Kava Physiology Kava, your liver, and you

[Roaddog]

Yes, she discussed it with her hep C doctors nurse. Her case was so critical we can call her at home. nice lady. I sent her flowers last week, told her thanks for saving my wifes life. She very rarely even seen the doctor. All he is around for is to right scripts. It was her nurse that made it all happen right. I should also mention my wife uses doctor prescribed medical marijuana, for sleep and appetite. Well her nurse said yes, Kava in small amounts would be fine, maybe even beneficial, being that she is also coming off atavans. Also said to continue smoking marijuana. So we got the OK there. Thanks for such a simple response. She will be very happy. Much love. Roaddog....

 

[violet]

But has anyone heard of Kava working to keep you regular, or actually stimulating, bowel movements? Sorry for being so graphic. Much love. Roaddog....

So that's what that emoticon is! Perfect !! Here is some more support for your question (I love this place !)

It is awesome that your wife is getting relief in kava in so many ways! Best wishes for her continuing improved health and recovery!

 

[infraredz]

I totally echo violet's statements. I'm glad to hear she is doing well and is able to get some benefit from kava, and I hope that she continues to get benefit from anything we can offer, including obviously kava.

Feel free to message me with any questions, though of course, I won't be a substitute for a doctor or anything but I have some knowledge of that sort of thing and will be more than happy to offer whatever I can give, since I know doctors can be pains in the ass. I'm going through my own issues with a couple herniated discs and possible surgery and such, just as a heads up if I don't get back to you quickly, you'll know why.

Also, I know that nurses are really the people who are the ones that give us all the help we need (which is why I am planning on getting a masters in it) since in all of my medical traumas and medical emergencies, the nurses are the real ones that give the support and help to the patient and family.

 

[Roaddog]

^^^for sure, My wife thanks you. She has been to gastrologiest, and they could not make her go. Too funny how a simple tea, can do what countless fiber laxatives and prescription medicine can not. Like I said, I feel its a little early to say it will constantly be effected in this way, but it for sure is a positive sign. Will Pm you if I need to, I can see your into the science of things. I am too. Good luck on your future surgery, and your goal on getting your Masters.
Violet, much love. Much love. Roaddog....

 

[infraredz]

Hopefully I won't need surgery, though the severity of the two discs that they found serious issues are apparently not able to be fixed with epidurals or anything short of surgery. Plus, I risk further herniation and nerve impingement and sciatica than I already have (not to mention the pain of such issues).

I know the feeling about laxatives. Obviously, with my condition, I've needed pain medication that have caused constipation and until I started on the prednisone, I was very grateful for kava to get the bowels loose and moving. I know some might think this sort of things is "gross" or something, but regularity and stool/bowel movements are a reality for a lot of people, especially those with conditions that make it more painful or more difficult.

 

[Gourmet Hawaiian Kava]

There is always a chance of getting mold or other contaminants in kava, but to a large degree, the better kava processors will take precautions to prevent this. For example, one processor in Vanuatu will buy fresh root and dry it instead of buying root that has already been dried. This way he knows that his root is fresh and he washes it again when he gets it and then he dries it and grinds it and then vacuum seals it so there is almost no chance of getting contaminants.

The way you get the mold is from having dry root that is not vacuum sealed and it sits around in a high humidity area for too long then it can get the moisture back in the kava. When the moisture is equal to the outside environment, this is called the equilibrium moisture content. So freshly harvested, freshly ground and vacuum sealed are all ways to prevent the bad stuff from getting in the kava.

If the kava is in a shipping container for shipment that could last a month or longer is also a good way to get mold and other contaminants, if it is not vacuum sealed. That is why when I order my Kava from outside the USA, like from Vanuatu, I use DHL for delivery so it gets her in about 7-10 days and not a month or longer by boat.

Also good sellers will have there kava tested, I certainly do not want to sell bad kava to my customers, when I say bad I am talking about mold or contaminated kava. This is what the results of the test look like----

If you buy from good kava sellers as close to farm fresh as you can get then you will have the best chance of always getting the best kava you can get and none of the mold or other contamination, when in doubt go with a known good quality vendor. Aloha.

Chris

 

[Gourmet Hawaiian Kava]

Sorry for the low quality picture, I think my scanner is breaking, I will try to get it working later and post a better picture so you all can see it better but this will give you an idea of what is tested and how it passes or not. Aloha.
Just fixed the picture.

Chris

 

[Deleted User01]

But has anyone heard of Kava working to keep you regular, or actually stimulating, bowel movements? Sorry for being so graphic. Much love. Roaddog....

