Kava has a centuries-old reputation as a calming beverage in the South Pacific, able to soothe one's worries away and bring ultimate tranquility for a few pleasant hours after it's consumed. Kava's undeniable calming effects have turned it into a popular herbal supplement in the West for treating chronic stress, nerves, and occasional sleeplessness.* However, researchers have begun to look into whether kava may do more than help users achieve calm in the moment; some research now suggests that kava may actually allow people to cope better with stress over time.

One of the many detriments of chronic stress is that it can end up perpetuating itself by causing symptoms such as indigestion, nerves or anxiety, aches and pains, and sleeplessness, all of which cause you to become even more stressed out. By using kava or another herbal remedy to support physical and mental relaxation*, you are breaking the stress cycle and allowing your body's natural reserves to rally and restore the balance disrupted by stress.

With kava, this seems to be especially true of emotional imbalance and mental stress: a kava supplement can help support healthier mood changes* and reduce the kind of groundless mental stress that can make everyday activities a challenge. In the process, kava can help bring the emotions back into their normal equilibrium* and establish normal responses to everyday stressors, rather than the exaggerated ones that come with chronic stress. Many people have found that after they stop using a daily kava supplement, they still feel calmer than before as a result of this restored emotional equilibrium.*

Kava's lasting beneficial effects on mood are similar to the actions of a class of herbs called "adaptogens", plants that help the body cope with stress over time. While scientists are not sure how adaptogens work, in simplified form it seems that taking an adaptogen supplement can help bring the body's various systems into balance when these systems have become unbalanced due to chronic stress. For instance, many adaptogens help balance the hormones, increase overall energy levels, decrease hypersensitivity to light and noise that can manifest under stress, as well as working directly to lift mood and reduce feelings of being stressed out.

Ginseng (Panax ginseng) is probably the most renowned adaptogen so far discovered, followed by American ginseng (Panax quinquifolia), and Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus), which is actually not a member of the Panax genus at all. Other herbs with beneficial adaptogenic effects include Rhodiola rosea, ashwagandha root (Withania somnifera), schizandra (Schisandra chinensis), and of course, our beloved maca root (Lepidium mayenii), which you can experience direct from Kona Kava Farm! While kava kava does not affect as many body systems as a true adaptogen does, we believe that its lasting beneficial effects of reducing stress* and encouraging a healthier mood* mean that it can be a helpful addition to your stress-fighting toolkit.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to cure, treat, diagnose, or prevent any disease.