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A few questions about KAVA - please answer!

Dear Kava community users,

I've made the big step and went to Amazon and bought 1 LB of Wakacon KAVA Fijian WAKA powder for € 45,99.
I have made this decision because I still feel shit for roughly 2 months already after quiting K@ and replacing it with benzo's.

The Kava will arrive tomorrow and because of that I still have a last few questions to ask:

- Does the KAVA do anything bad to my benzo or K@ withdrawal since it does work on the GABA receptors?
- I've bought the: ' Wakacon KAVA Fijian WAKA powder, '' what's the easiest way to prepare this? Can't you just pour it in a glass and drink it with some water?
- What would a good dosage for a beginner as me would be?
- I'm planning to use this from morning to evening every day untill the withdrawal stops. - How many times a day do I have to take the KAVA? And how long will it eventually last?

I would be really happy to see these questions being answered since I really hope this is something that is going to help me, since I ran out of ideas to get rid of this nightmare.

Thanks for reading and best of luck to you all.

Kind of regards,

Luuk
 

The Kap'n

The Groggy Kaptain (40g)
KavaForums Founder
- Does the KAVA do anything bad to my benzo or K@ withdrawal since it does work on the GABA receptors?
No, kava actually doesn't bind to benzodiazipine sites. Kavas primary action is likely voltage-gated sodium and calcium channel inhibition, not the GABA effect. (this is an indirect quote from @verticity)

- I've bought the: ' Wakacon KAVA Fijian WAKA powder, '' what's the easiest way to prepare this? Can't you just pour it in a glass and drink it with some water?
You can do it that way, however you're likely to run up against nausea when you drink it unstrained. Get yourself a strainer. You can pick one up locally at your local paint supply store, as the nylon strainers are good for kneading kava. Also, many kava vendors sell use specific kava bags to knead in.

- What would a good dosage for a beginner as me would be?
25-30 grams traditionally prepared with 500-600ml of water.

- I'm planning to use this from morning to evening every day untill the withdrawal stops. - How many times a day do I have to take the KAVA? And how long will it eventually last?
That question is likely only to be answered by you. When we first start drinking kava, the effects are pretty short. 30 minutes to 2 hours I'd say. Once you've been drinking kava for a while it builds up in your system, and never really truly gets flushed out completely. This additive effect causes each dose to be a bit stronger and last a bit longer than the last up to a point. We call this phenomena "Reverse tolerance".

I personally drink kava once a day, but many people when they first start will drink it in the morning, and again in the evening. It takes a while but you'll eventually find the sweet spot and kava will work for you.
 

SelfBiasResistor

Persist for Resistance!
All good advice but I think at this point discussions around "reverse tolerance" need to be citing evidence of its existence. Back when we had high KL root that was also generally higher in DHK/DHM I would have agreed that the effects would begin overlapping when drank daily. That was when I would take a break for a day or two because after about a week I would feel a need to let the lingering effects from the heavy KLs run their course and clear out. Kavain in particular is very quickly absorbed and eliminated so there doesn't appear to be much if any build up of that KL.
 
@Kapmcrunk Isn't kava being really expensive though? If I want to use kava all day long, (as you said it would work 30 min to 2 hours) every day I would need 175g of kava each day. That makes the 1 LB i've bought to be drinked in less than 3 days. Makes me paying € 55,- per 2.5 day, that's too much, espescially if you look at the fact that this was cheap KAVA.
 

Zaphod

Kava Lover
@Kapmcrunk Isn't kava being really expensive though? If I want to use kava all day long, (as you said it would work 30 min to 2 hours) every day I would need 175g of kava each day. That makes the 1 LB i've bought to be drinked in less than 3 days. Makes me paying € 55,- per 2.5 day, that's too much, espescially if you look at the fact that this was cheap KAVA.
You might want to spend some time looking at the Addiction and Recovery subforum - lots of good information in there about others who have used kava to ween themselves off a variety of addictive substances. As for duration of effects it depends on what KL you are talking about. The heady kavain is relitvly short lived, but a few strong shells can keep that going for a few hours. The heavier double bonded KLs have a much longer half-life that can linger into the next day. While they are in general a bit sedating they also provide anxiety relief or "after glow" for at least a day after drinking in my opinion.
 

Zaphod

Kava Lover
All good advice but I think at this point discussions around "reverse tolerance" need to be citing evidence of its existence. Back when we had high KL root that was also generally higher in DHK/DHM I would have agreed that the effects would begin overlapping when drank daily. That was when I would take a break for a day or two because after about a week I would feel a need to let the lingering effects from the heavy KLs run their course and clear out. Kavain in particular is very quickly absorbed and eliminated so there doesn't appear to be much if any build up of that KL.
I could ask the same that claims that root from the good old days had a higher KL content and generally higher in DHK/DHM should require some evidence to support it. Outside of subjective experience (the same as reverse tolerance) I don't see anything that supports that position.
 

