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A researcher recommends kava use for mental health issues

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Krunkie McKrunkface

Kava Connoisseur
This is great but I still am bothered by the notion of health as something someone does as a reaction to an existing problem, maybe even after it has gotten to a crisis.

This is the beauty of kava: yes it can treat but it's amazing at preventing.

Yeah, you can shrink a tumor with it prolly but how much better if you can prevent it in the first place! You have insomnia but how about you drink kava and never get insomnia in the first place? It can treat anxiety very well but it works like a charm to prevent it even better. I do not believe kava can treat or cure depression but I do strongly suspect it is efficient at preventing depression, especially first time episodes of depression. Thing with depression is it's like heat injuries. If you never have it, chances are pretty low you'll get it, but once you do have it, your odds of getting a second episode go way up, then after a second your odds of a third go up even more and eventually it's just a chronic cycle of on again off again. Why not use kava and other techniques of mental hygiene to keep people off that conveyor belt in the first place.

Honestly, I think the gov't should make high quality kava available for free, like school lunch programs and putting vitamin D in milk and fluoride in tooth paste.

I think kava's effects in general mental hygiene are probably extremely far-reaching, that we're only just beginning to scratch the surface here. It doesn't just make me peaceful, calm, happy, etc, it also helps me be more focused, more productive, sleep even better, eat better, have better weight, its pain relief helps me work and workout harder. Ultimately I think it makes me a nicer person and also happier. And I enjoyed all of that before kava, but kava made everything even better, in ways I never imagined possible.

Sigh..... I love kava. :)
 

Zaphod

Kava Lover
This is great but I still am bothered by the notion of health as something someone does as a reaction to an existing problem, maybe even after it has gotten to a crisis.

This is the beauty of kava: yes it can treat but it's amazing at preventing.

Yeah, you can shrink a tumor with it prolly but how much better if you can prevent it in the first place! You have insomnia but how about you drink kava and never get insomnia in the first place? It can treat anxiety very well but it works like a charm to prevent it even better. I do not believe kava can treat or cure depression but I do strongly suspect it is efficient at preventing depression, especially first time episodes of depression. Thing with depression is it's like heat injuries. If you never have it, chances are pretty low you'll get it, but once you do have it, your odds of getting a second episode go way up, then after a second your odds of a third go up even more and eventually it's just a chronic cycle of on again off again. Why not use kava and other techniques of mental hygiene to keep people off that conveyor belt in the first place.

Honestly, I think the gov't should make high quality kava available for free, like school lunch programs and putting vitamin D in milk and fluoride in tooth paste.

I think kava's effects in general mental hygiene are probably extremely far-reaching, that we're only just beginning to scratch the surface here. It doesn't just make me peaceful, calm, happy, etc, it also helps me be more focused, more productive, sleep even better, eat better, have better weight, its pain relief helps me work and workout harder. Ultimately I think it makes me a nicer person and also happier. And I enjoyed all of that before kava, but kava made everything even better, in ways I never imagined possible.

Sigh..... I love kava. :)
Oh boy, can you just imagine what the chemtrail and anti-flouride folks would do if we put kava in the water! On the other hand maybe they would chill out just a bit...
 

Alia

'Awa Grower/Collector
One of the participants at the recent Kava Symposium at the University of Waikato spoke with Radio NZ about his research:

http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/329347/academic-says-kava-good-for-mental-health
1-Thanks for this link! Also the summary of another study by Dr. Kautu at Greenville College (link was on Forums awhile back) "kava seems to have an effect on the transmission of acetylcholine" and may benefit the human brain and nervous system.
2-The Colon and Breast cancer prevention study, apparently, was the focus of an April 2017 article in Fiji's Islands Business Magazine. I think they used one of my photos (they had my consent) but never sent me a copy of article. If anyone reading this has a copy of that article, please post.
 

Dr.Krunk

Certified Quack
Oh boy, can you just imagine what the chemtrail and anti-flouride folks would do if we put kava in the water! On the other hand maybe they would chill out just a bit...
Lol well geoengineering does actually happen and is even proven by NASA. As for as flouride goes it is toxic to a degree even if it does have benefits. I don't really care one way or the other on either subject though because there is nothing that any individual can do about it whether it's good or bad. Regardless we probably should stay away from such topics because they quickly become political.

Anyhoo that is awesome to see more benefits becoming known about this amazing plant. I can't say that Kava has changed my life to the degree that some here have experienced but I do generally feel better since making it a regular part of my life. I sleep much better, and feel better through the day. My attitude towards others seems much more accepting now also. BULA to all ::chugger::
 

Zaphod

Kava Lover
Lol well geoengineering does actually happen and is even proven by NASA. As for as flouride goes it is toxic to a degree even if it does have benefits. I don't really care one way or the other on either subject though because there is nothing that any individual can do about it whether it's good or bad. Regardless we probably should stay away from such topics because they quickly become political.

Anyhoo that is awesome to see more benefits becoming known about this amazing plant. I can't say that Kava has changed my life to the degree that some here have experienced but I do generally feel better since making it a regular part of my life. I sleep much better, and feel better through the day. My attitude towards others seems much more accepting now also. BULA to all ::chugger::
I am going to drop the first topic - I was just throwing out a funny line, not trying to be political. Which is tough because I quite enjoy debating scientific topics and have learned a lot about people by doing so.

