kava and Neoplasms

To review the evidence on the health and social effects of drinking kava; a water-based infusion of the roots of the kava plant.. Included all empirical studies of the effects of kava published 1987-2008 reporting health and social outcomes. Evidence appraised on study design (level of evidence) and standard epidemiological criteria for causality.. Causality indicated: scaly skin rash, weight loss, raised Gamma Glutamyl Transpeptidase liver enzyme levels, nausea, loss of appetite or indigestion; Association indicated but causality unclear: red sore eyes, impotence or loss of sexual drive, self-reported poor health, raised cholesterol, and loss of time and money, low motivation and 'slow/lazy' days following use, reduced alcohol consumption and related violence; Association hypothesised: fits or seizures, Melioidosis, Ischaemic Heart Disease, protective effects for cancer; No association indicated: cognitive performance; No association suggested: cognitive impairment, liver toxicity or permanent liver damage, other pneumonia; No association hypothesised: hallucinations.. The health and social implications of chronic kava drinking can be significant for individuals and communities, although most effects of even heavy consumption appear to be reversible when consumption is stopped.. An Australia-wide ban on commercial importation of kava has been in place since mid-2007, but there is no published literature to date on the impact of the ban.

Topics: Anti-Anxiety Agents; Australia; Behavior; gamma-Glutamyltransferase; Health; Humans; Kava; Liver; Male; Neoplasms; Plant Extracts; Water

Insomnia and other sleep disturbances are common in cancer patients. Insomnia is a multifactorial health concern that currently affects at least 1 in 3 cancer patients, and yet most insomnia sufferers do not consult their physician regarding pharmaceutical options for relief. Use of hypnotic drugs (primarily benzodiazepines) is associated with increasing tolerance, dependence, and adverse effects on the central nervous system. While hypnotic drug use declined substantially in the past decade, the use of herbal sedatives appeared to increase. Mostly self-prescribed by lay people, herbal sedatives hold widespread appeal, presumably because of their lower cost and higher margin of safety when compared to pharmaceuticals. Studies of better-known herbal sedatives, notably valerian and kava, showed moderate evidence for both safety and efficacy for valerian while revealing disturbing toxicity concerns for kava. Milder sedatives or anxiolytics in need of clinical study include German chamomile, lavender, hops, lemon balm, and passionflower; St. John's wort may have anxiolytic effects with relevance to sleep. Herb-drug interactions are a possibility for some of these species, including St. John's wort. Although sufficient evidence exists to recommend some of these agents for short-term relief of mild insomnia, long-term trials and observational studies are needed to establish the safety of prolonged use as well as overall efficacy in the context of cancer treatment and management.

Topics: Humans; Kava; Lavandula; Matricaria; Neoplasms; Phytotherapy; Plant Preparations; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders; Valerian

We are interested in investigating the biological activity of chalcones, a major class of compounds found in the beverage kava, in order to develop potent and selective chemopreventive candidates. Consumption of kava in the South Pacific Islands is inversely correlated with cancer incidence, even among smokers. Accordingly, chalcones have anti-cancer activities in animal and cell culture models. To investigate signaling pathways that affect chalcone action we studied a potent analog, (E)-3-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-1-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (chalcone-24). Chalcone-24 was selected from a series of chalcone analogs that were synthesized based on the structures derived from flavokawain compounds found in kava, and screened in A549 lung cancer cells for induction of cytotoxicity and inhibition of NF-κB, a transcription factor associated with cell survival. Incubation of A549 cells with chalcone-24 resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of cell viability, inhibition of NF-κB, activation of caspases, and activation of extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK); ERK1/2 and JNK are mitogen activated protein kinases that play central roles in regulating cell fate. Pharmacological inhibitors of ERK1/2 or JNK increased the sensitivity of A549 cells to chalcone-24-induced cytotoxicity, without affecting NF-κB or caspase activity. These results will help refine the synthesis of chalcone analogs to maximize the combination of actions required to prevent and treat cancer.

Topics: Cell Survival; Chalcone; Chalcones; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Humans; Kava; Lung Neoplasms; MAP Kinase Kinase 4; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; Neoplasms

Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Beverages; Biological Products; Chemoprevention; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Humans; Kava; Mice; Mice, Transgenic; Neoplasms; Plant Extracts

A number of countries in the South Pacific have very low cancer incidence. In spite of a high percentage of the population habituated to tobacco, the cancer incidence in countries such as Vanuatu and Fiji experience age-standardized cancer incidence in the 70's. A number of studies have noted the low cancer incidence in these countries and have postulated that a dietary chemopreventive agent might be responsible.. The cancer incidence studies for the Pacific Islands were completed in the 1980's. During this time period accurate records allow for a calculation of local kava consumption. This study compares the cancer incidence for a number of Pacific Island Nations with local kava consumption.. The data indicates that the more kava consumed by a population the lower the cancer incidence for that population. The data suggests there is a close inverse relationship between cancer incidence and kava consumption.

Topics: Humans; Incidence; Kava; Neoplasms; Pacific Islands; Plants, Medicinal

Cancer chemoprevention is a new and important medical science in its own right. On the occasion of my presentation entitled "Natural agents and cancer chemoprevention" at the 90th AACR Meeting in 1999, I summarized our recent results on cancer prevention with green tea. In this article, the present status of clinical trials supported by the Chemoprevention Branch of the National Cancer Institute in the United States is first described by way of introduction. Although various natural products are now under investigation in phase I clinical trials, green tea has, perhaps, the greatest potential for further development. In order to expand our understanding of the effects of tea polyphenols and green tea, I review their ability to inhibit growth and cause apoptosis of cancer cells, their distribution into target organs and their other cancer-preventing properties. In addition, the paper focuses on the significance of reducing tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) gene expression in cells and TNFalpha release from cells as essential activities for cancer prevention. As for the amounts of green tea effective in cancer prevention, I present two results from our Research Institute: a prospective cohort study with over 8000 individuals in Saitama Prefecture revealed that the daily consumption of at least ten Japanese-size cups of green tea resulted in delayed cancer onset, and a follow-up study of breast cancer patients conducted at our Hospital found that stages I and II breast cancer patients consuming over five cups per day experienced a lower recurrence rate and longer disease-free period than those consuming fewer than four cups per day. Thus, I propose here, for the first time, the two-stage approach to analyzing cancer prevention with green tea: cancer prevention before cancer onset and cancer prevention following cancer treatment. As an additional example of cancer prevention with natural agents, kava, a daily beverage in Fiji, is mentioned. All the evidence reminds us of the significance of alternative medicine in practical cancer prevention.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Anticarcinogenic Agents; Apoptosis; Catechin; Cell Division; Cohort Studies; Drug Synergism; Female; Humans; Kava; Male; Neoplasms; Phytotherapy; Plants, Medicinal; Prospective Studies; Sulindac; Tea; Tissue Distribution; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha