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kava vs valerian

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Sacred Journey

Sacred Journey

Kava Curious
How would you describe the difference between these two?

In my experience, kava is more of a drunk feeling whereas valerian is more of a stoned feeling. Kava is more similar to alcohol, while valerian more similar to benzodiazepines.
 
Piper Methysticum

Piper Methysticum

Let Kava Take The Wheel
Been a while but I remember Valerian root just made me very tired and it lost all of its effectiveness, 100%, after using it several days in a row, that was my experience at least unlike Kava.
 
E

EQ

Atman
verticity said:
In my experience: kava is effective; valerian is little more than a placebo.
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It is definetly not placebo, but I don't understand it. In all honesty intention sets the roll. That could be perceived as placebo but the amount of stoned your body gets doesn't happen in a state where the body isn't influenced by a substance.

To answer the thread I would look at Kava as leaning towards anti-anxiety, having social/recreational value, and more of an uplifting plant. In all honesty I haven't found much use for Valerian since discovering Kava.
 
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LunaKava

Kava Vendor
From my personal experiences I found valerian tea to be very sedating, almost like taking a natural sleeping pill. No euphoria or strong anxiolytic effects just pure sedation. Some also claim that valerian builds a tolerance rather quickly, and may cause minor withdrawal symptoms if taken for an extended period of time.
 
E

EQ

Atman
LunaKava said:
From my personal experiences I found valerian tea to be very sedating, almost like taking a natural sleeping pill. No euphoria or strong anxiolytic effects just pure sedation. Some also claim that valerian builds a tolerance rather quickly, and may cause minor withdrawal symptoms if taken for an extended period of time.
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How does it taste? I've only taken extracts with good results though. It smells pretty bad... do you add anything to it or just Valerian?
 
F3TU5

F3TU5

Kava Enthusiast
Valerian by itself sucks, but add a little melatonin and they play off each other well.
 
L

LunaKava

Kava Vendor
EQ said:
How does it taste? I've only taken extracts with good results though. It smells pretty bad... do you add anything to it or just Valerian?
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It has a very bitter/sour taste, I find that lemon juice and honey make it taste somewhat pleasant. I haven't had valeria in years but I would usually combine it with skullcap leaves to make a relaxing brew.
 
E

EQ

Atman
LunaKava said:
It has a very bitter/sour taste, I find that lemon juice and honey make it taste somewhat pleasant. I haven't had valerian in years but I would usually combine it with skullcap leaves to make a relaxing brew.
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That would be super relaxing.

Just a safety notice for anybody who reads this.
If you plan on drinking Skullcap make sure to get the proper plant Scutellaria lateriflora.
Skullcap's cousins will cause you physical damage. Herbal capsules from non regulated brands should not be trusted.
 
E

EQ

Atman
I find Kava is the best plant for relaxation. Not much of a point to bother with Valerian or anything else really for the purpose.
 
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EQ

Atman
Kavasseur said:
Valerian, for some people, is a very effective sleep aid. Kava is hit or miss as a sleep aid. For me, Kava doesn't help me sleep. It used to, but now it can have the opposite effect.
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I often take Valerian with Kava + Melatonin .
 
Sacred Journey

Sacred Journey

Kava Curious
Some more thoughts on valerian (today was actually my first time taking it in many years, hence the thread) I find valerian to be more like benzodiazepines and kava more like alcohol. Valerian relaxes the intellect and outer structures of the mind, whereas kava relaxes the emotions, muscles and heart. Valerian is very useful medicinally as a tension reliever.
 
Jonathan

Jonathan

All Hail Leon
I've had good luck with valerian in the past when I had trouble sleeping, it works well for that. It doesn't really create an experience, like kava does, it just helps you get to sleep. I agree that it builds tolerance, but for me it didn't happen for a while, like a month of nightly usage.

Now however, with kava, I sleep fine. If I do feel I need more of a sleep aid I'll take some melatonin about six hours before bed and then l-tryptophan an hour before bed.

In drastic cases, I'll take a benadryl, but that's not to be done regularly. Anti-histamines interfere with liver detox pathways. Hence why if you take anti-histamines with alcohol you stay drunk longer. Fun, in your 20's, but NOT safe.
 
2Intense

2Intense

Kava Enthusiast
Over the years I have used every herb ans supplement that promotes relaxation including, Valerian. It does work and has a place in my "tool box". I echo what has already been said - it does not create an experience or drastic mood change, so it does not compare with kava in that regard. What it does well, is help me to fall back asleep after waking in the night. We call it "stinky feet", because that is what it smells like!
 
kilakila

kilakila

Kava keeps me going.
Valerian has a completely paradoxical effect on me - revs me up in all directions. Got very anxious, shaky and horrible internal vibrations when I took it. Worked on me the same way that just one dose of an SSRI did!
 
wormwood

wormwood

Kava Enthusiast
Sacred Journey said:
Some more thoughts on valerian (today was actually my first time taking it in many years, hence the thread) I find valerian to be more like benzodiazepines and kava more like alcohol. Valerian relaxes the intellect and outer structures of the mind, whereas kava relaxes the emotions, muscles and heart. Valerian is very useful medicinally as a tension reliever.
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Where are you getting valerian?

I was going to say the difference between the two is that Kava actually works, whereas valerian does almost nothing. Comparing valerian to a benzo seems crazy to me. But that's just been my experience.
 
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