Experimentation: Phase 1

[SuicideAnomaly]

That is not true at all.
Maybe in your case K* isn't doing anything but this is irresponsible to say such things. I agree that it may be the lesser of evils, it should stay legal and available to people in need and that compared to classic opiates it's a walk in the park but it is still a real opioid addictive substance. Saying otherwise is just naive.

As someone who's conquered many REAL addictions, I dont think it's naive to say it's easier to get off of...bc it's just true. If telling the truth makes me naive, then I'll wear that hat proudly.

 

[Steve Mariotti]

K is better than that other stuff to be sure! If it keeps you away from that stuff long enough to break the cycle, then dealing with coming off K can be done with kava, then I think you're on a perfectly sensible harm reduction path, @SuicideAnomaly and more power to you.

 

[SuicideAnomaly]

I have no expectations to be perfectly substance free in this lifetime. I have accepted that as being impossible , however,I personally, prefer to take the less harmful, less inebriated approach to living a full life. Thanks to K@ I am able to coach my 6 year old daughter's baseball team and run and do what all the other parents are doing. It's a great feeling. After spending three solid years in bed most days. IMPROVEMENT is all I pray for. Perfection is unattainable. I just want to salvage what's left of my life.

 

[Steve Mariotti]

I have no expectations to be perfectly substance free in this lifetime. I have accepted that as being impossible , however,I personally, prefer to take the less harmful, less inebriated approach to living a full life. Thanks to K***** I am able to coach my 6 year old daughter's baseball team and run and do what all the other parents are doing. It's a great feeling. After spending three solid years in bed most days. IMPROVEMENT is all I pray for. Perfection is unattainable. I just want to salvage what's left of my life.

While there's a general anti-K sentiment at the Kava Forums (primarily because we care so much about elevating kava above addictive things) your philosophy and attitude blend beautifully with the harm-reduction, recovery and health evangelism we do too!

I hope you feel welcome here, and I hope you continue to explore kava with us.

 

[tomkrat]

i can already tell that this is a good place.

 

[SuicideAnomaly]

While there's a general anti-K sentiment at the Kava Forums (primarily because we care so much about elevating kava above addictive things) your philosophy and attitude blend beautifully with the harm-reduction, recovery and health evangelism we do too!

I hope you feel welcome here, and I hope you continue to explore kava with us.

Thank yous. Everyone's been very nice so far. And the intel you get from experienced users vs. random internet blogs is far superior in my eyes. I consider myself a self taught health guru when it comes to au naturale stuff. I think a lot of the anti-k sentiment is intended for heavy users who are taking it to get a buzz. I've read that people can take up to 8-15 grams at once. I have NEVER in 2 years of on and off use taken more than 2 grams at a time. I can imagine that once you're taking that much, that's when addictive tendencies come into play. However, like someone said above (pardon my laziness at this early hour to go and find it I haven't had my coffee yet) whatever in my brain that says "I need more" and sparks that addictive tendency just isn't present with k. Now.... take 15 g for a week straight and I'm sure I'd be singing a different tune. But enough about the K@. Let's talk about the kava. Today I have no commitments outside the house, and a full oz of kava at my disposal. I have not taken K for 48 hours and I'm going to try the kava isolated without the k as a factor. IF ANYONE HAS TIPS OR TRICKS ON HOW TO MAKE A GOOD CONCOCTION let me know. Will have to venture out for straining mechanisms though. As it seems I have none.

i can already tell that this is a good place.

I can too ^^

 

[tomkrat]

i use the leg of some tights i had lying around from my glam-rock days. it works perfectly for traditional prep (kneading medium grind in water). what grind do you have?

 

[SuicideAnomaly]

i use the leg of some tights i had lying around from my glam-rock days. it works perfectly for traditional prep (kneading medium grind in water). what grind do you have?

the package reads "100% Lateral root-Piper methysticum - origin:Tonga" so my assumption is that it is regular medium grind. Someone told me earlier that if it didn't say differently it was likely medium grind. I believe he was correct. Because when I took that ill advised first toss n wash.... wow wow that shit was GRITTY...

 

[Kimmer]

If you have any knee-high nylons, those work great for straining (some double them). Or tights as @tomkrat mentions.
Hope you have a great experience

 

[August West]

Welcome @SuicideAnomaly ! I find that fasting for at least four hours is necessary for optimal results with kava. I also had fusion surgery. K***** is a godsend when needed. If you're able to toss and wash kava without getting sick, then I'd try a rounded tablespoon every 10-15 minutes. I'd seriously consider stopping after three or four, though, due to possible nausea and bubble-guts. While I will only toss and wash if I'm in a hurry, kneading with a nylon is how I prepare now.

Also, I tend to consume a half ounce or more of kava in an evening, always on a starving empty stomach.

 

[SuicideAnomaly]

Welcome @SuicideAnomaly ! I find that fasting for at least four hours is necessary for optimal results with kava. I also had fusion surgery. K***** is a godsend when needed. If you're able to toss and wash kava without getting sick, then I'd try a rounded tablespoon every 10-15 minutes. I'd seriously consider stopping after three or four, though, due to possible nausea and bubble-guts. While I will only toss and wash if I'm in a hurry, kneading with a nylon is how I prepare now.

