Anxiety, stress, and restlessness, insomnia, wound healing kava does not appear to cause physiologic dependence. Expect enhanced sedative effects if combined with other CNS depressants (alcohol, benzodiazepines, and opioid analgesics heavy use sometimes causes nutritional deficiencies, skin dermopathy, bloody scrasias, pulmonary hypertension, cirrhosis, liver failure hepatitis, and dopamine antagonism. it is generally well tolerated except in high doses or with long-term use. patients should not use kava when ingesting alcohol or during pregnancy and breast-feeding, and it should not be given to children younger than 12 yr.