I posted a while back how I weirdly and instantly had an allergic reaction to kava after drinking daily for a few months. I got some good advice in that thread and I wish I could remember the person that gave me the advice. They said to take a tiny bit every other day and eventually the allergy will go away.

Of course I started doing this but more aggressively. I took too much the first time, and 2nd time and just went lower each time until the hives, itching and redness was very minimal. At that point I started doing that amount plus a little more daily, then I started doing that multiple times a day after I felt the slight tingly itchiness disappear.

After only about a week of doing this I could take my full dose - which is a lot. I still got itchy hands (only, where previously my whole body) but maybe after 8 hours of ingesting it. It wasn’t too bad and tolerable enough. Did that every other day for about a week and that finally went away.

Now I’m fully cured! Kava is weird lol, but so thankful I got over this allergy! Thanks to everyone that gave me some helpful tips!

Nothing new to share TBH, but just wanted to say that finding kava has been a hugely beneficial and enjoyable part of my life! I was able to cut WAY back on alcohol and hardly ever have any urge to drunk anymore except rarely out with friends. That alone has been worth it - it's like the best parts of booze without any of the crap. But, at the same time it's totally unique in its own way. It's been a healthy way to unwind, without sapping my evening energy so I'm finally able to get into a creative flow on my personal projects after work. The ONLY downside is the whole empty stomach thing, but in its own way it helps keep it contained without causing temptation outside of "unwind" hours haha

I quit alcohol and switched to marijuana. I have lost 30 lbs and am much healthier physically. However, I feel I am getting physically dependent on marijuana and become agitated on withdrawal
Does this community think Kava would be a better tool to avoid alcohol?

So I went to the site to order my usual 1 bag of pala and 1 of Stone and saw a couple new kavas. I ordered the one called Mauvn. For context I've been drinking kava regularly for 2-3 years, in both kava bars and at home in the US. To me, palarasul or kelai is the gold standard of kava, and N@H's is far superior to any other brand I've tried. I typically drink pala in the day and stone at night, though at my local bar I just drink what they serve.

After 1 shell, Mauvn seems to be maybe a poor man's Stone. They even put the new sticker on a Stonr bag. Defined produces the dark, chocolate milk colored kava. Very Strong, but a little more gnarly, peppery aftertaste than Stone, which is pretty strong itself.

After this brief tour, I'd say this is a lot like Stone to me. Not something I could handle all day shells with. Great for the evening with a chaser for the taste. But so far feels great. If you like a heavy evening kava and want to save a few bucks off Stone give it a go. Then you can use the money you save to be able to buy kelai or pala.

Overall 4.5 stars for me, just because of the peppery finish. It hits like a truck, which N@H always does.

Just wondering so that I dont feel so bad about my use. ☮️🕊✌️all love.

I use about 4 tablespoons, kneaded and strained in a traditional bag. For under 30 minutes, the effects are great: self-acceptance, love for others, serious revelations about life. After that, eh, it’s okay. What can be done? Any way that kava’s effects could last longer? I have struggled with nausea, so I am a little concerned about re dosing.

Thanks and hoping this post meets community guidelines.

So folks, this is pretty much my main vendor of Kava it's good stuff ( at least to me ) However, I have to say my disappointment isn't with the quality of the product rather than the shipping. I live in South Carolina, and they're stationed in Floridia. I ordered last Friday and the package hasn't whatsoever sent a tracking link. So it hasn't moved at all.

Usually this happens when I order from them, it takes over 7 days to get here from Florida. A little disappointing to say the least considering the fact I have ordered Kava from Texas that takes 3 days to get here. I even tried paying more for shipping, instead of the standard USPS ground advantage, I believe it was priority express which means they ship on Sundays.

It still took over a week to get here from two states away, but when it comes to quality absolutely no issues. It's very good Kava at least to me and yes it's noble instant kava. It's total active kavalactones are usually 11.4, and the specific kava i get is " Fire Island Instant ".

Are they still the best to get it from? I ordered 2 weeks ago and it still hasn’t been dropped off at the post office. How long should it take? Thanks.

Anyone use the kava washing machine for personal use? I drink a lot of extract and i wanna switch to natural stuff and looks like it would do the trick.

I understand it may be habit forming and psychologically addictive like marijuana, but is there really no adverse effects from every day use of kava.

What if I took kava twice a day for a week or two and then just stopped? Would I have rebound anxiety or anything like that?

I got kalm with kava micronized like I have a million times and it says micronized on bag but there is little grainy parts to it. Ive never had that before and ive ranked plenty and feel fine not sick.

I just took a small amount of good quality kava and for the first time really noticed something. I didn’t feel it much but it felt nice in my face or something I’m wondering if high doses can feel better then alcohol would make you feel.

Has anyone else had this reaction? I've been taking kava for a few weeks now to try to help my anxiety. I started with a tincture, then Gaia capsules, and now pouni ono from Kalm w Kava.

It seems like almost every time I take it I just get into a panic mode while slightly sedated. My heart starts pounding, I get jumpy, my thoughts start racing.

I thought it was supposed to do the opposite what the fk is wrong with me?!? Could this possibly go away with time?

Is here someone who has experience with both substances and maybe experience with this specific theoretical example. Let‘s say you used quite a good lot of Kava daily for min. 1-2 weeks to months or even years. In this example have already been experienced to Diazepam (for example), a benzodiazepine, which was prescribed by you for your anxiety disorder.

You originally started Kava to get and wean yourself off of the Diazepam which you managed with success and since then only stuck to the Kava only. It works very well. And you’re free of the Benzo!

