Open access; no login required.
ScholarSpace - UH Manoa
(University of Hawaii at Manoa Library) ScholarSpace is UH Manoa's institutional repository. It provides free Web access to many of the University's publications. It includes both legacy publications and current research papers, journal articles, books, and conference proceedings. All are available in full text as PDF files. Try using the Advanced Search and enter the English common name or the botanical name.
AGRICOLA: 1970 - present
(National Agricultural Library, USDA) Citations, most with abstracts, to journal articles, books, theses, technical reports, and other publications in agriculture and related areas such as nutrition, biotechnology, and botany. Use the Keyword Search and enter the English common name or the botanical name.
AGRIS: 1975 - present
(FAO) International database covering agricultural sciences and technology containing citations for conventional and non-conventional ("grey") literature. Search using the English common name or the botanical name.
PubMed (Medline): 1946 - present
(U.S. National Library of Medicine, NIH) Citations with abstracts for journal articles in biology and medicine including botany and nutrition. Citations may include links to free full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites. Search using the English common name or the botanical name.
Sorting Piper Names - Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database
(Snow Barlow. 2007. University of Melbourne) Lists approved botanical names and synonyms and provides common names in a number of languages.

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