An argument for hydration as a prophylactic treatment for dermopathy!
Kava... what's the catch?
- Thread starter Steve Mariotti
- Start date
Bwiggy
I like plants
@Steve Mariotti - I didn't see preparation on your list of the biggest drawbacks. That's huge for me. Also, taste. Then .... uh, the wind. When I have ginger, I often chase with it, but I don't know if it really affects it or not.
@Sadie - about getting up in the middle of the night....if there is any light present when you get up (and before you sleep for that matter) that prevents the body's production of melatonin, which is needed for sleep. Red light in the evening hours, and for a hall light at night, increases the product of melatonin, and has a whole bunch of health benefits. Making red light changes has helped my sleep quite a bit. I have an app on my computer called f.lux that causes redish tints on my computer, the later I use it. I also have a red light that comes on every evening. You can find lots on the internet about the health drawbacks of normal white and blue light that comes from electronics and the benefits of red light, but here's one place if you want to read more. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2470513/Lights-effect-sleep-suggested-new-research.html
@Sadie - about getting up in the middle of the night....if there is any light present when you get up (and before you sleep for that matter) that prevents the body's production of melatonin, which is needed for sleep. Red light in the evening hours, and for a hall light at night, increases the product of melatonin, and has a whole bunch of health benefits. Making red light changes has helped my sleep quite a bit. I have an app on my computer called f.lux that causes redish tints on my computer, the later I use it. I also have a red light that comes on every evening. You can find lots on the internet about the health drawbacks of normal white and blue light that comes from electronics and the benefits of red light, but here's one place if you want to read more. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2470513/Lights-effect-sleep-suggested-new-research.html
Poivrier
methystified
-the taste
-the fact that kava is not very reliable (at last for me): sometimes it is amazingly divine and then the next day it is frustratingly boring
-the prerequisite empty stomach
-eating food kills the kava effects
-I wish we could eat the leaves: it looks so yummy
-last point, I just wish there would be a lot of kava enthusiasts growing it as a hobby and we would be exchanging growing tip and cuttings, comparing homegrown kavas etc...I am a gardener at heart
I don't really care for dermopathy because i usually make a long pause in my kava drinking when it happens, I use kava in cycles...
-the fact that kava is not very reliable (at last for me): sometimes it is amazingly divine and then the next day it is frustratingly boring
-the prerequisite empty stomach
-eating food kills the kava effects
-I wish we could eat the leaves: it looks so yummy
-last point, I just wish there would be a lot of kava enthusiasts growing it as a hobby and we would be exchanging growing tip and cuttings, comparing homegrown kavas etc...I am a gardener at heart
I don't really care for dermopathy because i usually make a long pause in my kava drinking when it happens, I use kava in cycles...
I agree that sometimes my Kava really has a proper punch one day and the next not very much - I don't know why exactly. Don't mind the empty stomach as I'm not a big eater. And unfortunately I can't keep a plant alive and thriving no matter what I do - would be nice to do what you suggest though.-the taste
-the fact that kava is not very reliable (at last for me): sometimes it is amazingly divine and then the next day it is frustratingly boring
-the prerequisite empty stomach
-eating food kills the kava effects
-I wish we could eat the leaves: it looks so yummy
-last point, I just wish there would be a lot of kava enthusiasts growing it as a hobby and we would be exchanging growing tip and cuttings, comparing homegrown kavas etc...I am a gardener at heart
I don't really care for dermopathy because i usually make a long pause in my kava drinking when it happens, I use kava in cycles...
50ShadesOfKava
Official Kava Muppet
Dont feed kava to the seaguls...
Been naughty this evening and got deliberately krunked....it's nice every now and then although I'm chugging water, 2 litres so far I have a banging headache...perhaps one of the downsides but very definitely self inflicted also the nausea is for me totally self inflicted - not the fault of Kava at all
kavadude
❦ॐ tanuki tamer
I've never found it to make a big difference. The biggest thing to me is whether it's humid outside or not. It starts to get very unpleasant when it's dry outside.
I consume kava maybe 2-3 times a week but already had a bit a flaky skin around my nose.
Does anybody know what in the kava is responsible for that, is it just the root fibres or is it the kavalactones?
If it is just the root fibres then can I avoid it completely by just consuming the extracts?
Does Chris @Gourmet Hawaiian Kava or anybody know anything about this?
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We do not know for sure what causes the dermopothy but some people think it is from the course fibers called makas and also it is known that Tudei kava or kava that is not pure noble will cause this to happen faster. Noble kava will also cause it but not as fast, in Hawaiian legend the Hawaiian women would drink kava a lot till they get this dermopothy and then they would stop, after the dermopothy clears up they are left with clear soft radiant skin. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions, aloha.
Chris
My experiments and conversations with apx 20 regular kava drinkers suggest that some of the key contributing factors to dermo are: wrong kava routine and inadequate hydration. It seems to be suffered primarily by those who consume kava late at night and who do not drink enough water after their kava and before going to sleep. Chris is probably right that tudei kavas can make it happen faster, but I would still say dehydration is the key issue.
Thanks for your detailled answer @Gourmet Hawaiian Kava and @Henry
It seems drinking much water and good filtering is the best solution
I would have a few other questions about the kavalactones
- Is it responsible for the bitter taste and numbing effect?
- How does it look like pure at like 20 degress? Is it yellow, and begins to melt like chocolate or wax?
- How long is it's shelf life? Adil told me once that the extracts are good for a long time (a few years I guess)
Thank you!
It seems drinking much water and good filtering is the best solution
I would have a few other questions about the kavalactones
- Is it responsible for the bitter taste and numbing effect?
- How does it look like pure at like 20 degress? Is it yellow, and begins to melt like chocolate or wax?
- How long is it's shelf life? Adil told me once that the extracts are good for a long time (a few years I guess)
Thank you!
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kavadude
❦ॐ tanuki tamer
There are many different kavalactones, all of which have different half-lives. They should all be eliminated in about 24 hours, I think.
Having had tudei, I would not say it stays with you for two whole days. There is more of a sense of getting stuck in your bed and feeling kind of...spinny I guess? But for me since I have kava before bed, that's 10-12 hours maybe.
verticity
I'm interested in things
The only scientific study on that in humans I have seen says that kavain by itself has an elimination half-life of 9 hours.
Kava: From Ethnology to Pharmacology
That means the concentration in your body is reduced by a factor of 1/2 every 9 hours, so within 24 hours it would be pretty much completely gone. However, I have not seen similar experiments for the other kavalactones. Presumably they would have longer half lives. Also the kavalactones act synergistically with eachother, so that might have some unknown effect on the pharmakinetics.
Thanks Verticity - bit scientific for me to get but I get the gist of it I think