Kava Kava

[Longbaugh]

Anyone here have any positive experiences with this substance?

I've been looking into this for a while and would appreciate any feedback? Positive or negative.

Thanks.

[m3nt0r]

Hey Longbaugh. I have tried kava kava before in both raw and extract form. The only method that had some affect was in a concentrate extract paste, but the price did not merit the effect. I do not recommend it. Hope I helped!

[jags2ooo]

Well Kava kava didn't do anything positive for me. It did give me some juicy diarrhea but I have been using xanax for about 2 years off and on maybe that's the reason why it didn't have a positive effect on me. Honestly for anxiety no over the counter medicine/herb has worked, i also tried 5-htp and St John's Wort.

[c729]

Have tried that and St Johns Wort. Nada. Should have just had a rum and coke.

[unique]

I have tried Kava as well-I wish I could tell you it helped me but honestly it didn't- Just my experience though.

[Longbaugh]

I'm just wondering if those who bought Kava, bought from health food shops instead of Online vendors. I've heard Kava from health stores doesn't really measure up.

[davidcr]

I used it years ago for sleep, but don't any more because melatonin does all I need. But here are some things I remember from my research back then.

Roughly from memory:

There were reports of illness and death from kava. It wasn't that great for me so I quit it. Looking into it further, people somewhere (Germany?) were commonly taking huge amounts of it. It became so popular that makers started using the leaves and stems on the plants, not just the roots. These non-root parts of the plant contain something that did something bad (to the liver?), but the pure root is fine. I found a place that, based on that, sold stuff that was all root.

That's all too fluffy to base any choices on, but it can start off any research anyone might want to do. And checking is a good idea, 'cause I don't know if just any old bottle from walmart will be okay.

[GreenThumb]

oh, indeed....before I discovered opiates, I used to self-treat pain with kava kava infusions....I would order order whole root (Waka grade, top of the line) from the Republic of Vanuatu...they had exquisite kava root.

I studied up on the ways the natives used it and tried to emulate their technique as closely as possible....not entirely, though, as the south sea islands natives used to chew and regurgitate the root to activate the kavalactones and I had no real desire to drink regurgitated kava root.

What I did was this>>>>>ground up the kava root in a coffee grinder, then added warm water, two tablespoons of lecithin, and two tablespoons of olive oil. I would then mix this mess for three minutes in a blender and then drink the foul view down. My mouth and tongue would immediately go numb - BTW, numbness is the sign of a potent strain of kava. Within minutes, I could literally feel the pectoral muscles in my chest loosening, as though I had taken a powerful muscle relaxer (well, I did, actually).

After a half hour or so, I would become very sedate and "loose". But not inebriated in the least. Pain would diminish and I would get 3-4 hours of relief followed by deep, restful sleep. But, kava brew is rough on the stomach and is absolutely wretched tasting, worst thing I ever consumed.

I find it is much easier now to pop a pill rather than go through all the steps of making kava brew, but it really does work. I'm amazed that kava drinking never caught on here - I thought for sure that someone would popularize a more palatable (albeit weaker) form of kava. Unfortunately, the FDA was saber-rattling for a while about the evils of kava, so it did get driven back underground somewhat. After all, we can't have the slave masses taking natural, healthy home remedies, that would cut into Big Pharma's balance sheet.

The key to making a good kava brew is to buy whole root from a reputable vendor, and one that is close to the source of the root. There are stateside vendors that sell crappy powdered kava that will do nothing for you. And NEVER buy it from a health food store, they will charge you an arm and a leg for capsules of over-dried junk.

"End your the day the polynesian way", used to be my motto...

[unique]

@ Longbaugh- I ordered mine online from Kona Kava Farm-I tried the capsules which I didn't think did a darn thing but the paste was better. Like GreenThumb said it make my tongue kind of numb.

[davidcr]

Within minutes, I could literally feel the pectoral muscles in my chest loosening, as though I had taken a powerful muscle relaxer (well, I did, actually).

After a half hour or so, I would become very sedate and "loose". But not inebriated in the least. Pain would diminish and I would get 3-4 hours of relief followed by deep, restful sleep.

Was the sleep "mandatory", or could you still we awake and useful after taking it?

