Would you be able to 'feel' liver toxicity coming on or once you did its too late?

[kavacurious]

I have been wanting to try kava kava again but this liver toxiticity thing is plaguing my mind. yes yes i know it was from a bad batch using non roots whatever, but another newer study has said:

new research shows that moulds such as alfatoxin forming during improper drying of the roots may be responsible for liver damage: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3269575/

I have read reports about liver problems (for either K@ or kava) and it seems alarming how quick they reach a point of no return. Like a cpl of doses and next thing they know they need a transplant and/or die.

So my question is would you know something didn't 'feel right' with your liver before things became irreparably damaged, provided you knew what to look for and were aware of the possibility of such issues going in? So like you could constantly be monitoring and pull the rip chord at the first sign of upset before causing permanent and irreversible damage?

It feels like any option in life you are constantly dicing with death and its only a matter of time before you catch a bullet.

Ive had it a few times now but only one offs. I have been searching for something mild and safe to take on and off on a semi regular/as required basis as a respite from the onslaught of life's letdowns and frustrations etc. So anything taken with any sort of regularity I want to be sure its safe so Im not 'building up' some kind of disease/permanent condition.

 

[Gourmet Hawaiian Kava]

Hi Kavacurious, I would say that if you get kava from a good vendor, like any of the vendors here on Kava forums you will be safe with the kava you get, there should not be a mold problem because all the vendors here know what moldy kava smells like and we stay away from that.
For me since I grow and process all my kava I can guarantee freshness and no mold, others vendors here have high quality suppliers that take steps to make sure that there product is good and not moldy. One of the biggest suppliers in Vanuatu always dries his kava very well and then vacuum seals it for shipment and he does not keep large amounts in stock, he processes his kava on a regular basis so his kava does not sit around.

I do not know if you will be able to feel the liver damage coming on if you were to get it but I can tell you that out of all the people I know that drink kava every day, me included. We all get liver tests on a regular basis and we have never had any problem. If you use good kava in the traditional way, just good kava with the course fibers removed like when you strain your kava through the kava strainer or a high quality instant or micronized, that is the best way and do not add other herbs to kava, like K@ or other things that we really do not know how they react with kava. Remember the Pacific Island people have been doing it the way they do it for hundreds of years with no problems, we get the problems when we stray away from time tested tradition.
Please let me know if you have any other questions, aloha.

Chris

 

[kavacurious]

Yes its reassuring to hear you guys use it on a regular with no probs, including getting tests. plus the long history of traditional use with little incident definitely supports its safety .

Thanks for the info.

 

[kavadude]

The only way to effectively monitor liver health is to get regular blood tests. Many of us have done so and nobody has had liver problems here. I second everything Chris said.

 

[Vekta]

From what I've been told by doctors that ran blood tests on me. No, you most likely won't feel it. The only way to really know is to have tests done.