Adrenal fatigue, can kava help

[schatz]

Does anybody here have any info or experiences of kava and adrenal fatigue? Can kava help or hinder recovery? I think it would help as it seems from reading about peoples other issues here and how they all might be adrenal malfunction related in one way or another. It seems they are involved in every aspect of our well being and contntment. It seems to me that adrenal issues may lead to many hormonal and neurotransmitter issues from what I have been reading. Maybe issues with adrenals cause us to self medicate leading to certain drug and alcohol abuse searching to find homeostasis? I know modern western medicine down plays the role of the whole endocrine system but I think we may be wrong here. Any opinions or studies on kavas role helping or hindering adrenals would be gratefully appreciated. Thank you.

 

[violet]

You are correct in that hormone and neurotransmitter imbalances nearly always accompany adrenal fatigue/insufficiency. I believe these types of imbalances are a huge cause of self medication, whether we perceive them of not.

I think it depends on how kava personally affects you. For me personally, many types of kava cause excessive stimulation of my sympathetic nervous system. Consuming kava usually increases my blood pressure, raises my heart rate, and causes me to sweat. Definitely not what I need if my adrenals are in a state of overworking or already tired.

If drinking kava lowers your heart rate and BP it could be a useful tool to help the body find balance. Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine use many adaptogens which are useful for balancing the endocrine system and helping the adrenals.

 

[schatz]

You are correct in that hormone and neurotransmitter imbalances nearly always accompany adrenal fatigue/insufficiency. I believe these types of imbalances are a huge cause of self medication, whether we perceive them of not.

I think it depends on how kava personally affects you. For me personally, many types of kava cause excessive stimulation of my sympathetic nervous system. Consuming kava usually increases my blood pressure, raises my heart rate, and causes me to sweat. Definitely not what I need if my adrenals are in a state of overworking or already tired.

If drinking kava lowers your heart rate and BP it could be a useful tool to help the body find balance. Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine use many adaptogens which are useful for balancing the endocrine system and helping the adrenals.

Thank you for the reply, I think I agree with your opinion on what it does to you personally as to its effects and outcomes. I am sorry if I sound a little scatterd but I am just now coming off a bad experience with western homeopathic medicine. A couple months ago I went to my naturopath and osteopath with kidney pains and recieved both diagnoses and recommendations on curing the ailment. The natural doctor recommended to do blood work and upon that result nothing was found to be out of normal ranges. And with nothing conclusive coming from my natural doc I decided against my better judgement to go the osteo route. They did more extensive blood work and recommended ultra sound and found a couple kidney stones about 10 and 11 cm. They recommended surgery and the naturopath then recommended phosphoric acid without even knowing the composition of the stones, because it does make adifference on how to dissolve them. So I disregarde both views and went with chanca piedra tea and three weeks later had a ct scan, and the doctors coulonly find a 1 cm stone in my left kidney, so I guess it worked. Since that occurance I have had fatigue and other issues, and fearing osteopathic meds I went back to my naturopath and he said after measuring my basal body temp in morning for a week that I had adrenal fatigue. So he gave me Bovine extracted thyroid and adrenal gland suplements from standard process and was told to take three a day for unspecified amount of time. Now after two months my body went ape shit last week and gave me all the side eefects of being hyperthyroid. My body temp dropped to 92 degrees Saturday morning and wow it is amazeing ho that feels, as close to the feelings of death that I want to experience more than once.For three nights could not sleep from aching and other issues that ensued. On the third night I relented and partook in kava, and wow is all I can say, allsymptoms went away and was able to slleep last night. Where as friday I did kava, same borogu and same dose and could not sleep nand pain not diminished very much. But all is better now and think I will just stick to Ashwaganda and kava, unless any one else has better recomendations on how to raise body temp and get my adrenals and metabolism going. Right now my temps have been rangeing 97.5 -94.0 degrees during the day. Thank you sorry I kind of rambled on here.

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

Avoid heady kava .. like moi, Fijian wakas and anything else that's known for euphoria and extra energy. all heady kavas give me worse adrenal fatique after a couple days of using it... especially in the morning after having a large dose.. I would get the eye watering yawning body ache kind of thing ...
Although I've never had any temperature issues as far as I know...

I would try Nettle infusions.. or even a nettle seed tincture.
That will nourish the adrenal glands.
Obviously I would avoid caffiene.
And kava definitley can help with adrenal issues.. but it can also hinder ... I found that heavy kava is helpful and heady kava is a hinderance. balanced kava is also fine.. as long as it's not full blast heady I don't get fatique.

I take ashwaganda almost daily and it's definitley helpful. but the most important thing is the food you eat . if your not eating right . No herb can help.

Also sounds like the natural doctor you see isn't very experienced.
I recommend seeing an actual herbalist not a naturopath or whatever they call themselves now. lol.
A true herbalist will be funny knowledgeable and excessivly curious. anything less and drop them .

