A brief report of student research: mechanism of analgesic effect and efficacy and anesthesia interactions of kava in the male Sprague-Dawley rat.

Use of herbal supplements in the United States continues to grow, and it is estimated that approximately 1 in 3 Americans use unconventional therapies to relieve pain. Eight herbal supplements have been identified that could pose the greatest potential risks in surgical patients. Among these is kava, which is used for a wide spectrum of therapeutic properties, including sedative, anxiolytic, analgesic, and neuroprotective effects. The purpose of this investigation was to examine how kava may modulate pain pathways and how it may interact with morphine using the hot-plate analgesia technique.