Fijian kava arrives in New Zealand pharmacies

A study found kava significantly reduces anxiety and stress. Photo / 123RF

If you're anything like us your experience of kava has likely involved little more than sipping the woody drink from a bowl before entering a restaurant while on holiday in Fiji.

But a new medicinal plant product, Fiji Kava, has landed in New Zealand pharmacies in capsule form, purporting to calm and soothe nerves and be clinically proven to reduce anxiety and stress.

A study published in the Public Journal of Pharmacology offered promising results.

Professor Jerome Sarris says: "Over a three week period with 60 adults results of a clinical trial proved that kava significantly reduced anxiety and stress. In addition a 6 week follow up study of 75 adults further demonstrated significantly reducing anxiety."

Available in Green Cross Health pharmacies, Fiji Kava founder Zane Yoshida claims there is "a major resurgence of global demand for kava as anxiety disorders and depression continues to grow in our society, and New Zealand and its strong Pacific Island population is central to the growth in kava demand."

For many years experts cited a lack of education in the western world and limited research into kava's affects as the reason for poor commercial traction with the product.

But Fijian Kava is the second iteration of the traditional drink to enter the New Zealand market this year.

In July Four Shells Kava Bar opened in downtown Auckland. Owner Todd Henry told RNZ: "There's some misconceptions with it, people think it's alcoholic or they don't know what to make of it."

Henry acknowledged traditionally it's consumed in family homes or meeting houses or as part of a ceremony, as was experienced by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during their tour to Fiji last year.

"There's going to be a lot of educational stuff that we will have to do around kava ... so it's bringing it to a new space and telling people what it is, what it does, and why we're doing it," he said.