Kava, or yaqona, is a drink made from the root of Piper methysticum, a pepper-family plant. The root is dried, pounded, mixed with cold water in a wooden bowl called a tanoa, and served in half-coconut cups called bilo. It is not alcohol. It is the centre of Fijian welcome protocol, and drinking it properly takes about thirty seconds to learn.
This page covers the plant, the protocol, what the research actually says about safety, and the rules on taking some home.
Guideline only. Health information here is general and not medical advice. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist before drinking kava if you take any medication or have a liver condition, and confirm import rules with the Biosecurity Authority of Fiji, the Australian Office of Drug Control and New Zealand's Ministry for Primary Industries before travelling with it. Last reviewed 13 September 2026.
What is kava made from?
The root, and only the root, prepared with cold water and nothing else. Tourism Fiji describes the cycle: the plant is grown from cuttings, takes three to four years to mature, and the harvested roots are sun-dried and ground to a fine powder. The powder goes into a straining cloth, is mixed with cold water and squeezed until an earth-coloured liquid runs into the tanoa.
That cold-water rule is not just tradition; it is the legal definition in New Zealand and Australian food law, which defines kava as a beverage obtained by aqueous suspension of kava root using cold water only, and no organic solvent. It matters more than it sounds, and the safety section below explains why.
The vocabulary worth knowing, and getting right:
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| yaqona | The Fijian name for kava, the plant and the drink |
| tanoa | The carved wooden mixing bowl, often vesi hardwood |
| bilo | The cup, a half coconut shell |
| waka | The bundled dried root presented as a gift |
| sevusevu | The customary presentation of the root to seek welcome |
| cobo | Clapping with cupped hands |
| maca | "Empty" — called when the cup is drained |
| matanivanua | The herald who directs proceedings and decides the strength |
| sau | The cowrie-tipped cord attached to the tanoa, rolled out to open and close the ceremony |
When the cup is offered you will usually be asked for "high tide" or "low tide" — a full bilo or a half. Hosts go easy on first-timers. Low tide is not a failure.
How do you drink it properly?
The village form, consistent across several independent Fijian sources:
- Cobo once — one clap with cupped hands.
- Take the bilo with both hands, and say bula.
- Drink the whole cup in one. Do not sip it, and do not leave any.
- Return the bilo, then cobo three times.
One honest note on a small conflict. Village practice as published by Fijian guides is one clap before and three after. The leaflet prepared for a formal state-level ceremony describes three claps before receiving. Both are sourced and both are correct in their setting. Follow your host's lead, and nobody will mind.
At a formal ceremony, the drinking order follows rank, and the whole thing is conducted in dignified quiet. The matanivanua runs it, and it opens and closes with the sau being rolled out.
What is sevusevu, and when do you need it?
Sevusevu is the presentation of yaqona root to seek formal permission to enter a village and be accepted there. It is made through the Turaga ni Koro, the village headman, who establishes your purpose and presents you and your gift to the chiefs. It is not a performance for visitors; it is how permission actually works.
The offering is a bundle of dried root — waka — typically half a kilogram to a kilogram, bought at any market. Published estimates of cost range from around FJ$20 to FJ$50 for a bundle, and sources differ, so take cash and ask.
The etiquette around it, from Tourism Fiji and Fijian operators:
- Dress modestly. Cover shoulders and legs; a sulu works well.
- Nothing on your head. Remove hats and sunglasses before you enter the village.
- Take your shoes off before entering a house or community hall. Socks are fine.
- Sit down as you enter and stay seated. If you must move indoors, stoop or crawl rather than walking upright past seated people.
- Men sit cross-legged; women sit with knees and feet together. Do not point your feet at anyone.
- Do not touch anyone's head. It is the most sacred part of the body.
- Speak softly, and do not photograph without asking.
- Avoid Sundays, which are for church.
On whether women take part: no source we found excludes them. The pattern published by Fijian sources is that serving order follows rank — a woman visitor will generally be offered a bilo without difficulty, though a man of standing will usually be served first. Fuller protocol is in Fijian protocol and etiquette for visitors and Fijian culture and custom.
What does kava actually do?
The active compounds are kavalactones, which make up between 3 and 20 per cent of dry plant weight depending on variety and growing conditions. Six matter: kavain, dihydrokavain, methysticin, dihydromethysticin, yangonin and desmethoxyyangonin. In Fijian noble kava, kavain dominates at 27 to 34 per cent of total kavalactones, with total concentrations of 7.2 to 14.1 per cent by weight in dried roots.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand describes kavalactones as having psychopharmacological effects along with muscle relaxant, local anaesthetic, anxiolytic and anticonvulsive properties. The local anaesthetic action is why your lips and tongue go numb — that is the compound working, not a reaction.
The effect people describe is relaxation and talkativeness with mental clarity intact. It is not intoxication in the way alcohol is at customary social quantities. But do not overstate it: FSANZ also records that large amounts consumed quickly can cause reversible ataxia, impaired vision, hearing loss and unconsciousness. Treat it with the same respect you would any strong drink.
Noble versus tudei matters. Only noble varieties have a documented history of safe use, and the Codex Alimentarius standard specifies that only noble varieties should be used as raw material. Fiji's farmers grow the thirteen classified noble cultivars almost exclusively, which is a genuine quality advantage for Fijian kava.
Is kava safe?
The honest answer has three parts.
