Side effects - She came down with the horrific Kava dermopathy rash

[littlebirdie]

A woman I heard about had been taking Kava kava every day for a couple of months. Not a lot - just a cup in the morning, and a cup before bed, but she does have a very sensitive system.

A month ago she noticed that her eyes were red and itchy. She had no idea that kava was responsible, so she didn't limit her intake. She assumed she was having an allergy to something else she ate. It got worse and worse, and within a few days had erupted in angry red scales over her entire (and I mean ENTIRE) body. She went to her family doctor who had no idea what was going on. He thought she was having kidney failure, but tests ruled that out. She stopped drinking kava and very very slowly the rash began to abate.

After googling and googling, she finally realized she had come down with kava dermopathy. It was horrible - it still is horrible. It's been a month and her skin is still flaking off. Every square inch of her body has lost its skin. It formed a strange fish scale-like pattern. She's still having flaky skin issues on her legs, back, arms, and head. Honestly, she feels a bit like a freak.

She has read accounts where folks came down with a small or localized rash, but hasn't read any about anyone in America coming down with the whole full-body experience, so she figured I should report in here in the event others are having a similar experience and trying to figure out what it is. The woman is 43 years old and has an extremely healthful diet and regularly exercises. Other than the kava, she hasn't taken any other substance on a regular basis.

Here are the symptoms she experienced, in order:

1. It began with red, watery, itchy eyes. The skin around her eyes turned orange-ish and flaky.

2. It seemed to travel down her body, next covering her face, then her neck, then her breasts, belly, and back. The rash looks like fish scales outlined in a deep red. The outline is because the skin is flaking off in such a pattern.

3. It then reached her legs and feet. Her hands were last, and they were extremely sore, stiff, and painful.

4. The flaking doesn't include large bits of skin coming off. Instead, the skin flakes in teeny, tiny pieces the size and look of dandruff. Despite using a rough loofa on my skin in the bath, it has taken FOREVER for all of the skin to peel. She's still getting rid of this, one month later.

She is terrified to ever drink Kava again. She wonders if she drank it on occasion, would the rash return? She is not prepared to test this to find out! But she does wonder if that's the case - if she simply just ingested too much for my own particular body and system, and whether there is a certain limit of ingestion each individual has, where if you stay below that limit, you are okay. Anyone have any idea?


Also, she is looking for another anxiety reduction agent, if anyone has any ideas?

Thanks so much,
littlebirdie

littlebirdie added 1 Minutes and 48 Seconds later...

I should add that her skin is now normal in all of the places it has flaked off. Her eyes are no longer red, and her skin has returned to its natural color, except in the places still flaking.