Kava

FDA Issues Consumer Advisory for Dietary Supplements Containing Kava

On March 25, 2002, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an advisory notifying consumers that kava-containing dietary supplements may be associated with severe liver injury. The FDA reported that kava-containing products have been associated with liver-related injuries, including hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver failure, in over 25 reports of adverse events in other countries. In the U.S., FDA received a report of a previously healthy young female who required liver transplantation, as well as several reports of liver-related injuries.

• FDA Consumer Advisory: Kava-Containing Dietary Supplements May be Associated with Severe Liver Injury (3/25/2002)
• Letter to Health Care Professionals: FDA Issues Consumer Advisory That Kava Products May be Associated with Severe Liver Injury (3/25/2002)
• Letter to Health Care Professionals about FDA Seeking Information on Liver Injury and Kava Products (12/19/2001)
• FDA Posts Safety Alert for Kava (12/19/2001)

CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

• Hepatic Toxicity Possibly Associated with Kava-Containing Products --- United States, Germany, and Switzerland, 1999--2002 (11/29/2002)

Other Resources

• Kava (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine)
• Kava Linked to Liver Damage (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Consumer Advisory, 7/23/2002)