Need to start the Kava journey...

[Camaytoc]

It took me more then 3 weeks for that RT thing. If there is a physiological part of it, I think I'm done with it. Now I might be in the "discovery part". I know a bit more how to learn the benefits.

It is not magical, but for instance I feel that it ease my will to cleanup my routine.

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

I definitively don't find kava have anything in common with mind altering substance, even tho it has a true effect on it. It is so much a natural pathway... can't describe it. For me it is a no brainer about this.
As a personal example, despite the stupidities I have made when I was young, I would never want to be hooked on such substances. Let say it is against my faith. Hence, drinking kava help me to clear my bad habit of drinking alcohol to wind down my workday so it is even better. Oh and when I was stating I'm chasing buzz, I meant the kind of unwind trigger we can get from a bear or two, without the debilitating state of being...altered, if it make any sense.

I figure it's ok to have as much pleasure as you want or need with kava, unlike everything else. As long as it is, indeed, pleasure. There are some fairly natural limitations inherent in kava that prevent that from becoming problematic the way there would be with other things one can consume.

 

[DownandOutinNYC]

Krunkie, based on the photo I showed you of the Starwest Botanicals Kava root I picked up from the natural foods store, would you say it's good for at least chewing? It doesn't look as though it's full of stems and leaves, does it?

 

[kavakarma]

I'd just like to say, without having read any posts besides the Original Post in this thread,
PLEASE DO use Kava instead of alcohol!
I recommend it 100%. It works wonderfully with withdrawal, cravings, and I have even tested it socially by once drinking kava with coconut water & coconut cream at a drinking party - my acquaintances allowed me to "Cheers" their alcoholic beverages with my cup of kava. It was an amazing party, and the best part is I remembered it all, didn't get hurt, or hungover!

Kava and the liver: avoid smoking tobacco or eating grilled meats before a kava session. Look into Benzo[a]pyrene which is the aromatic compound produced when you burn organic matter at 300 °C (572 °F) and 600 °C (1,112 °F), commonly found in smoke from fire or tobacco, grilled meats/foods, and pollution, which turns to super-BaP (extreme carginogen) in the liver.

For those doing follow up research on my statements, the specific kavalactone I'm referring to is Methysticin
" Methysticin induces the function of the hepatic enzyme CYP1A1, an enzyme involved in the toxification of benzo[a]pyrene into (+)-benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-epoxide, one of the most highly carcinogenic substances known. " Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21908763

This, in my opinion, is no reason to worry. While it does indeed seem to speed up the rate at which BaP converts to super-BaP, this doesn't seem like a problem for the divine human body. It's simply something to be aware of, and we can minimize potential risk by avoiding unnecessary exposure to BaP in general. I repeat, I do not think this is cause for alarm nor a credible claim that kava is bad for the liver. For some reason this scary research has minimal bearing on reality.

 

[recentreturn]

I figure it's ok to have as much pleasure as you want or need with kava, unlike everything else. As long as it is, indeed, pleasure. There are some fairly natural limitations inherent in kava that prevent that from becoming problematic the way there would be with other things one can consume.

If it were me, I'd give the Starwest a try and if you get bad effects, just quit. Companies change with time. I, personally, have a hard time believing that they've gone to the highest quality kava; but I would think it entirely possible that they at least stopped any admixture of stems etc. That said, I've found healthfood store tinctures to seemingly lack uplifting qualities and just produce moderate sedation. But, again, if you don't like it, you can just discontinue it. In the mean time, I'd order something from a more respected vendor whose target sales group is people who drink their kava in the traditional manner (i.e. any vendor who gets talked about on the Kava Forums).

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

Krunkie, based on the photo I showed you of the Starwest Botanicals Kava root I picked up from the natural foods store, would you say it's good for at least chewing? It doesn't look as though it's full of stems and leaves, does it?

My main concern is not that it would be harmful but that it would, because of low turnover at the store, be very old and dried out roots that might have been exposed to air and light and changes in temperature. Again, this would not make the root harmful, just make it very very weak. But if it passes the test of putting a small amount on your tongue and numbing you, then that's a good sign.

A vendor from Fiji just advised me you can grind roots like that in a coffee grinder if you put them in a teatowel and just smash the bejeezers out of them first and then put them in the grinder. I'll be trying that and post results later today or tomorrow.

I didn't realize it was Starwest B. Not a company I can claim to have heard anything good about, but that looks like dried and peeled waka to me and you say a chip will numb you, so yeah, I'd use it rather than throw it out. I think the only real risk here is it might be mediocre kava rather than good kava. That's no great problem. Even mediocre kava is good, and worth drinking. IMO

 

[DownandOutinNYC]

Ok, so my shipment has arrived! I am excited.
I received 4oz sample packs of Borongoru, Borogu, and Pouni Ono. Today, since it's a work night, I am in the mood for something that will help me unwind and lull me to sleep. Which one of the three listed will help in that regard? Which one is the best for sleep?

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

Ok, so my shipment has arrived! I am excited.
I received 4oz sample packs of Borongoru, Borogu, and Pouni Ono. Today, since it's a work night, I am in the mood for something that will help me unwind and lull me to sleep. Which one of the three listed will help in that regard? Which one is the best for sleep?

Why does it matter which one is best if they are all good? Also, I presume you mean unwind and then lull you to sleep rather than both at the same time. To be honest, Borogu is the best for that but the best one for a beginner to start with would be Borogu. It's lighter, tastes better but still packs a decent wallop. A very friendly kava for beginners. Pouni Ono will do the same but in a more upbeat way at first. Borogu is good but strong flavoured and kind of heavy. I like to blend it with other kavas to lighten both the flavour and the effects but then I do like it and drink a lot of it.

To be sure, they are all good, you can't go wrong with any of those three.

Also, kava is great for helping people to sleep if they drink it regularly for months, yes, regular kava drinkers typically sleep well all the time, but that action is system and build up over time. Some people have great success drinking kava to induce sleep that evening but it is hit or miss. You could be successful in drinking any of those to get you to sleep. Or none of them. But it's impossible to say.

 

[Camaytoc]

Ok, so my shipment has arrived! I am excited.
I received 4oz sample packs of Borongoru, Borogu, and Pouni Ono. Today, since it's a work night, I am in the mood for something that will help me unwind and lull me to sleep. Which one of the three listed will help in that regard? Which one is the best for sleep?

I'm super glad you received it. Keep us posted!

 

[DownandOutinNYC]

Which one of the three I listed would be the one to get "krunk" to?

 

[Camaytoc]

Which one of the three I listed would be the one to get "krunk" to?

Basicaly all kavas can get you krunked. You'll have to experiment because kava react differently with different body chemistery.
Since you've got the Borogu, I would choose this one for a well balanced one. More chance to hit something IMO.

 

[DownandOutinNYC]

I tried the Borogu first. I used the quick method by blending it, then straining it through a cloth bag. I was a little underwhelmed but I am sure that it's due to the reverse tolerance. I was hoping I'd bypass it but that ok because I'll just keep drinking it. I'll try the Pouni tonight. Hopefully it'll be different this time. It's not that I didn't feel anything, it's that I didn't feel anything much more than a strong cup of chamomile. Certainly, nothing like what has been described on this forum.

I am not giving up on Kava though. I can feel that there is something to this. It just has to build up.

 

[DownandOutinNYC]

The Pouni Ono was much better! Although I don't know if I like the initial nausea and weird feeling. What is that? Afterward I feel fine.