Kava (Piper methysticum) in the United States: the quiet rise of a substance with often subtle effects.

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Title: Kava (Piper methysticum) in the United States: the quiet rise of a substance with often subtle effects.
Authors: Pont-Fernandez, Salma (AUTHOR), Kheyfets, Marina (AUTHOR), Rogers, Jeffrey M. (AUTHOR), Smith, Kirsten E. (AUTHOR), Epstein, David H. (AUTHOR)
Source: American Journal of Drug & Alcohol Abuse. 2023, Vol. 49 Issue 1, p85-96. 12p.
Subjects: Kava plant, Drug interactions, Social media, Kratom, Physical training & conditioning
Geographic Terms: United States
Abstract: Background: Piper methysticum, commonly called kava, has long been consumed in beverage form in the Pacific Islands. Kava use in the US has slowly increased since the 1990s, but is not assessed in major epidemiological surveys. Objectives: To analyze social-media posts about kava from current, past, and prospective users, for motivations, patterns of co-use, and effects. Methods: Text from Reddit posts, and accompanying metadata, were collected and thematically coded by two independent raters. Results: 423 posts were collected, spanning January 2006 through December 2021. Of the 1,211 thematic codes applied, 1,098 (90. 7%) were concordant. Motivations for use bifurcated into self-treatment (for psychiatric or physical health conditions) and recreation; these were not mutually exclusive. Kava was rarely considered strongly euphoriant, but was valued as an anxiolytic. Kava was frequently used with other substances, most commonly kratom. Kava was used at lower doses for self-treatment than for other purposes (pseudo-R2 = 0.11). Undesirable effects (gastrointestinal upset, fatigue) were mentioned, though less often than benefits. Hepatotoxicity, reported elsewhere as a rare, non-dose-related risk, was disputed on the basis of its not having been experienced by those posting. Conclusion: Kava appears to be conceptualized among Reddit posters as an anxiolytic with few risks or adverse effects. As it grows in popularity, especially among people who use other drugs that are more liable to misuse or addiction, it should be assessed in probability samples (i.e. in the major national drug surveys) and clinical practice for its risks, potential benefits, and possible drug-drug interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of American Journal of Drug & Alcohol Abuse is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Kava (Piper methysticum) in the United States: the quiet rise of a substance with often subtle effects.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Pont-Fernandez%2C+Salma%22">Pont-Fernandez, Salma</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kheyfets%2C+Marina%22">Kheyfets, Marina</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rogers%2C+Jeffrey+M%2E%22">Rogers, Jeffrey M.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Smith%2C+Kirsten+E%2E%22">Smith, Kirsten E.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Epstein%2C+David+H%2E%22">Epstein, David H.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22American+Journal+of+Drug+%26+Alcohol+Abuse%22">American Journal of Drug & Alcohol Abuse</searchLink>. 2023, Vol. 49 Issue 1, p85-96. 12p.
– Name: Subject
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Kava+plant%22">Kava plant</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Drug+interactions%22">Drug interactions</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+media%22">Social media</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Kratom%22">Kratom</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Physical+training+%26+conditioning%22">Physical training & conditioning</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22United+States%22">United States</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Background: Piper methysticum, commonly called kava, has long been consumed in beverage form in the Pacific Islands. Kava use in the US has slowly increased since the 1990s, but is not assessed in major epidemiological surveys. Objectives: To analyze social-media posts about kava from current, past, and prospective users, for motivations, patterns of co-use, and effects. Methods: Text from Reddit posts, and accompanying metadata, were collected and thematically coded by two independent raters. Results: 423 posts were collected, spanning January 2006 through December 2021. Of the 1,211 thematic codes applied, 1,098 (90. 7%) were concordant. Motivations for use bifurcated into self-treatment (for psychiatric or physical health conditions) and recreation; these were not mutually exclusive. Kava was rarely considered strongly euphoriant, but was valued as an anxiolytic. Kava was frequently used with other substances, most commonly kratom. Kava was used at lower doses for self-treatment than for other purposes (pseudo-R2 = 0.11). Undesirable effects (gastrointestinal upset, fatigue) were mentioned, though less often than benefits. Hepatotoxicity, reported elsewhere as a rare, non-dose-related risk, was disputed on the basis of its not having been experienced by those posting. Conclusion: Kava appears to be conceptualized among Reddit posters as an anxiolytic with few risks or adverse effects. As it grows in popularity, especially among people who use other drugs that are more liable to misuse or addiction, it should be assessed in probability samples (i.e. in the major national drug surveys) and clinical practice for its risks, potential benefits, and possible drug-drug interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of American Journal of Drug & Alcohol Abuse is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1080/00952990.2022.2140292
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        Text: English
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        Type: general
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      – SubjectFull: Social media
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      – SubjectFull: Kratom
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      – SubjectFull: Physical training & conditioning
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      – SubjectFull: United States
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      – TitleFull: Kava (Piper methysticum) in the United States: the quiet rise of a substance with often subtle effects.
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            NameFull: Pont-Fernandez, Salma
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              Text: 2023
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