Proponents say the traditional Pacific Island drink is basically harmless. Critics say the story is less simple, pointing to potential health risks. Chris McCall reports.

Kava is the ancient drink of Pacific people. Surrounded in custom, and steeped in thousands of years of tradition, it is considered a 'life source' for many. 'Anau Mesui Henry describes kava as "being ...

Kava (Piper methysticum) is a plant native to the Pacific islands. Its roots are dried, crushed, and mixed with water which turns it into a non-alcoholic drink with sedative and stress relieving ...

Kava's reach has expanded from a cultural drink widely consumed in the Pacific islands to Australia, where it is drunk at kava bars and sold in anti-anxiety pills. The former deputy prime minister was ...

Less than a mile from Brigham Young University's main campus is BYU's Museum of Peoples and Cultures. Inside is an exhibit dedicated to Pacific Island artifacts, centered on a kava bowl more than a ...

A kava bar in the United States, a nakamal in Vanuatu and that “baby mix” any day of the week in Fiji all share one thing in common: kava. Not just any kava, what’s in demand is quality kava. Quality ...

Pacific kava is in high demand, after the opening of Australian markets to commercial imports, raising hopes for increased interest across other global markets in Asia, North America, and the European ...

It looks like old washing up water and tastes little better, but for centuries kava has underpinned the cultural traditions of South Pacific peoples living at home and abroad. The murky liquid is ...

Kava might taste like dirty dishwater to some, but the Australian Government is hoping the bitter psychoactive beverage will help sweeten relations with its South Pacific neighbours in the face of ...

Michael McCormack paid a high price for downing, not sipping, the sakau during a Pacific tour, later stating: ‘I was trying to be respectful’ Former Australian deputy prime minister Michael McCormack ...

Starting a small business is challenging enough, but opening a beverage shop during a pandemic has presented a slew of new hardships for the owners of Pacific Kava, Pensacola's first kava shop. This ...