This sounds like it could be very good for tension headaches. What do you think about that?

[Neuromaniac]

I've used a cocoa flavored powder from kona kava farms, which were advertised as cocao mixed "root only" powder, I really didn't notice any changes in mood after I tried the first 8oz drink packet, so the second time I tried it I doubled that...tasted horrible, numbed my and teeth a bit, hurt my stomach and made skin very dry and scaley and actually increased feelings of anxiety which is the exact opposite reason i got it.I felt a little wired with a slightly detached feeling not unlike having too much caffeine. Ive heard some people get similar reactions from it. Later I also tried a small amount with a shot of alcohol, I noticed synergistic effects right away but they were not too pleasant, I just felt more flush than I would've on just the alcohol alone and a slightly elevated buzz with the same wired feeling I experienced before.

I've also bought some kava kava pills from a health food store that did nothing for me, just to see if they worked I some open and kept taking them with water to see if it had any effect at all, I pretty much got the same result as the powdered drink mix I got from Kona Kava. All in all Im not a fan of it but other people talk about how soothing it can be. Even if it were soothing I've read prolonged use can cause scaley skin(something I noticed right away) and that kava can be hard on your liver. It is too expensive to me even if it did work better if I tried the paste or bought pure root.

[Longbaugh]

I think I might try this instant product called kaviar. No messing around with the extraction and stuff. Hopefully I can get some good effects.

[Harry Irene]

It all sounds like a blast.... I farted around with Kava Kava years ago....Don't remember anything helping me in any way...This company also had Broom, Salvia, Morning Glory and all kinds of wacky Herbal stuff for healing, etc.

[exponentially]

Personally I would avoid Kava Kava, there is a reasonable body of evidence that links Kava Kava to hepatic toxicity.

Kava Linked to Liver Damage: Consumer Advisory [NCCAM Health Information]

Hepatic Toxicity Possibly Associated with Kava-Containing Products --- United States, Germany, and Switzerland, 1999--2002

Kava Linked To Liver Damage, New Evidence Shows

While the science linking Kava Kava to liver damage is not iron clad, there is enough evidence to seek other alternatives.

[Alternate]

Interesting post about this legendary remedy.

Do know to get any herbs go only to reputable vendors that sell the real stuff. Commercial stores sell less quality items (Whole Foods, though, does have a good reputation for better quality).

Only try small amounts to find out how it will affect you.

Chamomile, lemon balm, valerian did nothing for me.

The toxicity: was any epidemilogical study done where the people who have used this for centuries had chronic liver problems?
Just read all the articles. Apparently no studies done on how the people who take this as part of their culture have no problems.
Interesting.

Comfrey is another controversial herb regarding toxicity to liver. Vague evidence out about it yet some insist on still taking it.

[diazafan]

I tried Kava Kava, it is legal here but it didn't do anything for me. Maybe it was the vendor I ordered it from. I remember it tasted nasty and made me feel no different.

I wouldn't try it again.

[GreenThumb]

If you feel no effects from kava, you are getting bunk supplies or not preparing it correctly. If you just soak the powder in water, you will get nothing; the kavalactones are insoluble in water and need to be emulsified in solution to work.

The numbness of the mouth is the gold standard test for quality.....you should also get a an abstract head buzz, but without feeling groggy or stoned. The feel of good kava is quite pronounced and is unique, nothing else is at all similar.

Hope this helps any of you potential Kavanauts.

[cherrybomb]

Don't quote me on this but i think Kava Kava is banned in health stores within Canada (Ontario) now. Something with major liver or kidney problems--i would have to check --but i remember it being recommended for anxiety to me. I never did actually try it.

[HR89]

taste is pretty foul in my opinion and effects arent great for me.
if it did taste better or if we could get a decent strength kava tablets in aus i might give it another try but no way at this stage

[Carlos10]

I have tried the kava drops from Wholefoods and I can tell you that it tastes pretty bad and for 30 bucks, not worth it. I didn't feel the effects much either. The other day I came across this kava spray called 1hourbreak at wholefoods too. Anyone hear about this before? On the bottle is said to have Kava and St. Johns Wort and some other herbs I never heard of.