SelfBiasResistor

Persist for Resistance!
I could ask the same that claims that root from the good old days had a higher KL content and generally higher in DHK/DHM should require some evidence to support it. Outside of subjective experience (the same as reverse tolerance) I don't see anything that supports that position.
Considering there wasn't much in the way of COAs to confirm KL content it will be hard to prove or disprove the amount of KLs in kava of the past. We do know that tudei was mixed into some Vanuatu root from time to time (intended to up KL%, particularly the heavies). Experiences of drinkers of US market kava then and now is what we have to go by so you can either believe it or not believe it. Reverse tolerance is only reported by some new users and usually clears up when they buy more potent kava or figure out prep/dosage timing. We can go with the idea that kava on the US market is just as potent now as ever even though there isn't any evidence to support that. Still, there isn't any evidence to support reverse tolerance actually being a thing.
 

Krunkie McKrunkface

Kava Connoisseur
@Kapmcrunk Isn't kava being really expensive though? If I want to use kava all day long, (as you said it would work 30 min to 2 hours) every day I would need 175g of kava each day. That makes the 1 LB i've bought to be drinked in less than 3 days. Makes me paying € 55,- per 2.5 day, that's too much, espescially if you look at the fact that this was cheap KAVA.
ahem. I drink kava all day every day, from the moment I wake up to an hour or two before bed. That means from 2 - 4L every day, averaging out at about 3. In terms of medium grind, it averages to 50g per day, because of the prep I use. So for me a pound lasts 9 days, but I am at the extreme high end of consumption. Costs me about $4US/day but I understand UK is probably more expensive
 

Zaphod

Kava Lover
Considering there wasn't much in the way of COAs to confirm KL content it will be hard to prove or disprove the amount of KLs in kava of the past. We do know that tudei was mixed into some Vanuatu root from time to time (intended to up KL%, particularly the heavies). Experiences of drinkers of US market kava then and now is what we have to go by so you can either believe it or not believe it. Reverse tolerance is only reported by some new users and usually clears up when they buy more potent kava or figure out prep/dosage timing. We can go with the idea that kava on the US market is just as potent now as ever even though there isn't any evidence to support that. Still, there isn't any evidence to support reverse tolerance actually being a thing.
I am not sure I really believe in Reverse Tolerance myself - on the one hand it took me only 3 days of kava use to have my break through, but I am pretty sure I was under dosing days 1 and 2. On the other hand there are several long time users on this site whose experience was different and took them longer to experience their aha moment. I also don't experience any reverse tolerance after the few times I have taken a week long break to clear up some dermo. In short, I agree the evidence for it existing is slim but not non-existent and hard to pin down. I just found it amusing that you made a claim at the start of your post with slim evidence, but then claimed the same for reverse tolerance. Unless we round up a bunch of newbies and do some controlled experiments I don't think we will get to the bottom of RT anytime soon.
 

SelfBiasResistor

Persist for Resistance!
I am not sure I really believe in Reverse Tolerance myself - on the one hand it took me only 3 days of kava use to have my break through, but I am pretty sure I was under dosing days 1 and 2. On the other hand there are several long time users on this site whose experience was different and took them longer to experience their aha moment. I also don't experience any reverse tolerance after the few times I have taken a week long break to clear up some dermo. In short, I agree the evidence for it existing is slim but not non-existent and hard to pin down. I just found it amusing that you made a claim at the start of your post with slim evidence, but then claimed the same for reverse tolerance. Unless we round up a bunch of newbies and do some controlled experiments I don't think we will get to the bottom of RT anytime soon.
Yeah I doubt we will get in depth research into kava tolerance or reverse tolerance any time soon but all the RT talk lately seems to be getting a bit unrealistic. It seems counterproductive to recommend low quality extracts, root or under dosing to new drinkers. I've also seen cases where new users have unrealistic expectations of the kava experience since they believe they will continually become less tolerant. It's not going to be a positive for user experience and there is already enough faulty/misleading information out there.
 

Dr.Krunk

Certified Quack
Yeah I doubt we will get in depth research into kava tolerance or reverse tolerance any time soon but all the RT talk lately seems to be getting a bit unrealistic. It seems counterproductive to recommend low quality extracts, root or under dosing to new drinkers. I've also seen cases where new users have unrealistic expectations of the kava experience since they believe they will continually become less tolerant. It's not going to be a positive for user experience and there is already enough faulty/misleading information out there.
I’ve always accounted a few things that I believe cause, “reverse tolerance.” Improper preparation early on resulting in a poor drink. Not being able to stomach the taste long enough to drink an adequate amount. Also not noticing the subtle effects that many tend to notice over extended use. Kava can definitely go beyond subtle and often does when I consume it but everyone reacts a bit differently and consumes various different amounts. Obviously these reasons don’t translate to a reverse tolerance by any definition but is an easy way to say just stick with it.

I do believe that the kavalactones linger in the body for sometime which is essentially what those who speak of reverse tolerance are referring to. I just don’t think the lingering kavalactones make that much of a difference in effects from consumption to the point where you didn’t feel anything before and now you do.
 
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