Kava - Instant Melo Melo

Content: Noble Kava root (Piper methysticum), Melo Melo cultivar, instant (dehydrated root juice)

Stir 1 to 3 teaspoons (5 to 15 g) into 300 mL of water, juice or a smoothie per person; nothing to strain. Start with one teaspoon. Drunk in the evening, a few times a week rather than every day, and not on a night with alcohol. A splash of milk or coconut milk makes it smoother.

Kava (Piper methysticum)

Instant kava is produced by preparing a traditional aqueous kava beverage from peeled noble kava roots and then dehydrating the liquid to create a soluble powder.¹ This modern format preserves the cultural foundation of kava as a social and ceremonial plant while translating it into an accessible, portable preparation.

Vanuatu noble cultivars are characterised by balanced kavalactone chemotypes dominated by kawain, dihydrokawain, methysticin, and related lactones, which have been examined in vitro for interactions with GABAergic signalling, calcium channel modulation, and CYP enzyme systems without implying physiological outcomes.²,³ Instant kava retains sensory qualities associated with noble cultivars, typically described as clean, social, and suitable for prolonged communal drinking, while reducing the need for manual maceration and straining. Root-only aqueous preparation aligns with traditional Pacific practice and excludes aerial material.¹,²

Instant kava differs from powdered root in that kavalactone-rich aqueous fractions are extracted first and dehydrated, yielding a soluble powder that reconstructs the beverage format without the fibrous material typically present in raw root preparations.¹ This innovation maintains cultural and botanical integrity while offering modern convenience and standardisation.

Instant Melo Melo offers a mellow and approachable noble profile with a bright and social character in reconstituted form. Within Vanuatu traditions, noble cultivars such as Melo Melo are associated with extended social drinking sessions, emphasizing conviviality and cultural continuity.¹,²

_________________________________________________________

1. Lebot, V. (2016). Kava: The Pacific Elixir (2nd ed.). University of Hawaii Press. 
2. SPC (Pacific Community). (2021). Kava Quality Standard & Noble Classification Guidelines. Pacific Community Publications. 
3. Jamieson, D. D., & Duffield, P. H. (1990). Kava plant constituents and mechanistic considerations. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 27(1–2), 153–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-8741(89)90067-5

• Kava is not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women and children. 
• Contraindicated with L-Dopa and other Parkinson's disease drugs.
• Caution in liver disease.
• Do not operate heavy machinery.
• Avoid prolonged use.
• Caution - It is not recommended to consume Kava alongside nervous system depressant medications such as sedatives, antidepressants, MAOIs, Benzodiazepines, antipsychotics.