New and could use advice

[Tsouth83]

Hi all!
I've been reading over these forums for the past month or so and my first experience with kava was the Gaia capsules. I never really felt much from them but they did seem to ease anxiety a bit but not enough.

I recently ordered Namabawan Kava and just tried it for the first time a couple of days ago. I did 3 tablespoons with 1 & 1/2 cups of water. I kneaded and squeezed with a nylon knee high for 10 minutes then drank it in 3 shots 10 minutes apart. All I felt was some minor dizziness but that's it. The only positive I really saw was I slept like a rock when I finally fell asleep (I suffer from anxiety and insomnia).

This time I did 1/4 cup of kava to 2 cups of water. Kneaded and squeezed for 20 minutes. Then drank half right away and the other half 20 minutes later and I just feel dizzy and sick. Definitely not a good feeling. I really don't want to give up on kava but I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I originally looked into kava as a natural anxiety reliever and for social anxiety if that helps, but I would like to get to know the feeling many of you get also. Advice greatly appreciated.

Edit: I would also like to add that now I feel really sedated about two hours after the last shot. I am mainly looking for something to uplift and make me more comfortable in social situations.

 

[NAMBATU]

You're drinking too much too quickly.

Some kava strains are better for social interaction. I think Tongan Pouni Ono is recommended for this.

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

Try a different strain and go slow . Half tablespoon shells every 10 minute instead try that

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

Dizziness is a sign of too much kava at once .

 

[Tsouth83]

You're drinking too much too quickly.

Some kava strains are better for social interaction. I think Tongan Pouni Ono is recommended for this.

.
Oh ok. I will lower it and try again another time. I'll also check out what you mentioned. Thanks!

 

[ondance-a-tron]

If you're starting to feel dizzy you need to space out your shells more or use less powder. I don't know about the kava you have but try going for more heady varieties or balanced varieties. Keep in mind that if you're currently experiencing reverse tolerance you might not feel the full heady effects (uplifting, social, etc.) right away. I think I read somewhere on here that you're more likely to experience the heavy effects (muscle relaxation and sedation) before you begin to feel heady effects from your sessions.

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

That's more true ^

 

[Tsouth83]

If you're starting to feel dizzy you need to space out your shells more or use less powder. I don't know about the kava you have but try going for more heady varieties or balanced varieties. Keep in mind that if you're currently experiencing reverse tolerance you might not feel the full heady effects (uplifting, social, etc.) right away. I think I read somewhere on here that you're more likely to experience the heavy effects (muscle relaxation and sedation) before you begin to feel heady effects from your sessions.

That makes a lot of sense. I'm not really sure if what I'm using now is heady or heavy. I hope it is just RT and I'll be able to use this kind because it wasn't cheap lol. But I'm definitely still going to look into other strains. In the meantime I'll be using less to see how it goes until I can try something else. Thanks!

 

[Edward]

That kava is supposed to be really strong too so you're taking in a lot of strong kava too quickly. As everyone else says, go a bit slower and you should be ok.