Neophyte Journal

[KaRoot]

Hi, I've been reading posts on the forum with avid interest, just received my first shipment of kava, and also just joined the group. I had planned to provide a journal of my journey through RT but that doesn't seem to be possible, because this stuff hit me immediately! I'll provide some particulars here.

I got Nambawan from BKH. After reading a lot of posts about preparation, I decided to try a "non-traditional" prep. I measured one cup of Kava powder, brought 3.5 cups of water to incipient boiling on the stove, poured half of the hot water into a blender, poured all of the powder in, then poured the remaining water in. I blended it off and on for 10 minutes, then tried to pour the thick mixture into a bowl containing a doubled cheese cloth. This didn't work, so I broke open the 20-pack of womens' hose I bought, put two (one inside the other) over a tall, empty glass, pushed the bottoms to the glass bottom, and poured in some of the blended grog.

Then, I quickly transferred the sopping hose to a bowl and kneaded it for then minutes until the contents felt "dry." I repeated this process 1.5 more times, each time with two new hose, until the blender was empty. This was all very messy ... I was licking my fingers and bowls, glasses, the whole time (and definitely getting a numb mouth). Finally, I poured hot water into the blender, blended the residue for a short period and poured it into a new bowl. I then kneaded the left-over hose in this bowl (second wash).

I decided to drink eight ounces (one cup), half with the main, very thick grog and half with the much more watery second wash. I did this at 4:03 pm. At 4:20 pm, I definitely felt different: a bit unsteady walking and maybe a touch "dreamy" feeling. It's hard to describe it precisely, but it's reminisce of my first high on weed a LONG time ago. It's now 5:01 pm. I notice I'm perspiring heavily in my underarms (it's not warm here).

I had a light breakfast today, a banana at noon, and ran six miles at 1:00 pm. I haven't drunk alcohol or used any other drug (aside from opiates post-surgery) for 31 years (I'm an old dude ... but in good shape)!. I think I'm ready for another sample!

PS Next time, I think I'll use the traditional preparation method. I suspect what I did was very effective in extracting the goodies, but it was very messy.

 

[Kimmer]

Sounds like quite an experience!! (Can't picture licking kava off my fingers tho..).
I just got some Nambawan too--gonna buckle down and try the traditional prep tomorrow.
Welcome to the forums

 

[KaRoot]

Follow-up to my initial post. I drank a second cup at 5 pm and a third at 6 pm (total of three cups in one-hour intervals). The third cup has increased a warm feeling in my chest, which is nice. I felt this with the first cup but to a much lesser extent. Also with the third cup, the numbness extended to the back of my throat (or mouth) and has persisted for 20 minutes now. A little reminiscent of my experiences with the white powder a long, long time ago, which, by the way, is not a good drug (IMO). I'm hoping kava doesn't have those negative effects (incessant babbling, paranoia, addictive dependence, etc.). I'm looking for something mellow and occasional ... What I've experienced so far, I wouldn't call euphoric, even mildly, apart from the nice, warm feeling in my chest, but I've just started, so ... Again, my underarms are perspiring quite heavily. Not a problem, just interesting.

 

[Steve Mariotti]

Hey @KaRoot! Welcome to the forums!

Sounds like you're well on your way, though I suspect you haven't completely gotten through the reverse tolerance yet. Keep at it. Based on what you've said, you probably don't have too much farther to go.

I've never had a perspiration reaction, though I definitely do get a warm feeling about my face breast chest neck and head with the headier strains (like the Nambawan you've got three.)

I've had a few prep occasions where it was really messy, with stuff going into the wrong bowl, missing the strainer, spilling out onto the counter. In the end, as long as all of it gets strained, it's all good. Minus the washing up.

 

[KaRoot]

Thanks for your feedback, Kimmer and Steve! I really like the overall cordial and supportive tone of the forums. After my first round with kava, I hope the effects will become more pronounced for me. I had a total of 24 ounces today, and although I definitely felt more than just numbness in the mouth, I would characterize the effects as slightly underwhelming. The taste/smell is something to get beyond, that's for sure. I get a queasy feeling now just thinking of it! However, I intend to try the same amount tomorrow, which is what I have left in the refrigerator. Thanks again!

 

[Steve Mariotti]

You will know when you've overcome reverse tolerance, @KaRoot. It'll be night and day. You'll have an "ohhhhhh... OKAY..." epiphany. Up until they you might feel mild sedation and mild relaxation. And of course a numb mouth. And maybe a little nausea if you drink it too fast, though I'm not sure about this last one. I didn't ever feel any nausea until after I'd passed my RT point.

Out of curiosity, do you have a meta-game that brought you to kava? For me, the meta-game is controlling anxiety and thereby nipping depression in the bud. Of course just taking interest in a natural "high" such as kava is reason enough to investigate it, but for many it goes deeper than that.

 

[KaRoot]

My motivation, I think, is similar to yours ... trying something proactive and new to combat depression/anxiety. For me, the two are reverse sides of the same coin, but I'll leave that one for the psychologists . The fact that kava is legal (and natural) is appealing. I'm not really after a "high." I did plenty of that in my youth and don't miss it in the least. Although, an ennui-buster would be welcome ... wiith a minimum amount of adverse consequences.

