Drinking Kava with food in your stomach
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Rick.Sanchez
Kava Enthusiast
I find that it still works, but not as well or as quickly. I just drink more if I've eaten recently
Krunkie McKrunkface
Kava Connoisseur
I used to, but for some time now I drink so much kava, all day long, it doesn't matter when I eat or don't eat, it makes no difference at all. It became a moot point, a non-issue. But I remember it being vitally important in the old days. Like, a few months ago. Rule of thumb back then was kava was better if you hadn't eaten for at least 4 hours prior.
Also I would guess it only ever made a difference in regard to pleasurable effects, but you'd get the same health effects either way.
It depends on how much food you had and how recently. For me, 2-3 hours after a medium to heavy meal, I feel very nice effects. If I had a light meal which I often do, 1 hour later max, I am good to re shell. Of course on an empty stomach with 4+ hours after my last meal, is my preferred method.
Kavanaught
Kava Curious
I need at least 5 hours after a light meal to feel even the lightest effects from kava. As a result, I skip a meal and have lost a lot of weight.
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Odourman
Skål from Sweden!
What is this? Under your tongue? I have never tried that.
superspeedkit
Kava Curious
I'm like Krunky and can roll with it after 2-3 hours, but waiting 5+ hours does increase the effects for me. Kava was actually the impetus for me to start intermittent fasting, which turns out to be really healthy and has been the second best daily practice I've picked up in my adult life (kava being the first of course).
Once I've had a couple shells, I'll sometimes eat 100-200 cal worth of food to potentiate the effects (sugars and fats work for me so I go with fruit or cheese).
If I'm weak or tired because of too few calories, but don't want to ruin my kava session, I'll throw back a couple shells and then eat a small meal. Then I can keep drinking and it's good.
Once I've had a couple shells, I'll sometimes eat 100-200 cal worth of food to potentiate the effects (sugars and fats work for me so I go with fruit or cheese).
If I'm weak or tired because of too few calories, but don't want to ruin my kava session, I'll throw back a couple shells and then eat a small meal. Then I can keep drinking and it's good.
Jeff Silvers
Kava Curious
I just had some Kava Supreme and ate about a half hour after. I thought it was wearing off until I got up. Everything came back and continued after another shell. I feel it more on an empty stomach but still good with a little food.
theGrogfather
Sipping on Waka juice. Laid back
Honestly haven't tested this in a while. Im usually waiting 5+ hours after lunch and the effects are usually amazing, then I eat a light dinner around 9 which boosts my krunk almost every time. I guess why mess with a good thing.
It's basically vital for me to have an empty stomach. I'm not sure if it was food that did this, but recently, I ate a huge dinner and went to bed immediately afterwards, woke up really early the next morning to go watch the sunrise on part of the beach I was staying at, and brought two washes of trad. prep Kava with me. Effects were signicantly less than they had been with that exact amount of that exact Kava prepared in the exact same way. I think it's because I didn't digest the food while I was sleeping like I would if I were awake.
nabanga
Kava Enthusiast
An empty or mostly empty stomach is needed for the absorption to be quick enough to get a good initial effect for me and most of the long term drinkers I know. If my stomach has a meal in it (say less than 3 hours before) then I still get an effect but it is slower to come on and I don't get the initial 45 mins-hour of euphoric "rise" that enjoy so much, before it settles down into a more mellow relaxed feeling - a full stomach leads me slowly and directly to the mellow phase, missing out the initial "hit" and subsequent euphoric stage (sorry for the terminology but you know what I mean). Eating before also makes me feel full, and makes it harder to drink my standard 1.25l session.
KrunkMunster
Kava Enthusiast
Agreed. There does seem to be a fine balance between get the full effects of Kava and ended up with nausea from an empty stomach.
Krunkie McKrunkface
Kava Connoisseur
Same here!!!
Fasting has an anti-inflammatory effect, so if you have inflammatory issues (as I do, or did, before kava) that can be very healthy for you. It's like kava-induced fasting adds a double-whammy to the already anti-inflammatory effects of the root itself, a kind of multiplier or ripple effect. Bad stuff in life snowballs, but with good stuff like kava, it can snowball in a good direction and you get positive synergies, I find.
Krunkie McKrunkface
Kava Connoisseur
It is for me never a waste of time to drink kava. I have even woken in the middle of the night, chugged a shell and went right back to sleep. Worth it? For me, yeah. It was great.
Kava with or on top of food is less than ideal if trying to get a good krunk on, but I believe that the only time it is contraindicated.
I don’t need to totally starve myself, but I definitely do a bit better on an empty stomach. Sometimes I need food though so a light meal or snack is fine and doesn’t seem to impact things. If I don’t eat for 4-5 hours and then drink a bunch of kava, I have to top it off with some food or I start feeling nauseous. Big meals before and after kava are out of the question for me. That may be a volume thing. I just can’t chug a bunch of kava on top of a big meal, nor can I eat a huge meal after having a large volume of kava. Pretty sure this why I have lost 15 pounds since I started last fall - this was weight I needed and wanted to lose. It just melted off without effort.
Zaphod
Kava Lover
Depends on what you are looking for. In my opinion and experience what food does is make it harder for the initial kavain rush that comes on within a few minutes of drinking kava. This for most people is the most immediate thing they notice when drinking kava. However, all the KLs and the heavier KLs still get there they just take longer with food in the stomach. If you are looking for the relaxation and the heaviness of kava it will still slowly work its way in even with a lot of food in your stomach. You just won't get that immediate euphoria of kavain so some think it is not working. I have had limited success with sublingual absorption even with extracts. Beyond making my mouth numb I am not really convinced that KLs can be absorbed through the mucus membranes. If someone has data that shows different let me know...