Kava Allergy

[TennKava]

Hello everyone,
I have been reading on the boards for about a month and decided to try kava after work as a way to relax without alcohol. Anyway turns out I'm one of the few that is allergic to it. There were no changes in my diet or anything and after about 2 weeks I got hives/a rash all over my entire body, after only 1 auball with 2 tbsp. I went and got a steroid shot on Monday and have been taking steroids since. It's gone down some but my face still looks like a strawberry. So I have 2 questions.
1. I have 2 500g bags of Stone, one with 2 tbsp taken and the other sealed, and 2 aluballs that were used for about a week. I'd like to sell it all as a set. Please message me if you are interested.
2. Are there any other herbs anyone would recommend to relax/de-stress? I was going to try chamomile tea and L-Theanin.

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Groggy]

Hello everyone,
I have been reading on the boards for about a month and decided to try kava after work as a way to relax without alcohol. Anyway turns out I'm one of the few that is allergic to it. There were no changes in my diet or anything and after about 2 weeks I got hives/a rash all over my entire body, after only 1 auball with 2 tbsp. I went and got a steroid shot on Monday and have been taking steroids since. It's gone down some but my face still looks like a strawberry. So I have 2 questions.
1. I have 2 500g bags of Stone, one with 2 tbsp taken and the other sealed, and 2 aluballs that were used for about a week. I'd like to sell it all as a set. Please message me if you are interested.
2. Are there any other herbs anyone would recommend to relax/de-stress? I was going to try chamomile tea and L-Theanin.

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks

1. You can create a listing on the kava Market here It will probably get more visibility than just this post.
2. L-Theanine works well in combination with some form of caffeine, I would suggest you take a look at Yerba, it is not only better for you than coffee it also might help you with some of the anxiety.

http://kavaforums.com/forum/forums/yerba-mate.154/

 

[violet]

@TennKava Sorry to hear about the kava allergy. In addition to H1 blockers like Benadryl you could add in an H2 blocker like Zantac (ranitidine). The last time I had hives was pretty bad and steroids didn't touch it but Zantac worked surprisingly well.

L-theanine combines really well to balance out caffeine, but it works well on its own too. Best to let it absorb sublingually, it has a sweet taste so is easy to do.

Look to adaptogens for relaxing/destress. My favorite one right now is still Tulsi (holy basil) but there are so many... Eleuthero, ashwaghanda, rhodiola, reishi, cordyceps, (most medicinal mushrooms really) and many more. Chinese (baical) skullcap root is great for nerves and sleep. Linden tea can quickly calm one down and is useful for inducing sleep.

 

[TennKava]

Thanks for the tips. I will try some of those and make a post in the market.
Violet,
Is there a website you typically use to buy those?

Thanks

 

[violet]

I like to buy my herbs in bulk, all of those except the linden and tulsi I have purchased from 1stchineseherbs.com. L-theanine I buy in bulk from Amazon, Suntheanine is supposed to be the best and you can probably find that in Vitamin Shoppe. I try to catch the Tulsi on sale at the vitamin shoppe or I order it from Amazon or an online vitamin/supplement vendor.

In a pinch you can probably find linden in the grocery store, linden leaf tea is usually with the Mexican food items. It is also known as "tilia" and the flowers are probably what makes "Sleepytime" tea so sleepy.

Mountain Rose Herbs is a good vendor for many herbs and you might try looking there for smaller quantities. Amazon is another good place.

Another super important thing to consider is if you are getting enough magnesium. It is needed for hundreds of reactions in the body and slight deficiencies can cause lots of issues. Chelated form is best, many people do well with the glycinate form. Avoid mag oxide as it's poorly absorbed. Doses need to be spread over the day, at least 3-4 hours between each and not more than around ~133 mg at once, as that's all the body is capable of taking up and the rest falls as an extra burden to the kidneys. Absolute best is transdermal application, the body takes up what it needs and does it better than oral dosing, can't overdo it either. Magnesium oil (mag chloride) is good for this, as is daily epsom salts baths which have the added benefit of sulfate which helps the body too.