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earth mother

Love and Light
Does anyone else out there in Kava land get hives??? I don't have it 100% narrowed down, but it is lookin like for me Kava root powder and hives are gonna go hand in hand. I am not a person who lives for vanity, so I am not all that worried about this side effect, but just wondering if I am alone in this???
Love and Light All <3
 

infraredz

BULA!
There are people with allergies (which it sounds like there's a possibility of that here). Has it happened since you first took any sort of kava?

Try taking a benadryl and see if it goes away.
 

earth mother

Love and Light
No, I had no issues what so ever until about a week ago. I knead with bare hands and have had no issues there either. I have been taking Claritin since Tuesday and have been watching like crazy after I drink and there are no new raises or redness, but they are still definitely there. There is also no other symptoms that are common with allergic reactions, like throat is fine, no swelling of tongue, no trouble breathing. So I am kinda at a loss. I did eat a microwave dinner, which is something that I normally do not do, so I was thinking that maybe I am allergic to a preservative or something. Maybe I will get some benadryl for the night time and see if that helps.
 

violet

Do all things with love
Sorry to hear about your hives. I broke out with hives really bad last year, and I never was able to figure out what caused it. Another helpful remedy in clearing hives is the heartburn medicine Zantac (ranitidine). I didn't get any relief from benadryl or corticosteriods, but finally cleared with the H2 blocker. I hope you get relief soon, and please be mindful that a mild allergic reaction can develop into a more serious one with repeated exposure to the allergen.
 

Bert07

Me like da kava
earth mother, maybe you're under a lot of stress? Stress/anxiety symptoms range widely, some more uncommon than others but anything is possible. Back during when I was trying to break through my RT and drinking daily for over a week, I was faced with a very stressful situation and about a half hour or so afterwards my left hand started to get this prickly feeling and then all of a sudden it broke out into a rash with some hives visible. I still don't know what has caused it nor will I ever. Could have been the stress, the heavy kava consumption, or the mix of both--but whatever the case may be, it was very strange as this has never happened in the past.
 

earth mother

Love and Light
Stress is my middle name...lol Two kids, school, birthdays, in-laws, and the list could go on and on. The fact that I have been consuming Kava in one form or another for about a month and a half now, really makes me think that it is something else, but I just had to throw this out there, cuz I am driving myself crazy trying to figure it out.
 

violet

Do all things with love
(((hugs))) to you, earth mother. Stress is rough, probably what caused my bout as well. It takes such a toll on us, especially our immune systems, and can have long lasting effects even after the stress is long gone. I hope you are finding in kava a great relief for your stress :)
 

earth mother

Love and Light
Yes and having an immune system that is jacked due to FM doesn't help matters. Kava has been so good to me, in All areas of my life!!! I am very grateful for this herb.
Love and Light All <3
 

kavadude

❦ॐ tanuki tamer
Sorry to hear about that :( If it doesn't go away with time, perhaps some more dedicated straining is in order? I assume you are using a strainer but you might try just letting the kava sediment settle in a glass and pouring off most of the liquid. I know you've been using no-prep products successfully so could be something in the root powder or (hopefully) just a random bad reaction to something else.
 
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Deleted User01

I'm glad you brought that up Earth Mother. On my Kava days, I recently noticed that I start feeling little iches here and there. I get a very mild breakout of tiny bumps here and there and mostly on my upper torso. That being said, I also get those when there are tons of my favorite springtime allergens in the air. It is an allergy thing and I'm working on the theory that maybe certain Kavas irritate me more than others. I knead with a fine mesh nylon bag and I'm thinking of getting a tighter mesh Muslin bag for a second straining to remove the finer particles. More on this as I traverse from one Kava to the next.
 

earth mother

Love and Light
Kavadude, I use a strainer bag that I got from BKH and was actually thinking the same about the sediments. I have been stirring it up before I pour it into my glass, so today I will leave the sediments on the bottom and try to get as little residue as possible. And Deleted User01 what is a Muslin bag and where might I look for one???
 

sɥɐʞɐs

Avg. Dosage: 8 Tbsp. (58g)
Review Maestro
I used to get very minor hives when drinking mahakea sometimes...many years ago. It was always on my stomach and chest. It would kick in sometime after my 1st shell and usually be gone by my 3rd. Every once in a while I still feel itching start on my stomach but when I look I don't see any hives. It's definitely tied to the kava, with me.
 
