Zac Imiola (Herbalist)
Kava Connoisseur
So it has been altered to not be able to reproduce but it orginally could. That makes more sense than it litterally cant survive without humans from the start. That would be fascinating lol.
Technically no, Piper Wichmannii was the original wild form of kava, and through careful attribute selection the islanders grew kava that was more suited to the effect profile they were looking for. After it was refined over those who-knows-how-many years, the new strain Piper Methysticum came to be, and still requires humans if it's to continue on. So if humans disappeared overnight Piper Methysticum would cease to exist, (eventually) however the wild version (Wichmannii) would continue to thrive. I like to think of it as one of humanities first GMO products (in a very loose sense)No way! Kava was born after humans then ?
Couldn't agree more, Chris.I don't think anybody in there right mind would consider Dr. Lebot or Dr. Schmidt or others like them "pseudo-scientist" These are the ones that have given us a greater understanding of kava and have helped kava come out of the great kava ban. I agree with Deleted User these statements are just plain wrong and unsubstantiated. I like pure Noble kava because it does not "cloud the brain" .
Aloha.
Chris
Does the Wichmannii have seeds then?Technically no, Piper Wichmannii was the original wild form of kava, and through careful attribute selection the islanders grew kava that was more suited to the effect profile they were looking for. After it was refined over those who-knows-how-many years, the new strain Piper Methysticum came to be, and still requires humans if it's to continue on. So if humans disappeared overnight Piper Methysticum would cease to exist, (eventually) however the wild version (Wichmannii) would continue to thrive. I like to think of it as one of humanities first GMO products (in a very loose sense)
I have visited ancient, and quite large patches of kava, way in the backs of jungle valleys in Hawaii that are happily thriving without any humans around. They must have been planted by Hawaiians a long time ago, but they seem to be thriving and spreading on their own mostly just like you said--branches falling and the nodes sprouting. The corms of these plants were humongous and the potency very nice as well.Each node in a kava branch has the potential to grow into a new plant.
I suppose if branches were to be broken off, or fell to the ground while still in a healthy state, roots and shoots would sprout from the nodes. This very rarely happens though. Piper Methysticum has been thoroughly domesticated and won't grow in the wild.
EDIT: Damnit beaten again. I type up a response and by the time I post, there are two new messages. Slow fingers lol
What are the noticeable differences in effects? Many people seem to be saying it's horrible, but perhaps it would be ok for me as well. I think I am just curious. In the past when I was a very heavy kava consumer I always wanted to try tudei because it was touted as being very potent, but it was not easy to find at that time. At least I didn't think so.There has been a witch hunt against Tudei for the past couple of years.
Your story is one among many that express confusion about this Kava family fight. My feeling is that certain vendors have teamed up with pseudo-scientists to push their agenda forward, along with their bank accounts. As someone who has also consumed Tudei for the better part of 15 years, I have grown to enjoy it as a great weekend Kava with noticeable differences in effect. This witch hunt has pushed many vendors to take Tudei off the shelves, thus limiting our choices and options and indeed our access to different varieties. My feeling is also that this witch hunt gives credence to the FDA and other regulatory boards, who look for any weakness within our community to exploit.
Unfortunately this isn't an issue of marketing ploys or witch hunts. Every vendor has the ability to differentiate, purchase, and clearly label the distinct differences between Tudei and Noble kava leaving the consumer to decide. But they should definitely be informed of the differences. Purchasing or growing 100% Noble kava is very laborious and costly. At the same time those who choose to offer only Noble varieties have to compete with pricing of much cheaper mixed kava varieties so if there was any accounts to be padded, it would be for those who purchase discount mixed kavas, do no testing, and provide no clear distinction.There has been a witch hunt against Tudei for the past couple of years.
Your story is one among many that express confusion about this Kava family fight. My feeling is that certain vendors have teamed up with pseudo-scientists to push their agenda forward, along with their bank accounts. As someone who has also consumed Tudei for the better part of 15 years, I have grown to enjoy it as a great weekend Kava with noticeable differences in effect. This witch hunt has pushed many vendors to take Tudei off the shelves, thus limiting our choices and options and indeed our access to different varieties. My feeling is also that this witch hunt gives credence to the FDA and other regulatory boards, who look for any weakness within our community to exploit.
I've heard about these, and would love to see them one day. I'm told they're very rare now, with the locations being a closely guarded secret.I have visited ancient, and quite large patches of kava, way in the backs of jungle valleys in Hawaii that are happily thriving without any humans around. They must have been planted by Hawaiians a long time ago, but they seem to be thriving and spreading on their own mostly just like you said--branches falling and the nodes sprouting. The corms of these plants were humongous and the potency very nice as well.