Kava strains for pain?

[Rick.Sanchez]

Hello all,
Im new to kava, and I'm looking for some input on using kava for pain. for awhile now, I've been using K@ about twice a day for pain and as a sleep aid. I just recently started using a small amount of kava with lower doses of K@... im really trying to find something that can replace the K@ since it will probably be banned in the near future.

I had tried kava about a year ago, but alone it didn't give me much pain relief or improvements in sleep, so i started just using K@ when i found that. I'm not sure if I just didnt get through RT, or if the K@ is very synergisitic with the kava, but I've been using the kava that i bought a year ago daily for the past few weeks and its been a huge help, just not enough to completely ditch the krstom. interestingly enough, i havent felt the need to drink caffeine at all since ive been drinking kava... not sure if it's a psychoactive effect or my sleep has just been that much better. anyways, I'm wondering if anyone can make any suggestions for good pain relieving strains. I recently bought nene, hiwa, and moi from GHK, so ill be giving those a shot when they arrive. The only other strain ive tried is wakacon waka fijian kava. Also wondering if there's a better dosing pattern. lately I've just been taking a 1.5-2tbsp in the afternoon, and the muscle relaxation seems to help. I just dont want to go overboard, as Im not sure if there could be some bad interactions between the kava and K@

Thanks! and sorry if i broke any rules

 

[KrunkMunster]

I suspect it depends upon the kind of pain you are having. K@ is a completely different beast than Kava. K@ has Alkaloids in it that act on some of the same receptors as narcotics, so it is likely to be more of a pain killer. Such is not the case with kavalactones. As you point out, Kava does have a muscle relaxation effect, so in that regard I think it could bring some pain relief. If the pain you are having isn't muscle related, I'm not sure how Kava is going to help you though. For example, if I have a headache, K@ will get rid of it where as kava just makes me feel relaxed and with a headache.

I will say from experience that K@ and kava do mix will provided you go light on the K@. I will sometimes supplement a kava session with a small amount of K@ if the Kava is basically putting me to sleep and I don't want to sleep. K@ has some SSRI effects, which is what gives one the energy boost. I prefer this to coffee because coffee + kava tends to be a bad combination for me. I feel very edgy and anxious with a drink coffee + kava.

 

[Rick.Sanchez]

Its joint and muscle pain. i don't expect to get much relief from the joint pain, but I've noticed some help with muscle spasms. Many drugs that act via GABA pathways can have a sort of body numbing effect. Do any specific kavas or chemotypes have this property?

Edit: also wanted to add that I can mostly manage my pain during he day, but sleep deprivation is what kills me. Benzodiazepines and/or GABAergic hypnotics are basically the only thing that helps me sleep (besides K@ and indica). I guess if nothing is particularly good for pain relief, something with effects more similar to benzodiazepines or a hypnotic would be helpful. I read through alot of reviews, and I saw alot of people comparing GHK's nene to valium.

 

[rayken]

Papa kea for sure its unlike any kava I've had

 

[Edward]

I'd agree with Papa Kea but if you can order from GHK and you're in pain get Hanakapi Ai. I promise you will feel no pain after that one!

 

[Groggy]

Best kava I had for pain was Nangol Noble from @Bula Kava House & Sol blend from Luna Kava, I think the Nangol was stronger for me.

 

[Rick.Sanchez]

I think it actually said somehwere on GHK's (or maybe a forum) site that papa kea is good for pain. It looks like I ordered the wrong strains :/ I'll have to place another order sometime soon. Thanks for the suggestions !

 

[Piper Methysticum]

Not a big supporter of two-day/Isa for regular consumption but long ago in a Galaxy far far away I tried using some water-logged root topically and wow did it ever penetrate the muscles. I thought all Kava would do that but realized Isa was unique in that regard. Very difficult to get these days though but maybe that's not a bad thing.

 

[SelfBiasResistor]

I'm in a similar situation. I use K@ during the day for pain and kava at night (added K@ if pain levels are very high). For me, kava seems to work well for pain that is relieved with anti-inflammatory drugs like high dose ibuprofen. For my moderate to severe pain, kava does very little besides distract me from it because I'm feeling good. I haven't found one yet that will relieve moderate to severe pain as well as K@ does. For sleep, I would highly recommend GHK Hanakapi Ai, Mahakea and N@H Wow! kava. You mentioned Papa Kea, I haven't tried that one when in a lot of pain but it is one of my all time favorites just for the euphoria factor. It's one of the most potent kava that I have ever used and well worth buying regardless on it's effect on pain. Also, similarly, my coffee consumption plummets with daily kava use.

 

[I don't know]

GHK Borogoru helps me a lot with pain. I have Hiwa on the way from them and I read that is great for pain also.