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Deleted User01

I believe a Muslin bag is just like the bags they use for kneading Kava. I used to see them sold as spice bags. You could load up the bag with spices that you didn't want to eat and let them infuse into your soup or stew or whatever. I Googled it early this morning and they sell them everywhere. Another option is to strain your Kava thru a cheesecloth. My son and I use double cheese cloth to strain our home brew into the keg. Works pretty damn good. So I'm going to get one or the other. It's funny, the other day I was complaining about all the crud at the bottom of the bottle (which I never noticed before). Then I'm complaining about itchiness and now I'm putting the two together. I have been doing Kava for 6 months and I'm just now seeing this symptom. I drink Kava 3 times a week. This week I was chugging both Tongan and WOW. Just giving you the facts Mam so you can can assimilate and compute.

PS. One more theory is that it could be seasonal. We are just now getting cold fronts and there is a bunch of stuff in the air. Wait a minute, one more. This week has been out of this world stressful both at work and the homefront. I didn't even consider that until I read the post above. Ok, so you just have to start weeding out the possibilities including that you may be allergic to that particular Kava.

Oh wait a minute one more. Tell the truth, did you get into your kids trick or treat candy and eat all the good chocolate candy? :D
 

infraredz

BULA!
I can definitely confirm what others have said about sediment causing skin issues. I usually get skin issues in the form of the itchy/peeling "kava dermopathy" but I wouldn't doubt that it could also cause hives and other dermatological issues.

Like shakas said, I find that certain strains/varieties give me skin issues while others don't. I'm not sure about the cause of this since all kava should be devoid of pesticides, microbes, etc. That being said, there are differences not only in kavalactones, but also a wide array of other compounds found in plants (eg. secondary metabolites like flavonoids) that could be the cause.

The problem is that there are a tremendous amount of causes that would be hard to narrow down. If it's something you haven't experienced before starting kava, then there is definitely a greater probability that it isn't due to something like diet, weather or allergens. Still, I think that at least trying an H1 antagonist like benadryl might be helpful. H2 antagonists like ranitidine (avoid cimetidine) would be worth a shot, though there is less evidence showing beneficial effects from H2 antagonists. Also, be aware that you shouldn't take either within a few hours of having kava (due to sedation, enzyme inhibition and other potential interactions).
 

earth mother

Love and Light
Deleted User01 I call it candy tax and you can bet your bottom dollar that I did and still am ;)...lol The only thing left in the bottom is very fine and black, so I am thinking about putting the root in a nylon and then the nylon in my strainer bag and see how that works. Shoot I am wishing that I had a wine decanter, because I know how to separate sediments that way. I broke out with them Monday night and like I said there has been no new spots or irritation. In fact my face has cleared up for the most part. More annoying than anything. I will continue to keep you guys posted and just keep on keepin on. Oh and BTW you guys are the bee's knees!!!
Love and Light All <3
 
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kavadude

❦ॐ tanuki tamer
I believe a Muslin bag is just like the bags they use for kneading Kava.
Muslin bags are actually a lot finer than kava strainers. Personally I've never made good kava with one, I think they are a little too fine. But it might be worth a shot if the sediment is too much for you, give it an extra run through a nylon or a muslin bag or something.
 

earth mother

Love and Light
Well...it is a Sad day for this momma. I can say without a doubt that it is the kava :( I woke up this morning and my nose is puffy swollen. Now it's the question of if I am allergic just to the Boroguru or other root powders as well. I do have some Melo-Melo, but am a bit leery to see if I would have the same reaction. I am very disheartened, I found this herb on a whim trying to combat my FM and now I am feeling, well I am not sure how I am feeling.
 

KavaGurl

The Original Kava Forum Mama
:( Huge Hugs Mama..You know I love ya! We'll figure this out..I too would be lost without this wonderful herb in my life. My FM would typically spirals out of control this time of year..stupid cold weather!:mad: Anyhoo, I'm interested to step aside and see what the big dogs have to say, as they have much more knowledge than I at this point...TAKE IT AWAY BOYZ! :D
 
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