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Kava Preparation I have been primarily toss and washing for years but the nausea is getting to be too much, need suggestions...

Hey all,

I've been meaning to post about this on this forum for a few years now and I'm glad I'm finally doing it.

I've been using Kava almost daily for 4 years. I've been using K@ for around 10 years, so I was used to "toss and washing"(dumping a tablespoon of powder into the mouth, and washing it down with water or Lemonade...). So I picked up that habit with Kava as well. I've tried straining many times, and I have the Aluball pro which I use from time to time.

The reason I toss and wash is because it's what works for me. I don't get much effect from strained/aluball kava most of the time, no matter how much time I put into it. When I do get an effect from traditionally brewing Kava, it's too... I guess what you guys call "heady". I can't stand it. I just feel weird. The best way I can describe it is it literally feels like somebody is tickling my brain. So when I brew Kava, I usually get a weak, unpleasant feeling effect. I sometimes get this weird feeling from toss and washing too, but in general toss and washing gives me a heavier effect with more anxiety reduction. I'm in recovery for benzos and am using Kava as an alternative so that's the type of effect I need.

I usually use between 3-7 Tablespoons of medium grind at a time, and I always buy various brands on Amazon, I think I've tried them all at this point. I am open to ordering from other vendors, but price per effect ratio being comparable to Amazon is important to me. For a couple years I've done where I grind the Kava for around a minute in a Coffee grinder, which makes it very fine, and then I toss and wash it. I thought this made it more stomachable, but after returning to taking straight medium grind recently I'm not too sure there's actually a difference. Plus, after grinding, it means I have to take more tablespoons. For example, if I put 3 tablespoons in the grinder, after grinding, it usually be comes around 5 tablespoons because of the finer grind.

The nausea is so unbearable with my method and I vomit from it pretty frequently. I feel like there has to be a better way. A way to still get nice heavy effects but without getting really sick from it. I really want to hear any thoughts you guys have on this or things I should try. I know I'd be better off buying micronized/instant, but it's so expensive on Amazon. I also don't understand the dosage conversion for instant/micronized vs. normal medium grind. I pay around $50-$60 for a pound usually, so if I could find a nice micronized/instant option that would be comparable for price per dollar I would definitely try that. From my understanding, and I could be wrong, I'd be paying at least twice as much for the same effects with micronized/instant. I still don't completely get what the difference is, and don't understand if it's basically just the same thing as I get when I use the coffee grinder.

That's about it. It would be so life changing if this post could get me some ideas that could give me a way to get the effects I want from Kava without getting nauseous and throwing up. I'm willing to try any vendor as long as it's not too much more expensive(and I need to plan ahead because the shipping will take longer :D).

Thank you so much!

tl;dr: I only get the effects I want from Kava if I toss and wash. Toss and washing makes me sick though. If there's a way to get those effects and not get sick for a comparable cost, I want to try it soon.
 

Groggy

Kava aficionado
Admin
The nausea is so unbearable with my method and I vomit from it pretty frequently. I feel like there has to be a better way.
There is a better way but you say it is not as strong, so try using a 200 micron strainer as opposed to the 75 we commonly use. Put it this way any filter is better than none. If not 200 micron at least strain it with something. The real difference between Micronized kava and medium grind is the size, micro is ground finer, it is a waste of money, just buy medium grind. The other prep consideration is blending and then straining. Find the middle ground between no strain and some strain. Welcome to KF.
 
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