Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) ordered a voluntary recall of kava kava last week, several months after the herbal supplement was linked to the death of a 51-year-old woman in Melbourne. As part of the announcement, the TGA also asked consumers to dispose of any products containing the supplement.
Kava kava has been linked to dozens of cases of liver toxicity, six involving liver transplants. Last month, Britain's Medicines Control Agency (MCA) proposed banning the supply of kava kava due to numerous reports of hepatic damage among users. A spokesperson for Australia's Federal Department of Health and Aging said the government would wait until a full investigation of the supplement is completed before a decision on whether to ban kava kava would be made.