Also, I tend to consume a half ounce or more of kava in an evening, always on a starving empty stomach.

Okay I was wondering what's a good lift off point . What should I start with? And how often to dose thereafter until desired effect is reached?

 

[SuicideAnomaly]

If you have any knee-high nylons, those work great for straining (some double them). Or tights as @tomkrat mentions.
Hope you have a great experience

old lady panty hoes? got it. gonna have to make a run to a department store for that.
I'll report back how it goes.

 

[verticity]

old lady panty hoes? got it. gonna have to make a run to a department store for that.
I'll report back how it goes.

LOL since when do only old ladies wear panty hose?
(I guess I must be an old man, sigh)

 

[SuicideAnomaly]

LOL since when do only old ladies wear panty hose?
(I guess I must be an old man, sigh)

LOL since the mid 90's ...it's like an unspoken rule among women. Only the geriatrics rock the nude tinted panty hose. I don't make the rules pal I just share the knowledge haha.

 

[SuicideAnomaly]

SO. Experimentation: Round 2 in progress. My husband is joining me on this endeavor.
First dose, we took appx 4 tbsp powder and 4 cups boiling water, knead, squeeze, repeat , etc. added a little organic whole milk, and raw sugar and downed it 2 cups each. It's working fairly decent for such a small amount. Then hubs decided to run it thru the keurig in the replacement cup (the fill yourself kind) ... i mean it's filtered... it's hot water... what could go wrong??? "I guess we'll see soon enough" I said LOL well it didn't work. It kind of wet up the top layer and left the underneath dry and powdery and did nothing. Back to the boiling pot it is I guess for round 2. Going to have another round then a light meal to aid absorbtion and re assess from there. So far so good. Feel very calm and peaceful. Hoping I can maximize on this calmness .

 

[verticity]

LOL since the mid 90's ...it's like an unspoken rule among women. Only the geriatrics rock the nude tinted panty hose. I don't make the rules pal I just share the knowledge haha.

Any other unspoken rules you've been keeping secret from us for the past 20 years?

 

[verticity]

Then hubs decided to run it thru the keurig in the replacement cup (the fill yourself kind) ... i mean it's filtered... it's hot water... what could go wrong???

 

[August West]

I use warm/hot water, maybe 20 ounces, knead the heck out of it until the ball of kava doesn't feel like play dough anymore. It'll start to feel like a ball of straw. I then do a second wash in a small amount of water for maybe two minutes. Finally I add both washes together. 4-6 rounded tablespoons makes about 32 ounces of finished grog. I then add a tray of ice to quickly cool it down. I split that into maybe 4 or five drinks which I drink one about every 10-20 minutes.

Everyone does it somewhat differently in regards to dosage, strength, and length of sessions. Also different varieties can change how you consume. Tongans are generally uplifting and shorter lived, with less of a chance of nausea. Just be forewarned, too much too fast can sometimes ruin the experience. I'm glad you enjoyed your kava. Boiling/straining makes for a slimy session, but it works! If you're gonna go that route, water it down to desired consistency and ice it down nice and cold.

If sediment doesn't bother you, be sure to stir your grog before each shell.

 

[SuicideAnomaly]

Any other unspoken rules you've been keeping secret from us for the past 20 years?

I have great wisdom. Lol. There are lots of unspoken rules. Like never wear crocs. You're welcome.

my exact words were "this is going to end badly" before the keurig exploded on the countertop.

I use warm/hot water, maybe 20 ounces, knead the heck out of it until the ball of kava doesn't feel like play dough anymore. It'll start to feel like a ball of straw. I then do a second wash in a small amount of water for maybe two minutes. Finally I add both washes together. 4-6 rounded tablespoons makes about 32 ounces of finished grog. I then add a tray of ice to quickly cool it down. I split that into maybe 4 or five drinks which I drink one about every 10-20 minutes.

Everyone does it somewhat differently in regards to dosage, strength, and length of sessions. Also different varieties can change how you consume. Tongans are generally uplifting and shorter lived, with less of a chance of nausea. Just be forewarned, too much too fast can sometimes ruin the experience. I'm glad you enjoyed your kava. Boiling/straining makes for a slimy session, but it works! If you're gonna go that route, water it down to desired consistency and ice it down nice and cold.

If sediment doesn't bother you, be sure to stir your grog before each shell.

I read consuming it hot makes it work faster/stronger. . . so that's what I did. The milk cooled it down enough that I was able to essentially toss it back like a whiskey shot (nose pinched) . I didn't get as much from this session as I hoped to. Perhaps I didn't drink ENOUGH. I experienced NO nausea at all, aside from gagging while trying to drink it. I mean it did what it was supposed to do . I had neighborhood children running rampant in and out of my house all day and never once did I feel irritated by the noise (which I usually am) so obviously it worked well on anxiety. But as far as a body high kind of feeling, that never happened. Perhaps today we will try more. I certainly slept well last night though. It didn't PUT me to sleep, but once I was there.... it was very restful which is very abnormal for me.

 

[Vekta]

You might try letting it soak in hot water until it's cool enough to throw in a blender. Blend the bageezes out of it then pour that in your strainer material, squeeze it out then drink that. blenders have a way of breaking it up so more sediment gets through the strainer without it being a full on toss'n'wash.