Roaddog. There are two things I have noticed. I posted this earlier and then everyone else posted that it also happens to them. Thank god, I thought I was wierd. When I start thinking about drinking Kava, that can trigger a trip to the bathroom. It's like my bowels make this face . However, because of its Dehydrating side effect, it can also have the opposite effect. One of my tricks to cure that is to buy those Fiber One snack bars that come in bunches of yummy flavors. Have those for dessert several times a day and drink plenty of liquids. Fiber is also good for Cholesterol.

 

[Tyler]

The AKA will require all of its members to test every kava product and publicly display the results that will include alot number and picture of the product.

One batch of moldy, or parasitic infested kava, poses much more of a threat than a batch of tudei as the former will make someone violently ill immediately and not take time to manifest.

No one is testing their kava in van, not even the best suppliers. The best they do is a phytosanitary cert which tells you nothing about the safety of the product. Every product and every batch ought to have a lot number and a lab attached to it.

 

[TidyMinion]

+1 on kava helping out the regularity, that's how I'll phrase that. I think it might have something to do with it's diuretic properties. Prob also because there likely are root fibers present in the drink. Sometimes I don't eat that much food with kava so that may accelerate the process

 

[blindy107]

Funny you would ask that, I was getting on here to ask a similarly embarrassing question. I really didn't know where to ask this at, so Ill do it here, being that I have already discussed my wifes chemo, with Hep. C. Well she went through treatment twice. First time she went on treatment, it was the old 48 week living hell chemo, which she failed. So she waited a year or two, and there is this new treatment, that she did, that has a very high success rate, and only takes 12 weeks, which she was able to do. Anyway as I have now mentioned. She is cured. But has been left with chronic constipation. Well she claims 2 shells, and 20 minutes later, and she has to go to the bathroom. Now this is really amazing, because she has had such terrible problems with that. Sometimes going 2 weeks without a stool. No she has tested this theory for about a week now, and almost every time, it works. My question, is has anyone heard of such a thing, Could this be the Kava? or could it be that her body is just adjusting from being screaming sick for 2 years? She has been coming off all the medications, involved in this treatment. Many are even somewhat addicting. So her struggles with her liver, has consumed so much of our lives. But has anyone heard of Kava working to keep you regular, or actually stimulating, bowel movements? Sorry for being so graphic. Much love. Roaddog....

Sorry to jump in late here fellas. Was she on interferon? I have had a few friends go that route and they reported constipation for well over 90 days after treatment. I can imagine the fiber count is huge on a few shells of lightly strained kava! Not to mention the diuretic aspects.

J

 

[Roaddog]

@blindy107, yes she was on interferon. Its the most horrible drug on your digestive system. She finds that if she gets up in the morning, she drinks a shell, and it gives her the urge. It usually happens within 15 minutes after consuming. She says she feels her mouth numb, and off to the bathroom she goes. Kava has made her regular. Even after interferon. She is quit pleased to say the least.. Much love. Roaddog....

 

[infraredz]

Yep, that laxative effect of kava is definitely one of the significant effects that I think the vast majority of us get...

 

[blindy107]

Incredible! Glad to hear she is doing better. I watched that shit save lives and ruin bodies simultaneously. Truly amazing to come out the other end. Makes me happy to hear success stories!!

J

 

[Roaddog]

Ya, I'm pretty happy she is doing better, so is she. The constipation problems started a couple years ago, when she did her first treatment. She continued to have constipation, between treatments, and as she finished her last ones. She had gone to Gastrologiest, who sent her to physical therapy, for low nerve response down there. They said she took to many enemas. Weird huh? Well upon consuming her first kava tea, that problem has been a thing of the past. I'm not sure the doctors really knew what was wrong with her, other than the meds, any way. But as of about a month or so ago, she has been going every day, like clock work. Kava, 15 minutes later Bathroom. Imagine Kava being the cure for chronic constipation. What other things can we cure with this stuff? Much love. Roaddog....

 

[blindy107]

Ya, I'm pretty happy she is doing better, so is she. The constipation problems started a couple years ago, when she did her first treatment. She continued to have constipation, between treatments, and as she finished her last ones. She had gone to Gastrologiest, who sent her to physical therapy, for low nerve response down there. They said she took to many enemas. Weird huh? Well upon consuming her first kava tea, that problem has been a thing of the past. I'm not sure the doctors really knew what was wrong with her, other than the meds, any way. But as of about a month or so ago, she has been going every day, like clock work. Kava, 15 minutes later Bathroom. Imagine Kava being the cure for chronic constipation. What other things can we cure with this stuff? Much love. Roaddog....

