Kava, once gulped down, goes to work on the body via about fifteen different compounds, known as kavalactones. These different compounds are present in different amounts, depending on the exact strain of kava, but the ones that are responsible for kava's popularity are known as kavain and desmethoxyyangonin. Kavain induces a feeling of relaxation, like a sedative. Unlike a sedative, it doesn't do so by knocking out the brain. Instead it's a muscle relaxant, physically relaxin