I wholeheartedly agree that kava is great plant with lots of benefits, but it also has downsides. This forum tends to hype the good, but gloss over some of the real issues with daily kava drinking. It does have side effects. Most of them are reasonable and worth the balanced risk especially compared to other alternatives. As with all things in life there is a risk-reward balance that we need to make. Sometimes our perception of that risk and reward is much higher than reality.
 

The Kap'n

The Groggy Kaptain (40g)
KavaForums Founder
This forum tends to hype the good, but gloss over some of the real issues with daily kava drinking.
You may be running up against our old mindset of "better off to keep quiet". It was out of fear that the obscurity of kava coupled with any negative light would draw a flurry of fire from governing agencies. Now that we have the traction, and member base that we have, we're slowly coming around to a more "tell all" attitude. I'm all for a 100% accurate depiction of kava, good, bad or indifferent :)
 

Groggy

Kava aficionado
Admin
You may be running up against our old mindset of "better off to keep quiet". It was out of fear that the obscurity of kava coupled with any negative light would draw a flurry of fire from governing agencies. Now that we have the traction, and member base that we have, we're slowly coming around to a more "tell all" attitude. I'm all for a 100% accurate depiction of kava, good, bad or indifferent :)
That's one of the most interesting things about KF for me, there are nearly 4K members, with varying opinions on everything, but we get together to share our experiences with kava, which no one disagrees on :) (more or less).
 

ThePiper

Kava Lover
Yeah comments like zaphods have me wondering if there's some horrible health issue that kava has in store for us all and every time its brought up by someone the mods boot them.. lol just kidding but I thought the only real risks were dehydration and dermo
 

Zaphod

Kava Lover
You are def more than welcome to debate kava's side effects, mate.
You mention that "most of them are reasonable and worth the balanced risk". Does it mean that you think some of the effects aren't reasonable?

I personally believe moderate consumption of kava doesn't have any significant side effects. BUT I can also see that excessive consumption does have some side effects. By excessive I roughly mean daily consumption and/or in excess of 350-400g per week. Going above these thresholds is usually associated with dermo, some morning fogginess, gi upsets etc. So nothing extreme, but imho still worth avoiding.
Yeah, I am not talking about anything real new here just the usual:
(1) Dermo is probably the worst including dried cracked lips, styes in the eyes, painful cracks in hands - and general lack of lubrication on the skin.
(2) Next day lethargy, sleepiness, mental fog that even extra doses of caffeine can't touch!
(3) Krunk to the point of poor coordination, slow reflexes. Dangerous to drive on if you go too heavy
(4) Nausea/GI upset - I rarely get this so not really an issue for me
(5) Poor short term memory during the session - typically with "heavier" cultivars
(6) While not bad for the liver it certainly taxes it and should be taken with a good number of other medications and alcohol
(7) I consider it slightly psychologically addictive. I know others disagree with me, but not many people will do something everyday for years with it being a little mentally addictive. Kind of in the same way that meditation can be addicting. Not really a bad thing if it doesn't interfere with daily life.

My point is we all love this root, most on the forum drink daily or at least multiple times a week. We spend a lot of time discussing all the good stuff because we love it and want to share it. The simple truth is it is not all roses and unicorns. Certainly better than some prescription drugs (or so I am told I have never been on benzos or other stuff). In my estimation it is worth all the risks above for the very positive things it does - but it is a risk vs. reward analysis. We all do it to a certain degree. When I wrote the original comment my head was thinking about the fluoride comment which is similar to vaccinations - it is all a reward vs. risk balance we need to do. Some blow the risk side of the equation so out of proportion that they can't do a real good job objectively deciding. Sorry I am rambling now....Mahakea kicked in strong tonight!
 

kasa_balavu

Yaqona Dina
2-The Colon and Breast cancer prevention study, apparently, was the focus of an April 2017 article in Fiji's Islands Business Magazine. I think they used one of my photos (they had my consent) but never sent me a copy of article. If anyone reading this has a copy of that article, please post.
I see it here but it looks like just a teaser for the full article in the magazine.
 

Krunkie McKrunkface

Kava Connoisseur
Yeah comments like zaphods have me wondering if there's some horrible health issue that kava has in store for us all and every time its brought up by someone the mods boot them.. lol just kidding but I thought the only real risks were dehydration and dermo
My dermo drives womenses wild with lust. It's a mixed blessing.
 

Zaphod

Kava Lover
Anyway, the point is that I don't think anyone here denies the fact that kava can be used in excess and that excessive consumption can result in the effects you listed?
I think we just merely oppose the wild claims that there is no way of using kava safely or that traditional kava has a real potential for causing organ failure, "sudden death", or heart attacks. These claims are entirely baseless and clearly ridiculous.
No argument with what you have stated. I am in full agreement. Most of those side effects I experienced were with microgrind - which I am sure I overindulged in. After going to traditional prep, and likely lower quantities of overall the side effects are much more tolerable. However, I do miss that real kick in the head that 3TBS of microgrind all at once can give you. It would seem that doing traditional prep slows down my intake pretty considerably. Sort of like the difference between drinking drinking light beer and doing shots.
 
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