Kava vs THC for anxiety
Short answer: For anxiety, more users report improvement with Kava — 93% of 196 reports, versus 33% of 96 for THC.
Kava has 41 meta-analyses and 37 randomized trials on PubMed; THC has 249 and 488.
Based on 431 reports about Kava and 434 about THC. Not medical advice.
| Kava Supplement | THC Substance | |
|---|---|---|
| Users say it helped | 63%helped224 reports · high confidence | 26%helped295 reports · high confidence |
| Verdict | Mostly positive | Mixed |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | AResearch: Strong |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 41 / 37 | 249 / 488 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Anxiety % reporting improvement | 93% (196) | 33% (96) |
| Sleep % reporting improvement | 86% (37) | 59% (95) |
| Mood % reporting improvement | 80% (35) | 64% (58) |
| Focus % reporting improvement | 67% (6) | 38% (40) |
| Memory % reporting improvement | — | 7% (27) |
| Common side effects | drowsiness, liver damage, stomach issues, irritability | anxiety, brain fog, vivid dreams, paranoia |
| Typical dose reported | 60 mg kavalactone equivalent / daily | 7 mg / once a week |
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.”
Cannabis use was also associated with increased relapse rates, more hospitalizations and pronounced positive symptoms in psychotic patients. We make recommendations about the type of research that is required to better characterize the relationship between cannabis use and the development and outcomes of psychosis.
Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci, 2020 ↗“once a week I smoke a little weed before the gym (sativa Pre-roll sour diesel from medmen) and it actually made me feel normal.”
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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