 

[Rick.Sanchez]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Of the three strains that I ordered from GHK, Moi seems to help the most. Nene was relaxing, but it did nothing for my pain. I can't really tell with the Hiwa, but it definitely helped me sleep which is a huge plus.

I'd like to try everyone's suggestions, but its a little too spendy for me to get that many kavas when I don't know what will work for me. Does anyone know if GHK has an option for buying several smaller samples instead of half-pound bags? I'm pretty encouraged by my results with the Moi and would like to try as many as possible.

I'm in a similar situation. I use K@ during the day for pain and kava at night (added K@ if pain levels are very high). For me, kava seems to work well for pain that is relieved with anti-inflammatory drugs like high dose ibuprofen. For my moderate to severe pain, kava does very little besides distract me from it because I'm feeling good. I haven't found one yet that will relieve moderate to severe pain as well as K@ does. For sleep, I would highly recommend GHK Hanakapi Ai, Mahakea and N@H Wow! kava. You mentioned Papa Kea, I haven't tried that one when in a lot of pain but it is one of my all time favorites just for the euphoria factor. It's one of the most potent kava that I have ever used and well worth buying regardless on it's effect on pain. Also, similarly, my coffee consumption plummets with daily kava use.

I also think the pain relief I'm getting is more of a distraction which might be way the headier kava helped the most. I would say the pain relieving effects ar very similar to what I get from cannabis.

Not a big supporter of two-day/Isa for regular consumption but long ago in a Galaxy far far away I tried using some water-logged root topically and wow did it ever penetrate the muscles. I thought all Kava would do that but realized Isa was unique in that regard. Very difficult to get these days though but maybe that's not a bad thing.

Have you been able to get similar effects with noble kava? Oral anti-inflammatories do nothing for me, but topical ones do. I'm very interested in trying this.

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

Yeah cannabis does have a wierd distraction from the pain relief.

Yangonin is a cannabinoid receptor agonist as far as I remember. So maybe that's why it has that kind of pain releif where a truly heavy kava will give more of an actual numbing relief.
Nene is nice but not for pain pain. It's to light .
Personally it seems vanuatu kavas are best for pain relief alot of the times.
Papa kea though I've heard works great for it. But I don't know I'm never in alot alot of pain just physical labor aches.

 

[Rick.Sanchez]

Yeah cannabis does have a wierd distraction from the pain relief.

Yangonin is a cannabinoid receptor agonist as far as I remember. So maybe that's why it has that kind of pain releif where a truly heavy kava will give more of an actual numbing relief.
Nene is nice but not for pain pain. It's to light .
Personally it seems vanuatu kavas are best for pain relief alot of the times.
Papa kea though I've heard works great for it. But I don't know I'm never in alot alot of pain just physical labor aches.

That's very interesting. I didn't see Moi medium grind's chemotype on GHK's site, but I'm wondering if its higher in yangonin.

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

Most heady kavas are to a certain extent.
Kavain and yangonin are the yellow colored so whenever I get a yellow foam I know it's gonna be a bit headier

 

[VictoryRider]

Personally it seems vanuatu kavas are best for pain relief alot of the times.

I'll second that one. If your pain is at all muscle-related, vanuatu kavas will obliterate it. They tend to be "heavy" kavas, and are generally stong.
I have daily lower back pain, and it's muscular in nature. Most kavas will help, but vanuatu kavas absolutely
kill the pain.

 

[Piper Methysticum]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Of the three strains that I ordered from GHK, Moi seems to help the most. Nene was relaxing, but it did nothing for my pain. I can't really tell with the Hiwa, but it definitely helped me sleep which is a huge plus.

I'd like to try everyone's suggestions, but its a little too spendy for me to get that many kavas when I don't know what will work for me. Does anyone know if GHK has an option for buying several smaller samples instead of half-pound bags? I'm pretty encouraged by my results with the Moi and would like to try as many as possible.



I also think the pain relief I'm getting is more of a distraction which might be way the headier kava helped the most. I would say the pain relieving effects ar very similar to what I get from cannabis.



Have you been able to get similar effects with noble kava? Oral anti-inflammatories do nothing for me, but topical ones do. I'm very interested in trying this.

It might be worth checking out reviews on noble Kavas too see which ones affect the body more than the mind, or specifically where the reviewer said it wasn't easy to stand after consumption. Maybe one of these would be worth trying topically. If you ever try it, just rub some wet root over where the pain is. Good luck.

 

[Rick.Sanchez]

It might be worth checking out reviews on noble Kavas too see which ones affect the body more than the mind, or specifically where the reviewer said it wasn't easy to stand after consumption. Maybe one of these would be worth trying topically. If you ever try it, just rub some wet root over where the pain is. Good luck.

I'll try this with the Hiwa I got from GHK. It was lights out an hour after I drank that one.