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Typical and untypical duration of effects

Plantacious

Kava Enthusiast
I usually hear from people on here, that the effects last for hours, or even into the next day.
For me though, the effects are extremely short, like only 10-15 minutes, to be honest.
In fact, the effects are so short-lived, that once I finish one drink, I have to hurry to prepare the next
or else the effects from the first one might wear off by the time I have the next one prepared.
I use Aluball all the time, basically, so that's all that I have to go by. So part of me is wondering
if the method has something to do with it. Or is it my body chemistry ? Or are they just weak drinks ?
Anybody know, or can relate to it ?
 

ThePiper

Kava Lover
You probably are only feeling the kavain if that's the case. Even so kavain should last about an hour. It seems like you've been around for a while otherwise I would say you might need to get your RT going. I have a friend who experiences most things this way. He only feels the stimulant side of kava and everything he takes wears off quickly. Maybe you have a unique liver enzyme or something.
 

tutti196

Kava Curious
even if he is in RT I had 3 kg kava supreme same charge before I when I took no meds I got really good krunk from 40g kava after I need to took a high dose 100mg for my depression I could take 100g kava same prep and charge and feel almost nothing now I'm down to 25mg and I start to feed the effects better and better. And there where more then one post that said after they took a ssri the kava effects gets less with the dose you take.

I can definitly say that because I have the same problem less not but still.

But all people bodys are not the same so It could be meds and could be not and RT and not :)
 

Plantacious

Kava Enthusiast
You probably are only feeling the kavain if that's the case. Even so kavain should last about an hour. It seems like you've been around for a while otherwise I would say you might need to get your RT going. I have a friend who experiences most things this way. He only feels the stimulant side of kava and everything he takes wears off quickly. Maybe you have a unique liver enzyme or something.
Yes, I do seem to feel the stimulant effects mainly, also.
That's another thing I did not mention originally, that you were correct about.
Now you got me thinkin maybe what I need is a good liver cleansing and scrubbing.
 

rickyb7

Newbie
I usually hear from people on here, that the effects last for hours, or even into the next day.
For me though, the effects are extremely short, like only 10-15 minutes, to be honest.
In fact, the effects are so short-lived, that once I finish one drink, I have to hurry to prepare the next
or else the effects from the first one might wear off by the time I have the next one prepared.
I use Aluball all the time, basically, so that's all that I have to go by. So part of me is wondering
if the method has something to do with it. Or is it my body chemistry ? Or are they just weak drinks ?
Anybody know, or can relate to it ?
Yeah, I got the same effects. It was great for 10-15minutes for the first 25-30 times, was getting frustrated. I used to take K@ , but it is now banned where I live. I was 5 years on K@ for anxiety and 20 years of heavy drinking. I thought that had something to do with it. But Reverse Tolerance is a real thing. Now I just need a few Tablespoons of Kava and it lasts a couple hours. I would also recommend mixing the Kava. For example I put 2 Tablespoons of Pouni Ono from KWK with 1 Tablespoon of Loa Waka, great energy buzz with a slight heaviness.
 

Plantacious

Kava Enthusiast
Yeah, I got the same effects. It was great for 10-15minutes for the first 25-30 times, was getting frustrated. I used to take K@ , but it is now banned where I live. I was 5 years on K@ for anxiety and 20 years of heavy drinking. I thought that had something to do with it. But Reverse Tolerance is a real thing. Now I just need a few Tablespoons of Kava and it lasts a couple hours. I would also recommend mixing the Kava. For example I put 2 Tablespoons of Pouni Ono from KWK with 1 Tablespoon of Loa Waka, great energy buzz with a slight heaviness.
I take the "other K herb" too along with Kava. I think it's more likely to be that, than Reverse Tolerance, because I've been taking Kava for a while, and thought I got through the RT phase.
You think it could be some type of "cross tolerance" with the other K herb ?
 

rickyb7

Newbie
I take the "other K herb" too along with Kava. I think it's more likely to be that, than Reverse Tolerance, because I've been taking Kava for a while, and thought I got through the RT phase.
You think it could be some type of "cross tolerance" with the other K herb ?
Hmmm, that's definitely a possibility. I've just recently been off the "other K herb" since its unavailable where I live. I have noticed a difference with just sticking to Kava for sure. Not as "buzzy", as taking them mixed. However, the fact Kava deals with my anxiety, I am pretty pleased.
 

SelfBiasResistor

Persist for Resistance!
I usually hear from people on here, that the effects last for hours, or even into the next day.
For me though, the effects are extremely short, like only 10-15 minutes, to be honest.
In fact, the effects are so short-lived, that once I finish one drink, I have to hurry to prepare the next
or else the effects from the first one might wear off by the time I have the next one prepared.
I use Aluball all the time, basically, so that's all that I have to go by. So part of me is wondering
if the method has something to do with it. Or is it my body chemistry ? Or are they just weak drinks ?
Anybody know, or can relate to it ?
You're describing the uplifting feeling of kava which isn't very long lasting with most of the kava available now. With higher quality kava your body will make better use of the KLs and only have to shell maybe once every 45-60 minutes (at a certain point) rather than every 10-15 minutes when the kavain buzz wears off. In the last two years I've only experienced these strong effects with a few products compared to 5 years ago when anything I bought from a reputable vendor was strong and long lasting so the quality of the root you're consuming is going to play a huge role in the type and duration of effects.

As far as tolerance between kava and K@, they exert their effects in completely different ways so there is no cross tolerance. There can be interactions or side effects (wanted or unwanted) if you take them at the same time but taking one earlier in the day will not render the other ineffective. Very similar to a pain patient getting prescribed opiates for pain and benzos for sleep. Different chemicals working in very different ways, both being completely effective. FWIW, I've been getting very good effects from the pacific elixir blend lately while consuming K@ daily (multiple doses).
 

