Are you stressed out?  Nervous?  Can’t sleep?  You don’t need harsh prescription medications to help you calm down, chill-out and drift into peaceful slumber.  Try Kava, a centuries-old herbal remedy that can quite your nerves, calm your inner-monster and relax you naturally.

My mom calls me “high-strung.”  I admit it.  I don’t handle stress well.  Luckily, I’ve found a wonderful herbal supplement with mild psychoactive properties that eases my stress and helps me get a handle on my nerves.  Kava, or Kava-Kava as it’s sometimes called, is gentle, all-natural and non-addictive—and helps me calm down.  It is literally a chill-pill (although I sometimes drink it as a tea, so that would be a chill-cup, I guess.)

As early as 1886, scientific records mention kava as an herb to reduce anxiety. Today, Kava root is touted as a natural tranquilizer, and is widely available as an herbal supplement or tea that can be used to provide anxiety relief to those seeking alternatives to prescription drugs.

Current clinical studies conclude Kava is safe to relieve anxiety. Based on comparative studies, Kava was found to be as effective as prescription anxiety agents containing benzodiazepines such as valium, and perhaps worked even better. Studies have shown that Kava can improve concentration, memory, and reaction time for people suffering from anxiety while benzodiazepines tend to promote lethargy and mental impairment. Kava can help in achieving a state of relaxation minus the adverse side effects.

Kava is believed to originate from Melanesia, where the plant is abundant in the sun-drenched islands of Polynesia.  For hundreds of years before voyager Captain James Cook and his crew encountered the plant, Kava was widely used throughout Oceania and other Pacific islands as a relaxant. Kava was said to have properties that could calm nerves, induce relaxation and sleep, and fight fatigue. Natives drank Kava tea as a diuretic to unclog urinary tracts and relieve asthma and rheumatism.

As with many traditional plants, folklore and myths surround Kava and its properties. In Oceania, for instance, Kava is regarded as a gift from the gods, given to man so that he might gain insight into the unknown while attending to the realities of the present.

As to helping man to have spiritual insights…I’m not sure about that claim when it comes to kava.  But when it comes to the claim that kava is a safe, natural and non-addictive anti-anxiety supplement?  That, I can tell you, is spot-on.