The effects of kava on cognition have also been a point of interest since the current standard therapy medications for anxiety can reduce cognitive functioning, while kava may not.[1][2][3][4][5]
Two randomized clinical trials which compared an “acute dose” of kava (containing 180 mg of kavalactones) to benzodiazepines found that, while the lower kava dose couldn’t reduce anxiety as well as benzodiazepines, anxiety did not increase for kava users either. Kava users were also able to maintain alertness in cognitive tasks such as driving, which was not the case for participants taking benzodiazepines.[3][1]
Similar clinical studies using kava doses at 300 mg or more suggest that it doesn’t impair the cognitive skills required for operating a motor vehicle and could even improve cognitive tasks requiring accuracy or quicker response time.[2][6]