Kava vs Skullcap for anxiety
Short answer: For anxiety, more users report improvement with Skullcap — 100% of 31 reports, versus 93% of 196 for Kava.
Kava has 41 meta-analyses and 37 randomized trials on PubMed; Skullcap has 5 and 3.
Based on 431 reports about Kava and 97 about Skullcap. Not medical advice.
| Kava Supplement | Skullcap Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| Users say it helped | 63%helped224 reports · high confidence | 81%helped46 reports · medium confidence |
| Verdict | Mostly positive | Mostly positive |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | BResearch: Moderate |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 41 / 37 | 5 / 3 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Anxiety % reporting improvement | 93% (196) | 100% (31) |
| Sleep % reporting improvement | 86% (37) | 100% (12) |
| Mood % reporting improvement | 80% (35) | 67% (3) |
| Pain & inflammation % reporting improvement | 100% (10) | 100% (2) |
| Focus % reporting improvement | 67% (6) | — |
| Common side effects | drowsiness, liver damage, stomach issues, irritability | dysphoria, drowsiness, liver damage, unusual next |
| Typical dose reported | 60 mg kavalactone equivalent / daily | 2-4 g / PRN |
Numerous interactions between herbal medicines and conventional drugs have been documented. While the significance of many interactions is uncertain, several interactions, particularly those with St John's wort, may have serious clinical consequences.
Drugs, 2009 ↗“I felt insanely relaxed, any anxiety was dropped to 0, and I could think more clearly.”
Besides, no severe adverse effects was identified by CHM. CHM, especially classical Chinese herbal formulas, could be used as potential candidates for COVID-19 in this battle.
Pharmacol Res, 2020 ↗“St. John's Wort, Passion Flower, Hops, and Skullcap. My sleep improved with those.”
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Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate