My understanding is that Kava works as a muscle relaxant and can take away the pain of an aching back, a sore neck etc if its a muscular ache. Interestingly Kava was banned in Europe, the UK and Canada in 2002 due to concerns over liver toxicity. In May this year University of QLD in Australia found it to be safe and effective. "When extracted in the appropriate way, kava may pose less or no potential liver problems. I hope the results will encourage governments to reconsider the ban," Mr Sarris said. They used tablets supplied by Queensland company MediHerb Pty Ltd. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/149570.php

I can vouch for this conclusion! As a young person, I was a gung-ho type person, with ambition to do everything just perfect and rule the corporate world. Gradually, the stress at work started taking a toll on my health and finally I had a sort of break-down two months back. Since then, I go for regular walks, smell the roses (and coffee) and have started recovering. Feeling much better, thank you!