Michael McCormack was rushed to hospital after downing the drink
(Picture: 7NEWS)The former Australian deputy prime minister was rushed to hospital after gulping down a whole shell of a traditional sedative drink which was only supposed to be sipped.
Michael McCormack was on a diplomatic tour of Micronesia when he was offered a shell of sakau, a type of kava, a traditional drink made from the root of a pepper plant.
Some versions of kava are milder and guests are invited to down the entire liquid in one go.
But sakau is much stronger and is supposed to be sipped, unknown to Mr McCormack.
The Nationals MP told the Guardian he had downed five shells of kava in Vanuatu the previous day and so hadn’t expected the sakau to have such an effect.
“I was trying to be respectful – I really took one for team Australia,” he said.
“They made it in front of us, squeezing the juice out of these massive tree roots, just absolutely squeezing it. It had a peppery essence and I was OK for 10 to 15 minutes and then I thought, ‘ooooh, OK’.
“I looked over at [the foreign minister] Penny Wong and mouthed, ‘I’m not OK’. I went cross-eyed. I really did. Then someone got me a bucket and, well, yeah.”
The MP held a rubbish bin to his mouth before being helped to his car by other members of the delegation.
He was taken to hospital for dehydration and was released with a clean bill of health. He then slept for 14 hours, he told the paper.
Mr McCormack added that next time he would not gulp down the drink but would sip it instead.
While not alcoholic, kavas served throughout the region are known for their narcotic sedative effect.
They can be used to lower anxiety while also helping to numb pain.
