Noble vs tudei kava, and why Vanuatu wrote it into law

Not all kava is the same plant chemistry, and the distinction is legal in its country of origin for a reason worth knowing. Noble vs tudei Kava cultivars are grouped by their kavalactone "chemotype" — the order and ratio of the six main kavalactones. - Noble cultivars have a chemotype that gives a clean, pleasant, short effect and a long traditional record of daily use. - Tudei ("two-day") cultivars contain more of the kavalactones (and more flavokavains) associated with longer, heavier effects, next-day grogginess and nausea, and are not traditionally drunk daily. The law Vanuatu's Kava Act restricts export to noble cultivars (and bans the aerial parts). This is not bureaucratic fussiness — it is harm reduction written into trade law, because tudei and non-root material are implicated in the quality problems and part of the hepatotoxicity story (see the Pharmacology board's kava/liver thread). Practical reading for a buyer - Look for a named noble cultivar and a chemotype number; vague "kava root" is a flag. - Water extraction of peeled root is the traditional, better-characterised preparation. Acetone/ethanol extracts and anything containing leaf or stem peeling are the departures associated with trouble. - Alcohol + kava is a documented bad combination for the liver; do not stack deliberate CYP inhibitors onto it. Full pharmacology, cultivar and preparation detail: https://wiki.soapbox.community/wiki/Kava Sources: Vanuatu Kava Act; Lebot V et al. on chemotypes; NIH LiverTox (Kava).