CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – A new UVA Health study found calls to poison centers about kava, a drug from a Southeast Asia plant found in drinks marketed plentifully in the Charlottesville area and elsewhere as a healthy alternative to alcoholic beverages, rose 383% between 2011 and 2025.

The finding prompted UVA Health Blue Ridge Poison Center Director Dr. Chris Holstege to co-author of a new bulletin in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that these beverages sold at gas stations and vape shops also contain another drug from a Southeast Asia evergreen called kratom.

“Historically in the Pacific Islands, the kava root had traditionally been prepared as a water-based beverage, so they consumed this in cultural and social settings with relatively low reported health risks,” Dr. Holstege said in a UVA Health reporter conference call.

He said since the 1990s, kava-related drinks have become increasingly available in the United States that are often promoted as ‘alcohol-free social venues’.

“These commercial products are unregulated and differ substantially from traditional preparations in terms of plant material, extraction methods, and alkaloid which is the active ingredient within those products,” Dr. Holstege said.

He said the effects on our bodies is similar to valium.

And now, Dr. Holstege said, “The products sold in the United States have been associated with gastrointestinal problems, neurologic adverse effects, liver toxicity, and drug interactions that include the metabolism of drugs and an additive with central nervous system depressive effects.”

“We’re seeing this increase of products advertising both kava and kratom, which is another drug derived from a Southeast Asia evergreen.

“It’s a dangerous combo, and it all depends on the dose of the active ingredients of these two plants where kava has sedative effects, and kratom has opioid effects.”

That means combined, they have increased adverse neurological effects they’re seeing much more often in the Blue Ridge Poison Center.

As for the marketing and shelving, Dr. Holstege said, “We did a study looking at just across the street from our University at The Corner, and multiple stores have these products in tablet form and beverages that are being sold next to products like iced tea.”

Furthermore, Dr. Holstege said kava is being advertised as a non-addictive alternative to alcohol, “And it should be noted that kava has been associated with psychological dependence, tolerance, and withdrawal.”

“The percentage of exposures associated with serious medical outcomes increased from 12% in 2002 to about 40% in 2024.”

They’ve also observed a change in the co-exposures with kava which were primarily ethanol from alcoholic beverages and other drugs such as valium.

“However, since 2017, kratom has emerged as the most common co-exposure which has surpassed both of those,” Dr. Holstege said.

These days, 30% of the exposures are a combination of kava and kratom, in contrast to alcohol and valium at 3%.

The FDA has classified kava over the past few years as a Drug of Concern, but it is not illegal even though benefits are not substantiated whereas adverse effects are.

In addition, since it’s an unregulated product, Dr. Holstege said we really don’t know what else the products contain in terms of the concentration of the active substances and what contaminants there may be.

Dr. Holstege hopes these findings of his and his colleagues will help increase public awareness of the potential health risks of consuming products with kava.