Kavalactones and Chemotypes
jposer	I am really fascinated with the variations in Kavalactones in various varieties of Kava. I was wondering if the chemotypes are standard of each variety of Kava. Is the following list reasonably accurate? Honokan'iki 463251 (14.1%) Mahakea 426315 (13.0%) Nene 463251 (14%) Moi 436215 (20%) Panaewa 463215 (14.5%) Hanakapi'ai 462351 and 426315 (10.6-15.5%) Moloka'i Green 463215 (14%) Hiwa Black ? Kumakua ? Makea ? Or is there a standard list out there? And what about other Pacific varieties? Also, are there any general characteristics that can be attributed to each of the kavalactones? 1 - Demethoxy-yangonin (DMY) 2 - Dihydrokavain (DHK) 3 - Yangonin 4 - Kavain 5 - Dihydromethysticin (DHM) 6 - Methysticin Like which ones are better for sleep, pain relief, muscle relaxation, meditation? Which ones are longer-acting? I know it's a lot of questions, but I thought it might provoke some interesting discussion.[:)] Perhaps there is a good book, article, or web site that answers these questions?[?]
Ed Johnston	Chemotypes are generally standard to cultivar but even small variations of percents can change a chemotype. Also, the traditional practice of using lateral roots and stump (to make a beverage) can change a chemotype in that the chemotype of the root can differ (slightly) with the stump. Hawaii cultivars are almost always high in kavainand are excellent drinking 'awa. There are answers to all your questions in various research publications. For example, the Hawaiian cultivars were extensively researched in a 1999 Economic Botany [i]paper. Your list appears to reflect that paper. In that research, Hiwa was 462351 (11.2%); Kumakua (listed as-Kalapana) was 462351 (11.4%);Makea was not tested and is variation of Mahakea, some histories say they are just different spellings of the same cultivar some histories say they are off-shoots of one another, but different. Again, as to the different effects of the different kavalactones (KL), there is plenty of research and (probably) the best place to start is Lebot, et. al. "Kava-the Pacific Elixir". One final--very important-- thing to remember is that differing methods of extraction (for KL tests) can yield surprizingly different KL profiles. CO2, ethanol, chloroform, etc. there are many different ways to take out the KL of 'awa plant parts to study KL %, etc. and these different methods can show somewhat differing KL % and even chemotypes. I believe this is so because different solvents are better at taking out specific KL than others. The method used in the Economic Botany paper is thought to be one of the best. --Ed Johnston, Association for Hawaiian 'Awa
Figaro	Here are some resources, as posted by Ed Johnston to another bulletin board: -the most comprehensive study on individual kavalactone effects is probably Rudolf Hansel's work published in European Phytotherapy, Winter/1996-"Kava-kava in modern drug research: Portrait of a medicinal plant". -the most complete study of the chemotypes of Hawaiian cultivars of 'awa was published in Economic Botany (New York Botanical Garden) in Dec. 1999 53(4) pp.407-418. "Morphological, Phytochemical, and Genetic Variation in Hawaiian Cultivars of 'Awa". NYBG probably has a website, but if you cannot get a copy through them, the Association for Hawaiian 'Awa, P.O. Box 636, Pepe'ekeo, HI 96783 has a limited number of reprints.
Figaro	What has really baffled me is why neither the growers nor the herbal/pharmaceutical companies have sponsored some clinical trials to determine a "reasonable" HPLC model of kava combinations for each user group. For example, they could market a kava optimized for anxiety, or muscle relaxation, or recreational euphoria. Maybe they could use some of the synthetic kavalactones to supplement the natural varities. Those who like to experiment would still have the option of trying the different cultivars to determine which suits them the best. IMO, the kava industry lost an opportunity to get consumer support in the face of the current liver controversy. Many people tried the capsules, found them considerably lacking so really could care less that kava might be banned or restricted.