MikeB
I like Mo'i
So I've been taking Kava fairly regularly during the day, in small doses, to treat anxiety. I swear to god it is a MIRACLE herb. It's non-addictive, there's no withdrawal, there's no comedown, and it's legal and healthy. It has changed my life.
Since there's a TON of info about Kava, it can be paralyzing to noobs. So, I thought a simple "how to" describing what I did would be good. My goal with this is to create a "cookie cutter" template that most people can fit into as a starting point to then adjust to their unique physiologies.
So, here's exactly what I'm doing:
1. Buy Gourmet Hawaiian Kava's' "Mo'i" strain, the micronized variety.
2. Take 1 Tbsp and mix it with some sort of juice you like. (YMMV, maybe 1 Tbsp is too much or too little for you, so try that and then adjust.)
3. Drink it. If you drink while fasted, it'll be more intense and last shorter (1-2 hours for me, YMMV). If you drink after eating a meal, it'll be less intense and last longer.
4. I take it "as needed," not on a regular dosing schedule. If I don't feel anxious, I won't take it. If I do, I will.
These four steps have been sufficient to completely transform my entire life.
And now, some basic elaboration. First, I'll explain why I went with GHK micronized Mo'i as my strain of choice.
You should feel free to experiment with strains if you like, but there's like a million of them and a ton of different vendors, so it can be paralyzing. If you just want something simple that works, I highly recommend starting with GHK's Mo'i strain, specifically the micronized variety. The reason I went with that is:
1. It doesn't make you sleepy! That's the key thing. If you're going to use Kava for anxiety, you need to make sure you aren't taking a strain that'll knock you out. (If you're into science, it's because the chemotype starts with 46...)
2. It's a noble strain that's been proven to be unadulterated with any Tudei or etc, so it's healthier for your liver and lasts shorter.
3. Micronized is very cheap compared to instant, so it's more cost effective.
4. GHK's micronized should possibly be called "super-micronized" because it's filtered a lot more than the usual micro varieties, supposedly making it easier on the stomach.
I take it by mixing the powdered root with juice. I don't do deal with filtering, making syrup, etc, just because I'm busy and don't have the time. Toss 'n' wash with water tastes crappy, but I've found juice is ideal for me. I admit I've been mixing with golden grapefruit juice and coconut water, but I've heard some people mention that grapefruit may not be good because it interacts with the kava in such a way that the intensity is increased (not sure that's a bad thing, but you should know about it). You may want to experiment and see what works with you.
Finally, tradition holds that you should only drink kava while fasted. However, I've found that it also works if I drink kava after eating something, except the dose is less intense and digestion takes longer. YMMV with that, but that's how it works with me.
And that's it. I now live a very relaxed life. Anyone else??
Since there's a TON of info about Kava, it can be paralyzing to noobs. So, I thought a simple "how to" describing what I did would be good. My goal with this is to create a "cookie cutter" template that most people can fit into as a starting point to then adjust to their unique physiologies.
So, here's exactly what I'm doing:
1. Buy Gourmet Hawaiian Kava's' "Mo'i" strain, the micronized variety.
2. Take 1 Tbsp and mix it with some sort of juice you like. (YMMV, maybe 1 Tbsp is too much or too little for you, so try that and then adjust.)
3. Drink it. If you drink while fasted, it'll be more intense and last shorter (1-2 hours for me, YMMV). If you drink after eating a meal, it'll be less intense and last longer.
4. I take it "as needed," not on a regular dosing schedule. If I don't feel anxious, I won't take it. If I do, I will.
These four steps have been sufficient to completely transform my entire life.
And now, some basic elaboration. First, I'll explain why I went with GHK micronized Mo'i as my strain of choice.
You should feel free to experiment with strains if you like, but there's like a million of them and a ton of different vendors, so it can be paralyzing. If you just want something simple that works, I highly recommend starting with GHK's Mo'i strain, specifically the micronized variety. The reason I went with that is:
1. It doesn't make you sleepy! That's the key thing. If you're going to use Kava for anxiety, you need to make sure you aren't taking a strain that'll knock you out. (If you're into science, it's because the chemotype starts with 46...)
2. It's a noble strain that's been proven to be unadulterated with any Tudei or etc, so it's healthier for your liver and lasts shorter.
3. Micronized is very cheap compared to instant, so it's more cost effective.
4. GHK's micronized should possibly be called "super-micronized" because it's filtered a lot more than the usual micro varieties, supposedly making it easier on the stomach.
I take it by mixing the powdered root with juice. I don't do deal with filtering, making syrup, etc, just because I'm busy and don't have the time. Toss 'n' wash with water tastes crappy, but I've found juice is ideal for me. I admit I've been mixing with golden grapefruit juice and coconut water, but I've heard some people mention that grapefruit may not be good because it interacts with the kava in such a way that the intensity is increased (not sure that's a bad thing, but you should know about it). You may want to experiment and see what works with you.
Finally, tradition holds that you should only drink kava while fasted. However, I've found that it also works if I drink kava after eating something, except the dose is less intense and digestion takes longer. YMMV with that, but that's how it works with me.
And that's it. I now live a very relaxed life. Anyone else??