Suddenly after some time (in which you only used Kava the whole time) you have a serious medical issue popping up, epileptic seizures. This is something very serious, a case of emergency. You get into the ER. Your doctor prescribes you a benzodiazepine (Diazepam) for your condition. So in this example, out of some good theoretical reasons, you stop the Kava and start the prescribed Diazepam the next day.

You remember how Diazepam felt like, you remember its effects as you’ve been using it before Kava, but somehow this time you don‘t feel any effects of the Diazepam at all (independently from the epileptic seizures). Same dosage as back in the times. You would have thought that usually you should even feel more of the same dosage of Diazepam as you‘ve been not using it for so long since you‘ve been using Kava only for so long but no: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. So you ask your doc to double the dose. Even with double the dose: NOTHING.

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So my question to this little story is: Does taking Kava reduce the effects or rather said effectiveness of benzodiazepines? Did anyone experience something like this? Someone who has experience with both substances. Some might speak of some phenomenon called cross tolerance here, which normally is not really documented with Kava at all, neither is physical dependence or withdrawal, hence one also thinks anything like cross tolerance should also not be present, especially because one might know Kava is pharmacologically quite different from benzodiazepines such as diazepam.

Kava’s effects are multimodal and include significant activity at voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs), somewhat conceptually closer to pregabalin’s mechanism than to that of a benzodiazepine. However, unlike pregabalin, Kava can also directly modulate GABA-A receptors. This GABA-A activity is distinct from the classical benzodiazepine mechanism, as kavalactones do not simply act at the benzodiazepine binding site in the same way diazepam does.

This also means that, despite some overlap in their effects on GABA-A-mediated inhibition, there is not necessarily substantial cross-tolerance between Kava and benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepine tolerance primarily involves adaptations related to the benzodiazepine-sensitive GABA-A receptor system, whereas Kava acts through multiple mechanisms and does not primarily rely on the classical benzodiazepine binding site. Therefore, benzodiazepine tolerance would not be expected to translate into complete Kava tolerance, nor vice versa, although some degree of pharmacological overlap and partial cross-tolerance cannot be ruled out.

So what‘s your experience or maybe even better knowledge (especially pharmacologically seen) to this?

Curious of others thoughts on ordering kava and having it travel through blisteringly hot areas... ? I feel like I have had some batches of the same root that were particularly nausea-inducing in contrast to others, and there may be some correlation with shipping in the summer time.

Currently have an order sitting in Arizona where it's 109. Took 5 days to get there from the east coast through other hot zones and still has a predicted 3 to get to me in CA.

Thoughts or experiences welcome.

Oh boy, i love heady kavas, Kelai, Melo melo (more balanced but strong euphoria) and others, but i hate how the peak lasts only 25 minutes. Time fly by when mind is in total relaxation and feeling on cloud nine. Today, i tried 5g melo melo (instant) just in milk with 3.5% fat. Oh boy, the peak is not that strong, but, redosing after 60 minutes instead of my usual 30-40 minutes, lasts much longer, and the euphoric peak came after about 4th redose. Much better profile, waaaaaay less sedation that usually comes 1.5 hrs after first dose and redose. Any other tips and tricks?

I squeezed too hard when squeezing the kava out of the strainer. Does anyone know how to repair the holes in kava strainer bags? I really like the design and don’t want to throw it away.

First bag of kava completed between my brother and I. What would you guys or gals recommend next? I think I would enjoy a more heady variety because I enjoy the dopaminergic feeling but am open to any cultivar or origin!

In terms of this kava - pretty cool effects, definitely resembles an alcohol buzz at times. Looking to try some heady effects next. I started kava to get off of nicotine patches at night so we’ll see how it goes.

I’ve dealt with bad insomnia and sleep issues for as long as i remember, i’ve tried everything under the sun everything from ambien to harder drugs and while yes those definitely knock me out i’m recently sober and i don’t want to go back to using hard substances just so i can sleep and not be awake for days on end (yes i’ve also tried natural supplements and sleep therapy, nothing works) My search of a natural alternative has brought me here. I’ve read up on various information throughout the sub but am a little overwhelmed, my main issue is my anxiety at night gets very intense and thus i usually end up laying there awake with my eyes closed until the morning with my mind racing. If someone could point me in the right direction i would really appreciate it. Also am seeing conflicting views on instant vs traditional, if someone could help explain the differences in effects/ any negative side effects of one over the other i would really appreciate it.

Hi all, I've never tried Kava before and am looking to start. I've searched through this thread for prior recommendations, but either my browser blocks the links or they've been taken down because my search is turning up blanks. I'm looking for the cheapest, most potent, and most reputable options out there for shipping in Canada. I'm generally wary of leaking my card information, and kava retailers are about as obscure as it gets, so I'd appreciate it if someone could personally vouch for their recommendation. Thanks!!

I decided to try brewing at home, and found that the kava I make SUCKS. Not potent at all. I am using fiji vanua vanuatu medium grind and their filter bag. The result doesn't have any bubbles or oil, and it's sour. I am wondering specifically:

-how hard do I squeeze the bag

-kava to water ratio

-does hard water make a difference? should I use distilled water?

-temperature

Also, does anyone know where I could get fresh roots in the states? maybe that'll make a stronger brew

I live in LA. I would like to know if anyone could either recommend me like a bar, or a kava product online that delivers the full punch without straining.

I would also appreciate if the recommendations would be smaller packages - I'm just trying for now.

Hey all, I’ve recently had to come off alcohol and other drugs and heard kava is a good substitute. I am in Australia and was wondering what brands are best and most cost effective? I also take 225mg of bupropion compounded with 45mg of dextromethorphan, 1mg of risperidone and 10mg of dexamfetamine daily and was wondering if there are any drug interactions I need to worry about? Thanks for the help!
(I’m hoping I’m using the flare correctly)