Jessica Mamallapalli, Ph.D.

The Eastern philosophy of medicine, using natural remedies given to us by nature to be in homeostasis from the inside out, has been instilled in me from a young age. I have been able to utilize this long-lived philosophy in my research thus far with kava, an extract from the roots of Piper methysticum, used as a beverage by Pacific islanders for centuries to promote a sense of relaxation due to its stress-reducing properties. Kava has demonstrated cancer-preventing characteristics in my graduate lab’s early work, and its components responsible for these known as kavalactones are key to mediating anxiolytic effects. This aligns with my medicinal philosophy of mental and physical health being intertwined, and the maintaining of harmony between the two is key to effectively improving human health. My graduate work mainly focused on kava’s stress-reducing effects, with minor application to cancer risk reduction.