Former Australian Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack has seen firsthand that politeness can be dangerous to health.

The deputy suffered the consequences of drinking an entire goblet of sakau, a traditional Micronesian kava with sedative properties made from pepper root, at a time thinking it was similar to South Pacific kava.

In Fiji, for example, guests at a kava ceremony are invited to drink whatever they are offered, if possible, in a volley.

But, as McCormack discovered during a trip to a local hospital to treat dehydration, sakau is much stronger and is recommended to be drunk in sips.

Speaking with The Guardian, McCormack was in good spirits, saying he had drunk five cups of kava in Vanuatu the day before his sakau experience and didn't expect such a reaction.

McCormack was part of a bipartisan Australian parliamentary delegation touring the Pacific. Participants made a brief six-hour visit to Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia to mark 35 years of bilateral relations. The event was marked with sakau and ceremonial dancing.

Although not alcoholic, sakau, like other kava varieties served throughout the Pacific, is known for its narcotic sedative effects. When used properly, it can reduce anxiety as well as help dull pain.

McCormack, however, felt all the pain when he became ill while members of the Australian delegation waved a fan around him and rubbed his back while he brought a trash can to his mouth. Eventually he was helped into a car and taken to a local hospital, where he was treated for dehydration.