Community
Voluntary RecallAdvised for Kava-Kava
Retailers in the Cayman Islands are beingasked to voluntarily recall Kava, a herbal remedy used by somepersons as a stress reliever and sleep aid, following internationalreports that it may cause liver damage.
"The public is advised to not consumeKava, also known as Kava-Kava, until further details are received,"said Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kiran Kumar, urging retailoutlets to voluntarily remove it from their shelves. He notedthat the supplement is available over-the-counter in Cayman, andthat the Department of Environmental Health and the Chief Pharmacistare contacting retail outlets about the voluntary recall.
Kava, made from roots found in the PacificIslands, is available both as a tea and in tablet form. It issaid to reduce anxiety, much like synthetic medications such asValium, and is also a potent muscle relaxant. Reports state thatit does not cause dependency or addiction. However, it has beenlinked to liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatitis.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)and Canadian health authorities are investigating the herb; theFDA is also urging doctors to revisit past cases of liver toxicityto determine if any were associated with kava use.
The supplement has been voluntarily withdrawnin the UK. Meanwhile, France and Sweden have banned the supplement,with Germany reportedly about to follow suit. Swiss and Germanauthorities say at least 30 persons have developed hepatitis;one person has died and four others have needed liver transplantsafter regularly taking the herb.