A new buzz: Kava pops up around NC and why experts say there needs to be more research

Upon stepping into Da Kine’s Kava, you might think it’s a coffee shop. All it’s missing is the aroma of coffee grounds.

2026-06-18

Instead, the shop markets itself as an alcohol-alternative bar, serving up a nontraditional menu. As the name indicates, its most featured products involve kava. However, researchers still have several questions about how the substance affects people.

What is kava?

“Kava is a plant that grows in the South Pacific. It is in the black pepper family, and the root is the part that we consume,” Zoey Best, co-owner of Da Kine’s Kava, told WRAL Investigates.

Kava root is used to make kava tea and dietary supplements, like tablets or capsules.

It is known for its relaxing effects and for making people feel more social. People say it makes them feel a “buzz.”

“You can actually have a drink that has a noticeable effect, a little bit of instant gratification,” Best said.

Best said people struggling with addiction or those who are sober curious tend to turn to kava as an alternative. 

“Not only this product, but this space is extremely important to them, because it provides an alternative outlet or alternative product,” Best told WRAL Investigates. “It's very important to me that people be able to have access to that.”

Growing popularity of kava

Florida is considered the kava capital of the U.S. In North Carolina, WRAL Investigates counted more than a dozen kava bars – with the largest hubs in Asheville, the Triangle area and Wilmington.

Kava itself is nothing new. It's been around for thousands of years. However, the kava bar trend seemed to have really taken root in the 2010s and 2020s.

Best said she opened her kava bar in Durham in 2020 and has since helped other business owners open their own in different parts of the state.

Lack of kava regulation

Kava is legal, but there is no legal age limit and no strict regulation. Traditional users say it’s safe, but a lack of uniform standards for quality and potency leaves consumers to vet it themselves.

“From a regulatory standpoint, we are more or less a coffee shop,” Best explained.

Best said she takes steps to ensure the quality of her products.

“We use vendors who can provide certificates of analysis for all of their products to ensure that there aren't heavy metals,” Best explained.

WRAL Investigates asked Best if she would like to see more regulation for kava bars.

“I'm actually very pro-regulation, with the understanding that it not be detrimental to our business or our access,” Best replied.

She said she would be willing to make sure that her products meet certain standards.

“It is primarily the financial component that I am concerned about, because a lot of kava bars … are small businesses, and small business is hard enough as it is,” Best said. “We're not corporations that can spend $100,000 on a license.”

The unknowns of kava

As kava pops up in more places, researchers still have a lot of questions.

A 2002 study found a possible link between the substance and liver toxicity – but it’s not clear if that condition was the result of the kava itself or another factor.

“After those reports of liver problems and failure going into the media, it started to decline,” Dr. Chris Holstege told WRAL Health Reporter Grace Hayba. “They started to see a lot less in sales…But then over the last 10 years, we've been seeing a [steady] increase.”

Holstege is the director of the Blue Ridge Poison Center in Virginia. He has been researching the effects of kava for years. He looked at poison control data and found that calls involving kava jumped from 57 calls in 2011 to more than 200 in 2025. 

“That raises concerns, because the question is, ‘Is there a risk for drug interactions? Is there a risk for people overdosing on it if they consume too much? How well is the quality control in those products?’” Holstege said.

Calls involving the combined use of kava and kratom, a drug frequently found for sale in gas stations and vape shops, have also increased substantially in recent years, accounting for 30% of all kava-related calls in 2025, according to Holstege’s research.

Again, researchers are working to determine whether the issue is the kava itself or its combination with another substance.

In Los Angeles County, California, health officials have sent out notices to retail businesses, emphasizing that kava cannot be used as a food additive or approved drug. 

Best agrees that there should be more research as more people start trying kava, specifically about how the substance affects people with certain conditions and/or pregnant women. 

She said she wants more people to learn about kava and enjoy it responsibly.