HalfLifeDBEvidence before certainty.

Kava evidence profile

Kava is a botanical preparation containing several measured kavalactones, and the controlled human study shows that those constituents have different exposures.

Category: gabaergic · Updated: August 7, 2026

Sources and model notes are maintained by . This page is educational, not clinical guidance. Corrections: admin@halflifedb.co.

Model statusNo curve publishedCurrent sources do not support one defensible human input
Evidence boundarySource note onlyNo animal, forensic, mixture, or proxy value is presented as a human half-life
Model scopeNot modeledThe profile explains what the available records can and cannot establish
References4Linked studies, labels, reviews, or identity records described below

Kava: evidence and interpretation notes

Why HalfLifeDB does not plot Kava

Kava is a botanical preparation containing several measured kavalactones, and the controlled human study shows that those constituents have different exposures. Presenting the preparation as one nine-hour compound would erase the study’s main finding.

What each source contributes

  • PubChem: Kava. This identity record confirms names and compound identity and does not supply a human half-life.
  • Clinical pharmacokinetics of kavalactones after oral dosing of standardized kava extract. This human pharmacokinetic record adds measured route, analyte, and population context and does not become a universal result.
  • PMC: Clinical pharmacokinetics of kavalactones after oral dosing of standardized kava extract. This human pharmacokinetic record adds measured route, analyte, and population context and does not become a universal result.
  • NCBI Bookshelf: Kava Kava. LiverTox. This synthesis organizes the available literature and caveats and cannot replace checking the underlying study design.

For Kava, the decision to withhold a curve turns on the limits visible in Clinical pharmacokinetics of kavalactones after oral dosing of standardized kava extract. This human pharmacokinetic record adds measured route, analyte, and population context, but it does not become a universal result.

What evidence would change the page

A defensible Kava curve would require repeated human samples and a reported estimate for Kava itself, rather than an inference from species, cases, related compounds, or class behavior. The current key record, Clinical pharmacokinetics of kavalactones after oral dosing of standardized kava extract, answers a narrower question.

InterpretationCategory context and evidence limits

GABAergic substance context

GABAergic entries require extra care because sedation, impairment, tolerance, withdrawal, and combination effects can diverge from a simple parent-compound curve.

  • The chart does not estimate impairment or respiratory/CNS-depressant risk.
  • Withdrawal and tolerance are outside the half-life model.
  • Combination effects require qualified clinical or toxicology context.
EvidenceSource trail and model decision

Sources and evidence context

A linked record is not automatically proof of the displayed value. Study, labeling, review, and compound identity sources serve different purposes; notes below identify limitations when they are known.

1 PubMed1 PMC0 DailyMed1 PubChem
  1. Identity record PubChem Compound Summary: Kava.
    Compound identity and naming record. It supplies chemistry context, not independent numerical support for the model.
  2. Research abstract PubMed: Clinical pharmacokinetics of kavalactones after oral dosing of standardized kava extract.
    Direct pharmacokinetic context. Population, route, formulation, analyte, and sampling duration still determine how broadly the result can be applied.
  3. Full-text research PMC: Clinical pharmacokinetics of kavalactones after oral dosing of standardized kava extract.
    Direct pharmacokinetic context. Population, route, formulation, analyte, and sampling duration still determine how broadly the result can be applied.
  4. Clinical reference NCBI Bookshelf: Kava Kava. LiverTox.
    Synthesis or clinical background source used to frame the evidence and its limits rather than to create a new measured value.
BoundariesWhat this page cannot answer and where to continue

What this page does not answer

  • It does not estimate impairment, intoxication, or fitness to drive.
  • It does not predict urine, blood, saliva, or hair test results.
  • It does not model repeated exposure, tolerance, withdrawal, or interactions.
  • It does not replace clinician, pharmacist, toxicologist, or emergency guidance.

Continue with context

Read the medical disclaimer, methodology, and research standards before using the model for comparison.