Yeah man it seems to have a hand in all ailments doesn't it? Haha! Maybe I'll get my wife on it for the same thing. What's the consensus on breastfeeding and kava?

 

[infraredz]

What's the consensus on breastfeeding and kava?

It has not been studied, and therefore due to the lack of any research on the issue, I would highly recommend against it.

 

[infraredz]

From Google Scholar:

Herbals and Breastfeeding
http://www.msp.mb.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Herbals_and_Breastfeeding.pdf
"Kava Kava: Kava kava is a popular herbal medication used for nervous anxiety and restlessness. It acts by depressing the central nervous system. The drug consists of kava pyrones, called kawain, extracted from the dried rhizomes of the Piper methysticum plant. Kava kava is available in galenical preparations as well as in comminuted decoctions. Equivalent doses are based on the kava pyrone amount and are 60–120 mg daily for adults.

Kava kava is believed to enter breast milk and therefore, due to its depressant effects on the central nervous system, it is contraindicated in nursing mothers. In addition, long-term exposure to Kava kava can cause a temporary, yellow discoloration of skin, hair, and nails. [10]"

Is Kava (Piper Methysticum) Safe and Effective for Reducing Anxiety in Adult Patients 18-65? [Systematic Review]
http://digitalcommons.pcom.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1083&context=pa_systematic_reviews
[Mrnjavac, Tamara, "Is Kava (Piper Methysticum) Safe and Effective for Reducing Anxiety in Adult Patients 18-65?" (2012).PCOM
Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship.Paper 83.]

"Key words used to locate the literature consisted of Kava (piper methysticum) and anxiety. All articles were published in English and published in peer-reviewed journals. The articles were researched by the author and obtained via OVID, PubMed, CINAHL, and COCHRANE databases. Articles were selected based on relevance and significance of outcomes to the patients (POEMS). Inclusion criteria consisted of double blind, RCT studies, included patient oriented outcomes, and were published after 1996. Exclusion criteria included: patients under 18 years old, recent anxiety/depression treatment or disorder, substance abuse, breastfeeding, pregnancy, history of liver disease, lifetime history of bipolar disorder, psychiatric disorder, organic brain syndrome, or mental retardation."

"Presently, it is contraindicated in pregnancy and lactation, as well as Parkinson’s disease due to it’s potential dopamine antagonistic effects." [10]
[10]:Kava kava. LexiComp Online Web site. http://online.lexi.com/crlsql/servlet/crlonline. Published 2011. Updated 2011. Accessed December 01, 2011.

Breastfeeding and Medications: Public Health Implications Frank J. Nice, DPA, CPHP Derwood, MD 20855
ftp://184.168.73.58/phscof-events/docs/2013Presentations/Thursday/Pharmacy/PharmNice.pdf


Kava hepatotoxicity solution: A six-point plan for new kava standardization-
R. Teschke et al. / Phytomedicine 18 (2011)
"In Western countries such as Germany, a set of quality specifications for kava drugs has been developed as regulatory standards in the years before the ban was issued. The standards have been compiled by experts of the Germany regulatory agency in the German kava monograph (Commission E 1990) and were supplemented later on in the official German drug codex (DAC 1998). To summarize these previous standards, the ingredients of the kava extracts had to be derived from the peeled and dried rhizome (i.e. not exposed to light) of the kava plant, maximum daily use was 120mg kavalactones for no longer than 3 months, and indications for kava extracts were anxiety, tension, and restlessness.

Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and endogen depression were listed as contraindications."

 

[blindy107]

Thanks for all the info, that's awesome! All could find was accompanied by doom and gloom about kava as a whole Wasn't sure if the info was unfounded.

thank you again. guess we will wait till the little boobmonster cools down on it!

 

[Roaddog]

@blindy107, I was going to say, @infraredz and a few others are some of our science guys. They have helped me immensely during my safe journey through Kavatopia. I think you will find all the answers to your kava questions here. I sure have. But my situation is a bit different. I have medical issues, and so dose my wife. So we want safety first. We both have a very addictive personalities. We have tried to just be sober, that sucks. We want a safe alternative to hard drugs, or drinking that can provide the same reword system that the drugs once did, but without any harmful effects. My wife and I are not getting any younger. I wont get into it right know, But We used to be pretty bad drug addicts. To some degree we are still coping with that. Kava seems to have potential, for relieving our addictive minds, without being addicted. If that makes sense. Its like this, I'm going to do something. Better that something be safe like Kava.