In addition, I am personally lukewarm or even mildly skeptical about promoting kava for medicinal purposes and I am strongly opposed to its pharmaceutilisation
I can sympathize with that point. Earlier in the thread I brought up people's tendency to find kava to treat addictions/ailments/anxiety, just because I see a lot of those kinds of testimonies, but that was just calling for a bit of empathy for the folks with those viewpoints. Not
promote certain (perhaps ignoble) kava per se, but at least recognize that some folks around us find it incredibly beneficial, and approach the controversy with that in mind.
I'm glad you mention that. Personally I am also kinda on the fence about traditionally non-medicinal kava pushed as a miracle medicine for westerners and their various this-and-that. On the one hand i think, "if it works, it works" but on the other hand I'm thinking "man this stuff is recreational (or ceremonial), has been for a long time" If its being used recreationally around the world, better to admit that to ourselves and allow the global market to develop in accordance with that use. Selling kava as snake oil medicine for all of life's ailments can't be good for its recognition and legitimacy
But again.. now
I'm the one pushing some high minded notion about what's "best for kava", so it needs to be taken with a grain of salt.