Kava aka Piper methysticum,`awa, 'ava, yaqona and sakau. Kava is related to the black pepper; both have heart-shaped leaves and flowers similar to the flower spike of the anthurium. Kava also has a peppery taste. Kava  is an ancient crop of the western Pacific and has long been a part of their native & indigenous people religious, political, and cultural life.