Kava and ulcers

[ThePiper]

my girlfriend started drinking kava more often and the morning after a heavy night of fijian waka began getting stomach pains. After a week of pain she went to the hospital and they have narrowed it down to either a bad case of (non pathogen) gastritis or peptic ulcer. She has had mild acid reflux type symptoms for a year or so but never anything this bad. Im not pointing the finger at kava but wed like to know how kava interacts with stomach acidity or ulcers. How does kava affect the acid levels in the stomach? Thanks

 

[ThePiper]

Nobody?

 

[moff000]

If i'm drinking kava it certainly gives me acid reflux.... I'd say that it could be possible to get a stomach ulcer ?
I also get bad acid reflux from alcohol if i over indulge.

 

[ThePiper]

Yeah i have noticed that a bit when drinking kava and eating sugary foods i think. She will definitely take a long break from kava and if she comes back to it only indulge maybe once a week. She was only drinking it three times per week though. She doesnt drink alcohol because she doesnt like to get dumbed down these days so its a real shame

 

[moff000]

I was prescribed zantac for my acid reflux and it certainly keeps it at bay. Since drastically cutting back on alcohol i don't need meds daily but i do tend to take one before drinking Kava or having a few beers.

 

[Kojo Douglas]

I actually find that Kava reduces acid reflux for me. But then again, there's a direct correlation between acid reflux and stress for me.

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

What's her diet like..
Ulcers are from an acidic pH in the body. Kavas pH is that of the water used we found so it shouldn't have an effect on that.
If not strained enough the natural gastric issues could definitley hurt a pre existing ulcer.
Alcohol causes ulcers cause it's pH is like a 2 . Coffee is low too in pH, refined sugar as well.
If she doesn't eat greens, drink enough alkaline teas and what not she's bound to get an ulcer . Red meat as well very acidic

 

[ThePiper]

What wouls be an alkalinetea?

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

Almost all tea is alkaline . Except very oxidized black tea and I suppose black tea itself is more toward acidic.
Almost all herbs are alkaline, so most if not all herbal tea, green and white tea

 

[Squanch72]

Not sure if this helps but it might be a way to test. My stomach gets rough when I have a lot of post nasal drip, so bad I was having a hard time putting kava on my stomach so I switched back to using V8 Splash and/or Welch's orange pineapple juice blend. It is so much easier on my stomach when I use the juice to prep the kava instead of water. I was also on a script NSAID that was tearing up my stomach and the doc recently switched me to a new one that doesn't mess with my stomach but now I am hooked on the juice instead of water blend. No bubbly stomach, no nausea, and it seems to potentiate the kava also. So a win win for me switching from water to juice. Not straight orange or pineapple juice, I meant the tasty blended stuff. You can find the Welch's orange pineapple juice at Dollar Generals stores if they are in your neck of the woods or the V8 Splash orange pineapple at Walmart. Might be worth a shot for her belly during kava sessions.

 

[kavamehameha]

I often have acid reflux, in particular when I'm really stressed. Kava certainly doesn't reduce acid reflux for me, sometimes it gets worse. But of course this depends on the strain, how concentrated the prepped kava is, and how large amounts I drink. Drinking lots of water during sessions also helps with this. Besides that, I use chewable calcium carbonate tablets (sugarfree) against reflux, which you can get in every drugstore. They just compensate the acid by making the fluids in your stomach more alkaline; they have no side effects.
(Interesting side note: Before I started drinking kava, I had much more acid reflux. Maybe kava helps to calm my stomach, even though it might get worse during sessions...?)

@Squanch72 It's amazing that this works for you, as I'd think that citrus juice (like oranges etc.) would trigger acid reflux! Do you replace the water by juice 1:1, or do you mix the juice with some water?

 

[Squanch72]

I often have acid reflux, in particular when I'm really stressed. Kava certainly doesn't reduce acid reflux for me, sometimes it gets worse. But of course this depends on the strain, how concentrated the prepped kava is, and how large amounts I drink. Drinking lots of water during sessions also helps with this. Besides that, I use chewable calcium carbonate tablets (sugarfree) against reflux, which you can get in every drugstore. They just compensate the acid by making the fluids in your stomach more alkaline; they have no side effects.
(Interesting side note: Before I started drinking kava, I had much more acid reflux. Maybe kava helps to calm my stomach, even though it might get worse during sessions...?)

@Squanch72 It's amazing that this works for you, as I'd think that citrus juice (like oranges etc.) would trigger acid reflux! Do you replace the water by juice 1:1, or do you mix the juice with some water?

Yeah that is why I mentioned it isn't like straight juice, it is a blend, not acidic like drinking straight up orange or pineapple juice. It's like yummy juice for kids or adult Squanches
Best to stress don't put straight up juice on a rough stomach.
Here is a pic, it's a juice cocktail not a straight up juice.

 

[kavamehameha]

What a shame this is not available where I live... But there is some acid-reduced pure orange juice, which I tried 2 days ago in a kava mix, and it was really good!

@ThePiper I forgot to say: All the best to your girlfriend, I hope she'll feel better soon!

 

[ThePiper]

She does feel much better now that shes on acid reducer meds, thanks for the well wishes and the advice. Now we just have to determine how long she should wait before trying kava again.

 

[Deleted User01]

Like @Kavasseur and @Edward, Kava seems to have a calming effect on my stomach. But what if she already had some lesions or irritation? Could Kava aggravate that? I would recommend double straining the kava and staying away from Micronized. Also, you might try another type type of Kava. Try a heavy kava that might serve as an anesthetic. Unfortunately, Kava doesn't sit well with everyone.