kava

ka·va   (kä'və)    n.   A dioecious shrub (Piper methysticum) native to the Pacific islands, having cordate leaves and minute flowers clustered in solitary spikes. A dietary supplement derived from the roots of this plant, used as a sedative. [Tongan, acrid, kava.]

Main Entry: ka·va
Pronunciation: 'käv-&
Function: noun
1 : an Australasian shrubby pepper (Piper methysticum) from whosecrushed root an intoxicating beverage is made; also : the beverage
2 : the dried rhizome and roots of the kava shrub used formerly as a diuretic and urogenitalantiseptic but now mostly as a dietary supplement in the belief that it acts as a muscle relaxant and calms the emotions by acting on the limbic system of the brain