Drinking kava to relax and sometimes to resolve conflicts is a longstanding custom in much of the Pacific.

Now the traditional brew has made its way into a wave of trendy new bars in New York City.

The number of kava bars in the United States has tripled since 2012 and there are growing hopes in Fiji and Vanuatu that exporting kava could provide an economic boom for local farmers.

The owner of Brooklyn Kava, Harding Stowe, says he first began using the drink as an alternative to alcohol and to treat anxiety, something he says a growing number of Americans are also doing.