Kava Recipe Cayenne Pepper?

[TrevC]

I got to noticing when it gets close to 4pm, I begin feeling a little queasy. I'm rarely nauseous, and haven't actually been sick in about 5 years or so. It hit me it was more likely my body being used to the Kava that I was about to take, as it has become a daily routine.

Been doing either traditional prep or, more often, Alu-Bottle. Have been able to take closer to the recommended amounts (as low as 15 grams) instead of the 40g it used to take for me to at least FEEL something. (I take it for general anxiety reduction and mood lift, and have been taking it more as I'm on a very slow K@ taper.) I also use very little water - usually less than 12 oz - so the taste is obviously going to be stronger for me. I end up with a very dark/opaque liquid, comparable to coffee, I'd say.

SO, I tried something different. I added a decent-sized pinch of Cayenne Pepper to my first serving. That's obviously not something one would do for taste, but I found that the Cayenne is so overpowering that it seems to greatly diminish the gag-inducing effects of the Kava root. I've read Cayenne Pepper is also a potential potentiator.

So it tastes bad, but in a different, more tolerable way.

If there was a Kava pill that actually worked, I would definitely consider going that route. But for me Kava pills work about as well as "CBD oil": Not at all.

So for now it's Cayenne pepper for getting it down, and a bunch of coconut oil for the mild skin side-effects.

 

[WaitingForGrogot]

Cayenne Pepper is also good for headaches and mild pain relief. I sometimes take Cayenne Pepper with Kava, but separately! The taste is too much together. I find that turmeric and cinnamon make Kava taste pretty good, almost like Indian 'chai' tea.

 

[TrevC]

Cinnamon! I've tried turmeric (+ black pepper extract), but not with cinnamon. I'm excited to give that a go! Thank you!

 

[Chronophan]

I used to get annoying stomach problems when I drank kava, and none of my normal remedies worked. Then I heard someone explain that it was probably the Kava numbing my stomach causing discomfort, so I tried a dash of Cayenne pepper in my Kava, (at one light dash to 3 tbs medium grind Kava). I've used dash of Cayenne pepper now ever since, with a pinch of salt, and corn starch, (at one tbs starch to three tbs Kava, then one tsp starch in the second wash).

Kava Root is mostly starch so I guessed the starch is the basis of the comfortable emulsion kava lactones in traditional preparation. Starch in cold water forms a colloidal suspension, resulting in a digestible liquid sponge. Adding a little more pure starch appears to sponge up the kavalactones that used to stick to my bags, containers, and utensils and deliver more the stuff past my stomach to my intestines for absorption. I find the result of the combination is smooth and comfortable, avoiding any reason to mask the flavor of fresh kava.

To complement the effect and taste I sometimes also take separately from the kava, 1/4 tsp clean magnolia bark extract, (not the stuff from 60/25% Amazon which I find harsh, but instead cleaner 48/48% from elsewhere), along with 1/32 tsp ginger extract. I'm guessing the combination helps bring out the mellow cannabinoid and GABAA receptor activity found in both some kavalactones and in magnolol and honokiol from the magnolia bark. Again, I only do this occasionally, and I don't mix the magnolia bark extract directly with the kava because while the effects go well together, the tastes do not. YMMV

 

[TrevC]

Sir, thank you so much for the information! This is the first I've read of corn starch used in Kava prep. Really interesting! Will definitely try this during my next session.

Also really interesting about the magnolia bark extract. That's a new one on me. I enjoy learning about these natural ingredients, and ways to combine them. Much appreciation to you for taking time to share this.

 

[Chronophan]

Sir, thank you so much for the information! This is the first I've read of corn starch used in Kava prep. Really interesting! Will definitely try this during my next session.

Also really interesting about the magnolia bark extract. That's a new one on me. I enjoy learning about these natural ingredients, and ways to combine them. Much appreciation to you for taking time to share this.

When I was at the stage where I hadn't developed revers tolerance, I went to the bottom of the Wikipedia page for kava and expanded the sections for each type of receptor affected by kava lactones to see what tweaks I could use to enhance or reduce different effects. This is a potentially dangerous practice considering that rather than simply adding or subtracting, combinations can multiply effects. In my case, despite using a weak witches brew of tiny amounts of normally safe substances, the result was a headache and really bad case of the spins reminiscent of my first alcohol drunk forty years ago. After that, I stuck to conventional preparation until I achieved reverse tolerance, and then began trying one thing at a time. Of those things, I found occasional use of magnolia bark extract with a little bit of ginger extract (both from good sources) added a pleasant effect at the end of the day to my normal GHK Moi working man's dilute batch.

The only other thing from those lists I might suggest would be dihydromyricetin 98% extract of Vine Tea (Ampelopsis grossedentata). I usually take a little before bed on days when using kava, along with a little rutaecarpine (extracted from Evodia rutaecarpa) if I've consumed caffeine after noon that day. Without the dihydromyricetin I've found I'd had a greater possibility of waking up during the night and having a kava hangover in the morning, but I've found moderation in kava consumption is a better practice when consuming kava daily than depending on a remedy .

Some time I'll start a post of all the different things vitamins, nutrients, and natural supplements which I've tried in combination with kava, but in general I found aside from adjustments to preparation and dilution, kava is fine by itself along with a good diet, casual exercise, fresh air, and sunshine. YMMV