 

[Kimmer]

Kava doesn't give me a high, but it can be elating (and relaxing). Ennui-busting can be tough. I have a handful of hobbies but when I have time to do them, enforced creativity is not my friend. Really hoping I get over that before I retire.

 

[Steve Mariotti]

Kava doesn't give me a high, but it can be elating (and relaxing). Ennui-busting can be tough. I have a handful of hobbies but when I have time to do them, enforced creativity is not my friend. Really hoping I get over that before I retire.

Yeah, "high" is the wrong word because everything that's associated with seriously impairs cognitive function in one way or another. Kava's not the same.

What's a good word for the kava session experience?

 

[KaRoot]

Day two: At 3:45 pm, I drank 8 ounces of the brew I made yesterday. The upper, back of my mouth is very numb. At 4:00 pm, I begin experiencing what I've read from others: moving my head and my eyes not quite keeping up with the movement. I'm feeling a warmth in my chest, a good feeling. I definitely feel much more relaxed. Not sure if this is the full effect, but I'll take it if so! The question will be how long does it last. I have approximately two cups remaining, and I plan to drink them this afternoon.

 

[KaRoot]

Day two (continued): At 4:15 pm, I drank my second cup. It's now 4:40 pm, and I am definitely buzzed. I would have to call the feeling "high," even though I'm not slurring my speech like one does on alcohol, or catatonic like one is sometimes wiith weed. The eyes lagging the head is very pronounced. Also, unsteadiness walking, like being dizzy, although I'm not staggering ... it may be only my perception (still, I can't see driving as a good option under the influence of kava). I talked with a friend on the phone and felt very relaxed (unihibited) during the conversation. Remember, I haven't drunk alcohol or used any mind altering drugs for 31 years.

 

[KaRoot]

One additional note to my last post. I am definitely unsteady on my feet (not just my perception). I mention this, because I don't recall anyone else writing about this effect. When I turn around, I often have to catch myself (take an extra step to keep from falling). This is different from being drunk, because the mind isn't disoriented. It's a minor effect but reinforces my first impression that kava and driving wouldn't be a good mix.

 

[KaRoot]

OK, I made a big mistake by drinking my third cup at 5:13 pm. Within 10 minutes, I was literally seeing double ... could not see the screen of my computer. Then, at 5:40 pm, I vomited. I feel better after having done so, but I am completely surprised that I had such an intense and unpleasant reaction. I drank 24 ounces within one hour and 15 minutes ... obviously way too much for me. Any comments?

 

[KaRoot]

No comments about my bad experience with kava ?

I'm reminded of the lines from "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues": "I started out on burgundy but soon hit the harder stuff. Everybody said they'd stand behind me when the game got rough, but the joke was on me, there was nobody even there to bluff."

Kava's a big swing and miss for me. As far as I can tell, it's sort of a pseudo-drunk experience: getting the drunken staggers of alcohol without the smell and clouded thinking. Obviously, I overdid it. If nothing else, I'd like other first-time users to know that overdoing it is a REAL possibility and can be VERY unpleasant. The danger is that there is a lot of discussion about reverse tolerance, which I would say is more accurately termed initial tolerance, which leads the new user toward overdoing it. When vomiting enters the picture, I'm out. Anyone want to buy 1.75 lbs of BHK Nambawan?

 

[Steve Mariotti]

I'll buy your Nambawan, but but does this mean you're tapping out of kava entirely?

I've never thrown up from overdoing it, but I've gotten pretty green-gilled with nausea. Unsteadiness is something that I get midway through a kava session. I think it's a pretty common effect people experience. 24 oz (depending on how much root you used) is more than I tend to drink in a session. I usually have about 2-3 big heaping tablespoons of kava powder to 2-3 cups of water, and drink that over several hours. I've never had more than 16oz of that in an hour period, that's way too fast for me.

Nambawan is a pretty strong one. Maybe dialing things back down and slowly coming back up would be a good approach?

 

[Kimmer]

@KaRoot One recommendation I would make is to do what we call "Listening to the kava". Basically, gauge your feelings between shells and when you feel like you've hit a comfortable spot, then stop. I'm always kind of tippy, but if the kava was making me tippy, I would have stopped for the night or waited longer before that last shell.
That said, I mainly use Micro and it's pretty easy to gauge your intake. I would imagine that would be more difficult with medium grind (which I've still been too much of a wuss to try.)
Sorry you had a bad experience--

 

[Casper]

Yeah, "high" is the wrong word because everything that's associated with seriously impairs cognitive function in one way or another. Kava's not the same.

What's a good word for the kava session experience?

May have been a side affect for me, but was almost an out of body experience. Ringing in my ears silenced, yet I could hear everything clear as day. I could hear people talking from far off. Everything was extremely focused.. yet not. I wasn't impaired at all, could do anything I wanted with ease. I haven't really experienced that type of "high" before, so that's why I call it euphoria. Only lasts an hour. Unfortunately, more I use Kava, the lesser this affect is apparent. Today for example, I wasn't able to achieve this euphoria state.