Europe may lift kava ban

Taken from an article in the Fiji Times.

The bank on kava exports by Europe's leading herbal medicine markets may be lifted by the end of the year according to the International Kava Executive Council. The Council is confident the ban would be lifted following recent scientific findings in favour of the popular Pacific herb.

The Council said, in the meantime, they were working on establishing uniform standards, procedures and operations for the kava trade to ensure quality control. Kava producing countries will start working on legislation, establishment of uniform standards, procedures and operation of services to provide quality control support so all countries comply with the market standards.

The Council is also studying the expansion of the kava trade to markets in India and China.

The Council said that two studies conducted in Germany and at the Ohio University, USA, on kava produced favourable results. The study in Germany included cultivating human liver cells and assessed if the cells died once dosage of kava was used but it proved that there was no toxicity in the liver cells.

The Council said that another experiment conducted on less damaged liver with a dosage of kava and it proved to have a liver protection action that also helps with cancer.