What if we've been lied to about kava?

[Prince Philip]

The more Noble I drink, the more I think kava is a stimulant, not a sedative. Right now, I'm bouncing with anticipation. I'm excited. True, I've bereft of anxiety, and my muscles are fairly relaxed, but that high kavain stuff is making me think to myself, "it's time for fun."

 

[TheKavaSociety]

The author of "Indigenous Health Care and Ethno-medicine" argues that:

"There is only limited agreement on the physiological effects of kava use. The pharmacological classification of its effects reveals these limits. Cutting (1969, 743) called kava psychotomimetic, stimulant and depressant, while Lewin (1931, see also 1964, p. 215) called it a hypnotic. Goodman and Gilman (1979, 301) failed to classify kava at all, and Meyer (1967, 1969) perhaps the foremost researcher in the physiological effects of kava, termed it a sedative. Shulgin (1973) settled on calling kava an excitant, because its use was similar to the use of coffee at an office or neighbourhood get together or the use of alcohol at a cocktail party. In reviewing the literature, kava has been termed a narcotic, stimulant, depressant, hypnotic, excitant, muscular relaxant, sedative, appetite improver, anti-epileptic, diuretic, headache remedy, relaxant, soporific, anticonvulant, spasmolytic agent, angesic, local anaesthetic, antimycotic, euphoriant, antipyretic, and tranquilliser"

 

[The Kap'n]

@Prince Philip I've heard from a vendor who isolated kavain and consumed it alone. I was told it was a powerful stimulant when consumed in an isolated form. Looks like the pharmacological profile would consider kava (overall) as both, just like @Henry quoted above.

 

[Deleted User01]

I still go by the rule: "A Kava for every ocassion". Some are more stimulating, some are analgesic, and others will knock you down on the couch. I'm leery of trying to isolate one ingredient because you need all the Kavalactones and enzymes to get the full effect. Put the answer is yes, Kava can be stimulating. What we call a "heady" Kava or I call a daytime Kava. I had the heady Honokane Iki yesterday and I will try the Boroguru Micronized today and review it. I hope to be able to feel the differences because they are supposed to be very different chemotypes that should yield very different effects. There will be a pre-game explanation with the Boroguru because it has a story behind it. More on that later.

 

[Sean D.]

Back in the days when I was first experimenting with alcohol, everyone seemed to be able to drink a lot of of it and be in a "happy state". Me on the other hand, it always made me sleepy. I think everyone's a little different. There are those that think alcohol is both a stimulant and a depressant.

Supposedly Vanuatu kava is more sedative and Hawaiian more stimulating depending on the chemo-type. The Vanatu kava definitely makes me sleepy at night along with other relaxing effects.

 

[Deleted User01]

In the long run, all Kavas are going to make you sleepy. So I think we are talking about the initial effects you get. I never do Kavas that begin with a 2 like Boroguru so this will be a good test case. Whereas the Honokane keeps my brain running, will the Boroguru shut it down? This is what I intend to find out later on the afternoon ... when I have most of my important work already done. It will be a 4:00 session instead of 2:30. Good topic @Prince Philip and time to test it out. If you see me staring at the computer with my mouth open then you know the verdict. But I'm sure the Boroguru fans here may have something to say about that .... or not.

 

[The Kap'n]

Lookin' good @Prince Philip

 

[Deleted User01]

Which one is Prince Phillip?

 

[Prince Philip]

Master of disguise!

 

[The Kap'n]

@Prince Philip is it true that you and the Queen are, in fact, 3rd cousins?

 

[verticity]

Nice catch @Prince Philip . Beautiful, and she can fix a car.

 

[kavadude]

If you have issues like anxiety preventing you from getting shit done, kava is going to make you more productive, regardless of its physiological effect. And of course we have the six major kavalactones and tens or hundreds of minor ones which are barely studied, so there are multiple effects at work, although I believe they converge towards sedative.

 

[kavadude]

Also your majesty I think you can post in the lounge instead of the new members forum considering you've been drinking kava since before the polio vaccine was invented.

 

[verticity]

Also your majesty I think you can post in the lounge instead of the new members forum considering you've been drinking kava since before the polio vaccine was invented.

Where's the very old members forum?

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

Where's the very old members forum?

old forum:

very old forum:

oldest forum:

i kid...i kid...​

 

[Prince Philip]

Also your majesty I think you can post in the lounge instead of the new members forum considering you've been drinking kava since before the polio vaccine was invented.

I post hypotheticals about kava and kava culture in the New Members forum because we're always learning new things about kava.

 

[KeepOnKrunkin']

Just when I was starting to think all kava was just a mild sedative which helped me sleep I took (4) Maui Medicinal kava caps last night at 11pm & and by midnight I was still wide awake so I thought "man these weakassed pills ain't spit" so I took (4) more. Then I learned that Hawaiian kava, which is supposedly high in kavain, is much, much different than vanuatu or fijian kava in that its a major STIMULANT which has the opposite effect of a sedative-type kava. I was wide awake all freakin' night but not caffeine of ephedra like stimulated. I was very muscularly calm relaxed but also very awake & mentally stimulated & mildly euphoric. I LOVE this stuff!!! Nothing but hawaiian high kavain kava for me from here on.

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

I wouldn't call it a 'major stimulant' but I often feel more alert and at ease after my first shell or two. Probably the initial kavain hit, but no matter how heady or polynesian the kava is, the end result for me is feeling sedated by the end of the night. There have been some people over the years whose body chemistry reacts more with the semi-stimulant side of certain kavas and they talk about having motivation to clean and trouble falling alseep...I think they're the exception, not the rule, when it goes farther in that direction.

I've also had some paradoxical reactions in the past, that made me feel uncomfortably jittery and nervous, like being over-stimmed, but that's rare.
Do those pills mention if there's anything else mixed with them or say something like "proprietary mix" ?

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

Yeah this happened to me a few times but I think it was caffiene exacerbated

 

[Squanch72]

I made up about 7 cups of KWK Bornogoru with a few tablespoons of Pouni Ono it in V8 Splash to share with my girlfriend. She asked me which kava is it and I told her what I made and she gives me the look and says well why did you make the sleepy one. I want the Kavaboy or Fiji Loa Waka. She would not touch the sleepy stuff LOL. So yeah, there's that.