UH study looking for people who drink kava

By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

The University of Hawai'i is looking for a few good kava drinkers. And a few people who don't drink kava.

Amy Brown, assistant professor of nutrition at the UH department of human nutrition, food and animal studies, will be comparing liver function between the two groups. "In Europe, they've had several reports of kava pills possibly causing liver problems," she said.

Brown and researchers in other departments of the university want to know whether the type of kava drink used in the Pacific Basin region has similar associations.

Kava, a plant related to the pepper vine, is known in Hawai'i as 'awa. Its root, mashed or in powder form, is the source of a drink used ceremonially and for its calming effects.

The UH study is observational, Brown said. That means one group in the study will comprise people who have been drinking kava but they will not be provided kava by the researchers. Fifty kava drinkers and 50 people who do not drink kava will be tested.

Participants must be 18 to 64 years old and in good health. They should not be heavy alcohol drinkers or needle users, should not be using kava pills and should not have any known liver problems.

In exchange for 2 tablespoons of blood and a few moments spent filling out a questionnaire, subjects will get a $20 gift certificate to Ala Moana Shopping Center.

Those interested in participating may call at 956-3846 or e-mail amybrown@hawaii.edu.

Or, they may attend the Hawaii and Pacific Islands Kava Festival from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, at Lyon Arboretum, where Brown can be found signing up research subjects. For more information on the kava festival, call 988-0464 or visit www.kavafestival.org.