I want to start drinking Kava as a way to just reduce anxiety a bit and not get krunked since it's too much for me these days. How much or how little kava would you suggest as a "therapeutic dose"? I usually drink 2 aluballs of Kava as my medium-strong dose. Would 1/4 of that dose IE half an aluball be a good place to start experimenting?
How much Kava would be a "therapeutic dose" compared to recreational?
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Zaphod
Kava Lover
I would lean towards making up a full aluball or two and then water it down and drink it over a longer period of time. If you are truly using it as a medicine to treat anxiety I think small amounts gradually throughout the day would be best. It does have a bit of a "shield" effect that lasts into the next day. So I like to use it to fully unwind at the end of my day (8-10TBS) and enjoy the after effects into the next day, but I think an equally useful way to do it would be to make a very week grog and spread it out all day long.
The problem is that would mean I would have to abstain from eating for a very long time.
I’d say that isn’t the case at all if you are looking for anxiety relief. If anything having some food in your stomach would soften the rush of kava and delay onset to a steady climb. Leaving you with longer coverage from the therapeutic benefits.
I personally do not notice more than a 10% reduction in peak effects from having kava with food or without.
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Zaphod
Kava Lover
Agreed. Food tends to blunt the quick kavain rush you get at the beginning, but I tend to find little difference in the anti-anxiety effects or eventual sedation effects with food.
Hmm, maybe I should try a Kava session an hour after eating instead of my usual 4-5 hour fast. Maybe the onset will be slower and reduce the initial effects of Kava allowing it to last longer in the system.
Krunkie McKrunkface
Kava Connoisseur
Yeah, just make the same amount in the same way, but drink it over three or four days.
I think that for most people your daily "maintenance dose" of grog as a health tonic would be 4 to 8 ounces a day of liquid average strength grog. Anything over that is really for pleasure.
Krunkie McKrunkface
Kava Connoisseur
Not eating matters if you want to get intoxicated, but doesn't matter for anything else.
Yeah yesterday I drank 1 aluball of Kava an hour after eating and I definitely felt it, but it was smoother this time. Less of a rush and more of a sustained relaxation, the side effects were also greatly reduced for me. I will try adjusting the time after eating and dosage until I find a nice compromise.
Donwanagan
Kava Curious
I like to put 1tbsp of kava in my aluball, 500ml water, shake for 1 min.
I think alot of kava drinkers would seriously wonder why i would drink that, its rarely noticeably dark in color after pouring out. It certainly couldn't get you krunk. Since i use kava to reduce stress, im not looking to get krunk. And i theorize that the reason only that much is enough for me to reach a discernably calmer state, is because im naturally so anxious. I theorize that kavas effects are more pronounced if the drinker is more anxious. For example, someone who is decently relaxed and has no care im the world could drink my 1tbsp grog and not really notice much, maybe they'd feel as if they just drank calming green or chamomile tea. But if a person having a panic attack drank a 1tbsp grog, they would notice the change more, as they were in a high stress state and even a little movement out of it is noticeable.
Anyhow, i do the 1tbsp/500ml aluball in ther morning. I split it into two glasses. I sip on one glass a little bit after coffee and a pop tart ( i drink coffee and eat a pop tart around 6am and sip the kava by about 730 ).
The second glass with the other half of grog i put in ther fridge and drink after work around 5.
Edit to add: sometimes i add an extra tbsp to the aluball if i want to be super relaxed for whatever reason. I feel that adding any more than that is a waste though, as the mechanics of the aluball limit extraction.
SmokinJoe93
Kava Curious
I’m actually looking to use the similar method to what you’re doing. I just want to use Kava purely to upregulate my GABA receptors, so I want to use the least as possible whilst getting a therapeutic effect. Do you find your daily dosage is helping?
SelfBiasResistor
Persist for Resistance!
A therapeutic dose is going to differ among individuals. There seems to be a misconception that therapeutic always means lowest possible dose and recreational means highest but the opposite is true. People who have more severe medical issues will typically need higher doses to achieve relief or a state of normalcy. Examples: people with high anxiety may be prescribed benzo doses that will make a "normal" person unable to do anything besides sleep all day, severe pain patients benefiting from fentanyl will be taking a dose that would kill heroin addicts.
As far as food delaying onset of kava effects, it's more of a matter of how much you want to feel the kavain. Dosed too low or slow, you won't feel it much or at all and that is the main reason most people drink kava. At this point in time there aren't many options for the more medicinal M/DHM containing kava so without enough K most people would find the experience lacking, especially after factoring in the cost and side effects.
As far as food delaying onset of kava effects, it's more of a matter of how much you want to feel the kavain. Dosed too low or slow, you won't feel it much or at all and that is the main reason most people drink kava. At this point in time there aren't many options for the more medicinal M/DHM containing kava so without enough K most people would find the experience lacking, especially after factoring in the cost and side effects.
kavamehameha
Magnum's 'awa drinking bird
kasa_balavu
Yaqona Dina
Does the salt potentiate the kava?
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