The history. Reports of liver injury associated with medicinal kava extracts emerged in Europe from 1998. The US National Institutes of Health's LiverTox database records 50 to 100 clinically apparent cases and assigns kava a hepatotoxicity likelihood score of A. Several countries banned or restricted it, and the US FDA issued a consumer advisory in March 2002.
What happened next. German administrative courts found the regulatory ban inappropriate, and in 2015 the decision was effectively reversed with no further appeal pursued. FSANZ notes that researchers have attributed the injury reports to solvent extraction methods, non-noble varieties, drug interactions and aflatoxin contamination — not to traditional beverage consumption itself.
What to do. Do not mix kava with alcohol. The NIH is explicit that kava should not be used with sedatives or alcohol, and FSANZ notes that combining the two intensifies alcohol's effect on cognition. Take care with benzodiazepines, opioids, barbiturates, paracetamol and other herbal preparations, because kavalactones inhibit cytochrome P450 enzymes. Kava sold in Australia and New Zealand must carry the warnings "Use in moderation" and "May cause drowsiness".
On driving, the evidence is more nuanced than either camp admits. A 2013 randomised, placebo-controlled crossover study of a 180 mg kavalactone medicinal dose found no impairing effects on driving-simulator outcomes and significantly fewer lapses of concentration than oxazepam. FSANZ's position at social quantities is different, noting kava may impair the ability to drive safely. The practical rule: do not drive after a session, and never combine kava with alcohol.
Where can a visitor try it respectfully?
Beqa Lagoon Resort publishes a kava ceremony led by local villagers, running 30 to 60 minutes as a complimentary resort activity, and will arrange a private ceremony for a group through the concierge. Namale Resort & Spa publishes its own guest guide to the ceremony, including the high tide and low tide convention.
For the village context rather than the resort version, Talanoa Treks Fiji runs multi-day highland treks staying in partner villages and publishes one of the better sevusevu primers available. For broader cultural programming, VOU Fiji and Sigatoka River Safari, which publishes partnerships with 18 Sigatoka Valley communities, are both worth knowing. The Fiji Museum in Thurston Gardens, Suva is open daily 9:00am to 4:30pm, with overseas adult admission at FJ$20.
How does this work at a conference?
A formal kava welcome is the standard opening for a significant business event in Fiji, and it follows a documented sequence: conch shell calls, the traditional party entering, guests escorted and garlanded, the sau rolled out, greeting chants and clapping, the mixing with chants and dance, sequential drinking by honoured guests, the chief's speech or Vosa Vakaturaga, cultural dance, and a formal close.
The person your production team briefs is the matanivanua, who directs proceedings and determines the strength of the kava. Two practical points: brief your VIPs beforehand so nobody is caught out by the cup, and budget the ceremony as paid cultural work with named performers rather than resort decoration. No Fiji operator publishes a price for a corporate kava welcome — all quote on enquiry. Delegate experience in Fiji covers the wider cultural programme.
Can you take kava home?
Yes, within limits, and the limits differ by destination.
| Leg | Rule |
|---|---|
| Leaving Fiji | Maximum 15 kg per person per three months. Pounded kava must be in checked baggage, never hand luggage. A phytosanitary certificate is required: gazette fee FJ$21.26 up to 5 kg, FJ$42.51 above, plus a one-off FJ$5.45 licence fee and FJ$0.03 per kg |
| Into Australia | Travellers aged 18 and over may bring up to 4 kg of kava powder in accompanied baggage. Not permitted into the Northern Territory. Powder only |
| Into New Zealand | No kava-specific allowance is published. The general rule for dried plant products applies: 2 kg per product, commercially manufactured and in original unopened packaging. Declare it |
The Australian arrangement came out of a government pilot which ran from December 2019 and concluded on 31 December 2023; the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade states the arrangements remain unchanged, and no post-pilot decision has been published. Re-check before you fly.
One caution on New Zealand that is an inference rather than a published ruling: home-pounded or market-bagged waka is not "commercially manufactured and packaged in original unopened packaging" under a strict reading of the general rule. Buy commercially packaged powder if you want a clean run through the border, declare it either way, and accept that clearance is never guaranteed.
Why it matters to Fiji
Kava is not a curiosity; it is one of the country's serious agricultural industries. Fiji Bureau of Statistics data shows exports rising past FJ$53 million in 2024, from under FJ$4 million in 2008 and FJ$8 million in 2015. In 2023, 501 metric tonnes were exported for FJ$38.1 million, and the first half of 2024 alone reached FJ$21.8 million, up 20.9 per cent year on year. The government has set a target of FJ$250 million by early 2028 and raised the national kava farming programme budget from FJ$500,000 to FJ$1.9 million.
The farming base is large and the figures conflict: a 2024 household census recorded more than 14,500 farming households, while a 2026 ministry statement cites over 17,200 farmers. The two may be counting households against individuals; we could not reconcile them.
What that means when someone hands you a bilo is worth holding on to. You are being welcomed with the thing a great many Fijian families live on.
The verdict
- One clap, both hands, drink it all, three claps. Follow your host if they do it differently.
- Low tide is fine. Nobody is counting.
- Never mix it with alcohol, and do not drive afterwards.
- The liver-injury history attaches to solvent extracts and non-noble varieties, not to cold-water noble kava as Fijians drink it.
- 15 kg out of Fiji, 4 kg into Australia, 2 kg of packaged product into New Zealand. Declare all of it.
Next step: if you are planning a village visit or a formal welcome, read Fijian protocol and etiquette for visitors first, then Fijian culture and custom for the wider picture. Fijian food explained covers what will be served alongside. Browse cultural operators under suppliers and properties under venues.
