I've read that certain alkaloids in Kava act as MAO-B inhibitors, which may contribute partly to the pharmacologic effects of the plant.

If this is true, then it's a very big deal and very important to know. MAOI's exhibit significant interaction with a HUGE number of other medications, supplements, and even foods. As an example, someone taking an MAOI needs to avoid eating certain types of cheese. A really extraordinary number of things are contraindicated for someone taking an MAOI, as there is real danger of developing serotonin syndrome and/or acute hypertensive crisis.

However, when I look up "kava kava" in most online drug interaction checkers, such as WebMD's interaction checker and drugs.com's interaction checker, I don't see any of the normal contraindications that are usually listed for MAOI's. I have also heard that as an MAO-B inhibitor, Kava is very weak, and that "it's not worth worrying about."

I would appreciate any sort of references to the literature that quantify Kava's strength as an MAO-B inhibitor and give any possible technical insight into the types of interactions that I can expect when I use it. Thank you!