Plantacious

Kava Enthusiast
You're describing the uplifting feeling of kava which isn't very long lasting with most of the kava available now. With higher quality kava your body will make better use of the KLs and only have to shell maybe once every 45-60 minutes (at a certain point) rather than every 10-15 minutes when the kavain buzz wears off. In the last two years I've only experienced these strong effects with a few products compared to 5 years ago when anything I bought from a reputable vendor was strong and long lasting so the quality of the root you're consuming is going to play a huge role in the type and duration of effects.
So if I understand you correctly, over the past few years, there has been an industry-wide reduction in the quality of kava, pertaining to the effects we're talking about (duration, etc)
Is that correct ?
If so, could you elaborate on that ? For example, what is the cause of it, and is it just temporary ?
I'm guessing maybe due to a growing demand for kava, there could be over-harvesting, and therefore taking plants/roots that havn't fully matured yet, or some other type of effect from a much huger demand.
That is just speculation from my non-expert opinion, so I'm asking if that sounds accurate ?
 

Zaphod

Kava Lover
So if I understand you correctly, over the past few years, there has been an industry-wide reduction in the quality of kava, pertaining to the effects we're talking about (duration, etc)
Is that correct ?
If so, could you elaborate on that ? For example, what is the cause of it, and is it just temporary ?
I'm guessing maybe due to a growing demand for kava, there could be over-harvesting, and therefore taking plants/roots that havn't fully matured yet, or some other type of effect from a much huger demand.
That is just speculation from my non-expert opinion, so I'm asking if that sounds accurate ?
This is the strongly stated opinion of @SelfBiasResistor and he might be correct. I myself have not noticed a significant difference in root quality over the last 4 years (so maybe he is referencing kava from 5-10 years ago.) Based on those vendors that test their kava I have not seen any drop off in KL% over this time frame. Kava is very subjective sometimes - I can swear I did nothing different from one day to the next and get wildly different results in my session. I do think we are getting more "low quality" kava onto the market as it starts to pick up steam in the US - but if you stick with the vendors that consistently get good reviews on this site you will almost always get good quality root.
 

SelfBiasResistor

Persist for Resistance!
So if I understand you correctly, over the past few years, there has been an industry-wide reduction in the quality of kava, pertaining to the effects we're talking about (duration, etc)
Is that correct ?
If so, could you elaborate on that ? For example, what is the cause of it, and is it just temporary ?
I'm guessing maybe due to a growing demand for kava, there could be over-harvesting, and therefore taking plants/roots that havn't fully matured yet, or some other type of effect from a much huger demand.
That is just speculation from my non-expert opinion, so I'm asking if that sounds accurate ?
Yes, the kava we buy now is significantly less potent than it was 4+ years ago. The quality decline seems to be from a combination of factors but mainly it seems to be from the rush to meet market demand and cash in while consumers are willing to pay the high prices. As with any herbal product it's vital to take special care in growing, harvesting, processing and storage to minimize loss of the desirable compounds contained in the material.

Is it just temporary? Probably. It really depends on how long consumers are willing to pay top dollar for mediocre products.
 

Krunkie McKrunkface

Kava Connoisseur
My distorted perspective having only been drinking kava for 2.5 years is there seems to be plenty of decent kava going around, and I keep getting to drink new kavas that have become available that I never thought I'd be lucky enough to try. There does seem to be significant price pressure, though, mainly due to weather and environmental cataclysms and such, which come with the territory, and an increase in demand. A lot of that increase was actually in the islands themselves, though that might go down as the price of kava as an alcohol substitute for young working men goes above the price of alcohol. There is an ever-increasing demand for kava in North America, and now beginning in Europe, but there seems to be some cyclical qualities and time lags involved. Kava is very expensive now bu who knows? As what is currently planted becomes available in 3 - 5 years, that might bring prices down. Or demand could shoot through the roof.
 

Plantacious

Kava Enthusiast
My distorted perspective having only been drinking kava for 2.5 years is there seems to be plenty of decent kava going around, and I keep getting to drink new kavas that have become available that I never thought I'd be lucky enough to try. There does seem to be significant price pressure, though, mainly due to weather and environmental cataclysms and such, which come with the territory, and an increase in demand. A lot of that increase was actually in the islands themselves, though that might go down as the price of kava as an alcohol substitute for young working men goes above the price of alcohol. There is an ever-increasing demand for kava in North America, and now beginning in Europe, but there seems to be some cyclical qualities and time lags involved. Kava is very expensive now bu who knows? As what is currently planted becomes available in 3 - 5 years, that might bring prices down. Or demand could shoot through the roof.
Kava Lounges are spreading like wildfire, especially in the central Florida area.
Demand is definitely going to put a dent in the supply.
But maybe we could help take another really poor Pacific island country, and make them wealthy, by introducing kava cultivation to them ?
And then meet our demand. Then everyone would be happy.
 

Blue Roads

Kava Enthusiast
You probably are only feeling the kavain if that's the case. Even so kavain should last about an hour. It seems like you've been around for a while otherwise I would say you might need to get your RT going. I have a friend who experiences most things this way. He only feels the stimulant side of kava and everything he takes wears off quickly. Maybe you have a unique liver enzyme or something.
I'm glad you mentioned that. I had forgotten about any stimulant effects, and in certain situations I'd find myself getting irritable and wonder why I'm like that if I've had kava already. I thought maybe it was dehydration or caffeine withdrawal. I've stopped drinking Kava during the day now and I've noticed an improvement. I think for me, it will work best when I don't have much to do or think about. Thanks Piper.
 
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