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Stimulation and sedation

Zac Imiola (Herbalist)

Zac Imiola (Herbalist)

Kava Connoisseur
Regardless of the strain. Is there a dosage factor to getting a stimulating effect vs sedative effect from kava? And if so I need advice with it ! Please
 
avahZ

avahZ

YAHWEH Shalom
From my limited experience, its not a dosing factor. Look at the chemotype. High 2s will be more sedative (as will a 5, but beware of two day land). High 4s and I think 3s are more stimulating. Then again % if kavalactones can play a role in the amount of you need. I would assume... that a Kava with 7% is half as strong as one with 14%, I could be off on that. More experience Kava folk here can elaborate a WHOLE lot more than I.
 
avahZ

avahZ

YAHWEH Shalom
I use Boruguru Micro for sedation (GHK). 243561 13%
Tried nene but doesn't seem to effect me like the others here. Not sure what... 246513? 7-11%
For stimulation I use Moi (GHK) and Vanuatu Blend #7 (PK). Dont know these chemotypes. Per GHK moi is "heady".
Mahakea from GHK is high in % of kavalactones, but it feels more balanced to me and not very sedative. 461235 @ 19%
 
Jonathan

Jonathan

All Hail Leon
In my experience, Mahakea required some caution, and has a more sedative/anti-anxiety effect that the "heady" cultivars.

Again, I'm not an expert, but if you're looking for stimulation, look for 4 at the beginning of the chemotype string, and for sedation look for 2... So far, from reading the forum and from my own limited testing, it seems that Mo'i and Pouni Ono are the two top "heady" varieties, and everything else is more on the sedation side of things...

As others have said, kava likes to play games, and its effects are completely personal. Ultimately finding what's right for you requires that you test and try different cultivars in different forms (med. grind c. micro or instant) and see how they affect you...

There's also another thread on here about Kava Kava R Us' extract, which is alleged to be pretty heady and very potent. I haven't tried it yet but I'm looking forward to doing so...

Fwiw, to your original question, I've taken a lot of Mo'i in a 24 hr. period (like about a cup of med. grind), and found that after a certain point it became more sedating than stimulating. I think that just had to do with oversaturating kavalactones, at which point your body is like "ok, I'm just gonna sleep this out..."
 
D

Deleted User01

Everyone is different. Hanakapi knocks me out and Mahakea is pleasantly sedating. For headiness, I stick to Mo'i.
 
SelfBiasResistor

SelfBiasResistor

Persist for Resistance!
From my experience, the more you use, the more likely sedation will occur but with some Kava's it can take many hours for that sedation to happen and it could be very subtle. If you want to be sedated, you should aim for one that is likely to cause sedation and test it since everyone is different. In my experience, the Borogu/Boroguru are good at bringing on sleep as well as Mahakea/Nene for some people. I have had success in using all of those for decreasing sleep onset time and enabling myself to sleep through the night.
 
VictoryRider

VictoryRider

Kava Enthusiast
For me: Nakamal@home's Solomon island kava, and Pouni Ono are stimulating. Can't sleep worth a darn after an evening
of either of those. Very "heady" less "body-y". Very enjoyable, better for earlier consumption.

Pretty much all Vanuatu kava's, to me, are more body-loading and relaxing. N@H's Black Sand or Stone -- holy crap
those feel SO FREAKING GOOD on the body, and the euphoria is just right. After 3-4 hours of floating with the
cosmos, I sleep like a log.

The heady ones are a different space. Definitely kava, but pointing in a different direction. I've heard them described
as bordering on "cannabis space" but that's a bit of a stretch. I think they're better for socializing and if you need a
"boost" during the day.
 
VictoryRider

VictoryRider

Kava Enthusiast
Oh, and I forgot to mention: Just brewed up a nice batch of Pouni Ono, and will be knocking back some serious shells
in a couple of hours. I have tomorrow off to take a nice long-weekend motorcycle ride with friends. So, today is
Friday!!! HA HAAAAAAAAAA! Anyone else knockin' back tonight?
 
sumguy

sumguy

Kava Enthusiast
SelfBiasResistor said:
From my experience, the more you use, the more likely sedation will occur but with some Kava's it can take many hours for that sedation to happen and it could be very subtle. If you want to be sedated, you should aim for one that is likely to cause sedation and test it since everyone is different. In my experience, the Borogu/Boroguru are good at bringing on sleep as well as Mahakea/Nene for some people. I have had success in using all of those for decreasing sleep onset time and enabling myself to sleep through the night.
Click to expand...
Does that mean that last night when boroguru a couple hours before bed just made me restless I should have maybe drank more of it?
 
verticity

verticity

I'm interested in things
sumguy said:
Does that mean that last night when boroguru a couple hours before bed just made me restless I should have maybe drank more of it?
Click to expand...
Not necessarily... individuals can have idiosyncratic reactions to different strains of kava... it's not an exact science, and requires experimentation to see what works for you..
 
J

Jayy

Kava Curious
After ~2.5tps Instant Mahakea has this subtle heady feeling for me but then after like, 2 hours a wave of yawning sleepiness comes over me. If I stay awake it will subside and I'll *feel* awake again but if I lay down I just crash immediately.

Lol guess it's different for everyone!
 
sumguy

sumguy

Kava Enthusiast
Well, I'm done experimenting for now. It's cost me 2 nights of sleep. I slept much better last night without it. :(
 
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