AI Article Synopsis
- Piper excelsum (kawakawa) has been used therapeutically by Māori in New Zealand and is now popular as a beverage and functional food ingredient, with this study focusing on how its chemicals are metabolized and excreted by humans.* -
- Two studies were conducted: one with six male volunteers to assess the bioavailability of kawakawa tea metabolites and another with 30 volunteers to explore its impact on glucose metabolism, revealing 26 significant urinary metabolites linked to kawakawa tea consumption.* -
- The findings indicate that various kawakawa compounds are bioavailable, undergoing metabolic changes in the body, with some metabolites being associated with specific components of the tea.*
Article Abstract
Scope: Piper excelsum (kawakawa) has a history of therapeutic use by Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is currently widely consumed as a beverage and included as an ingredient in "functional" food product. Leaves contain compounds that are also found in a wide range of other spices, foods, and medicinal plants. This study investigates the human metabolism and excretion of kawakawa leaf chemicals.
Methods And Results: Six healthy male volunteers in one study (Bioavailability of Kawakawa Tea metabolites in human volunteers [BOKA-T]) and 30 volunteers (15 male and 15 female) in a second study (Impact of acute Kawakawa Tea ingestion on postprandial glucose metabolism in healthy human volunteers [TOAST]) consume a hot water infusion of dried kawakawa leaves (kawakawa tea [KT]). Untargeted Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analyses of urine samples from BOKA-T identified 26 urinary metabolites that are significantly associated with KT consumption, confirmed by the analysis of samples from the independent TOAST study. Seven of the 26 metabolites are also detected in plasma. Thirteen of the 26 urinary compounds are provisionally identified as metabolites of specific compounds in KT, eight metabolites are identified as being derived from specific compounds in KT but without resolution of chemical structure, and five are of unknown origin.
Conclusions: Several kawakawa compounds that are also widely found in other plants are bioavailable and are modified by phase 1 and 2 metabolism.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.202300583 | DOI Listing |
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Kawakawa () is an endemic medicinal plant widely consumed by Māori in New Zealand. Presence of diverse biologically active phytochemicals in kawakawa may underpin its putative therapeutic anti-inflammatory properties. However, no human studies on its anti-inflammatory effects are yet undertaken.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman Metabolism and Excretion of Kawakawa (Piper excelsum) Leaf Chemicals.
Mol Nutr Food Res
March 2024
Liggins Institute, Waipapa Taumata Rau - The University of Auckland, 85 Park Road, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand.
Article Synopsis
- Piper excelsum (kawakawa) has been used therapeutically by Māori in New Zealand and is now popular as a beverage and functional food ingredient, with this study focusing on how its chemicals are metabolized and excreted by humans.* -
- Two studies were conducted: one with six male volunteers to assess the bioavailability of kawakawa tea metabolites and another with 30 volunteers to explore its impact on glucose metabolism, revealing 26 significant urinary metabolites linked to kawakawa tea consumption.* -
- The findings indicate that various kawakawa compounds are bioavailable, undergoing metabolic changes in the body, with some metabolites being associated with specific components of the tea.*
Exploring the Chemical Space of Kawakawa Leaf ().
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Liggins Institute, Waipapa Taumata Rau-The University of Auckland, 85 Park Road, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
The chemical profiles of kawakawa () leaves were analysed through targeted and non-targeted LC-MS/MS. The phytochemical profile was obtained for both aqueous extracts representative of kawakawa tea and methanolic extracts. Sixty-four compounds were identified from eight leaf sources including phenylpropanoids, lignans, flavonoids, alkaloids and amides.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcute Effects of Kawakawa () Intake on Postprandial Glycemic and Insulinaemic Response in a Healthy Population.
Nutrients
April 2022
Liggins Institute, The University of Auckland, 85 Park Road, Grafton, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
Article Synopsis
- Piper excelsum, or kawakawa, is a native New Zealand shrub important to Māori culture, known for its medicinal properties, with its fruits and leaves often consumed due to their health benefits.
- A pilot study tested kawakawa tea's effects on glucose metabolism by comparing high-dose and low-dose tea against water in male participants, revealing lower glucose and insulin levels after consuming the higher dose.
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Composition and safety evaluation of tea from New Zealand kawakawa (Piper excelsum).
J Ethnopharmacol
March 2019
The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Fitzherbert Science Centre, Palmerston North 4474, New Zealand. Electronic address:
Kawakawa (Piper excelsum) has food, medicinal and cultural importance to the indigenous Māori people of New Zealand, and is being incorporated into a range of commercial food and therapeutic products, including tea. In this study, the chemical compositions of kawakawa fresh leaves, dried leaves for tea, and hot brewed tea, were analysed and compared. The key metabolites were diayangambin, elemicin, myristicin, unidentified lignans and amides.
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