 

[schatz]

Mr binx, is borogu considered head or heavy, I have been heavily into it for the last 6 months. Also I think my naturopath is just too old, he is very experienced but I think he is like 75 and just dosent get the auyervedic or chinese herb thing, hes more into the western form of naturoppath and even that can be quite extreme and toxic. I think what I have come away with in these latest experiences is to let the body heal itself with gentle herbal adjustments instead of hardcore symptom treatment. I am just grateful I have an infra red sauna out in the garage it is amazeing how temperature effects the human body down to an enzymatic level. When my body dropped to 92 degrees saturday morning I went straight to the sauna to warm up and with every degree of core temp rise a symptom would vanish.

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

Borugu is balanced and I find that it doesn't affect me negatively and is actually one of my favorites

 

[wormwood]

Does anybody here have any info or experiences of kava and adrenal fatigue? Can kava help or hinder recovery? I think it would help as it seems from reading about peoples other issues here and how they all might be adrenal malfunction related in one way or another. It seems they are involved in every aspect of our well being and contntment. It seems to me that adrenal issues may lead to many hormonal and neurotransmitter issues from what I have been reading. Maybe issues with adrenals cause us to self medicate leading to certain drug and alcohol abuse searching to find homeostasis? I know modern western medicine down plays the role of the whole endocrine system but I think we may be wrong here. Any opinions or studies on kavas role helping or hindering adrenals would be gratefully appreciated. Thank you.

Kava might be able to play a very small part in your recovery, but I cant see how it could even come close to to fixing the situation on its own. Find a good Naturopathic Doctor and a good endocrinologist. Good luck!

 

[schatz]

Kava might be able to play a very small part in your recovery, but I cant see how it could even come close to to fixing the situation on its own. Find a good Naturopathic Doctor and a good endocrinologist. Good luck!

Thank you, and I think I as well as a lot of other people have been going down this road of self medication for a long time. I visited a different naturopath the other day and we will see if he has anything to offer. Meanwhile I will continue to partake in kava, as it just feels like a warm blanket is thrown over me every night. And I will let anyone interested know what I find in the next few weeks.

 

[Kava_Joe]

Holy Sh*t schatz, Hope you're doing well now !! Keep us posted on how progress goes and how Kava fits in. I had a mis-diagnosed parasite episode in my mid 20's that sounds similar to what you experienced. My weight now is 185 lbs. I got down to 105 lbs while I was sick. Went to a lot of Drs and they almost killed me. Eventually I stumbled across an Ayurvedic Dr who diagnosed me in about 5 mins. He prescribed a nasty bitter tasting herbal blend I took on and off for 6 months. It fixed me for the most part. I have intestinal issues some, but nothing like before.
Bula Bro, keep us posted

 

[schatz]

Thanks kava Joe, was the herb he gave you Triphala? I am currently seeing a chinese medicine practitioner and seems to be helping. Will let you know how it goes if anybody is interested in afew more weeks but so far my temps have been raised within 12 hours of starting her herbals and afew other symptoms have improved.

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

Triphala is good stuff haven't delved into it but I have some and tried it once and felt just good

 

[Kava_Joe]

I did use Triphala, but not for the parasite issue. The mixture I was givin was Maha Sudarshan Churna. It can be bought in any Indian Store or online now probably. It's so Bitter tasting it'll kill anything. Harsher than Triphala which is good for balancing intestinal problems and/or constipation. I take Triphala from time to time just to keep thing balanced. Hang in there and keep us posted

 

[schatz]

Once I get straightened out with the herbal concoction I am on now I will probably go back to drinking triphala a few times a week for maintenance. Right now I guess I am pretty much supposed to stick with the chines herbs and super w blend for detoxing and stay away from my other stuff. I have never heard of Maha Sudarshan Churna, is it something one can take regularly or just if parisitic is present and known?

 

[Kava_Joe]

Maha Sudarshan Churna is very bitter to the extreme. It is used as an anti parasitic and for treating excessive "Fire Element" disorders. It makes Heavy Kava taste like a Snickers Candy Bar! Nasty/Bitter. What you are using is less extreme and more balanced. I wouldn't think parasites are really fond of Kava either. But, that's not from any expertise on my part.

 

[Vinestal]

I take ashwaganda almost daily and it's definitley helpful. but the most important thing is the food you eat . if your not eating right . No herb can help.

I've heard great things about ashwaganda, it's suppose to be good for energy and recovery from physical stress, like long terrible days at work for me. I've been thinking about trying it for a while. I'm curious how much you take and what have been your experiences with its effects on you. PM me if you don't want to get into to long of a discussion about it here, I'd love to get some feedback from someone using it.

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

I use like 2 to 4 grams twice a day about

I just add the powder to milk and chug but have been considering straining it to see if I can get a cleaner effect.

Ultimately it's very nice for over stimulation.
It helps re create the inner energy body. it helps consciousness to express itself properly in the body.
If your exhausted it will give you energy if your over stimulated it will calm down your fight or flight response . but it's not sedating or anything.
It's best to have after food for some reason if I have it on an empty stomach I get a headache and don't feel as good from it.

 

[schatz]

Ashwandaga is an adaptogenic so it just does what the body needs, not intrusive at all. My wife takes a couple home made capsules everyday for 3 out of four weeks and then breaks for a week to keep her body from getting to used to it. She dosent really need any thing to make her happier or more energetic but she has had some medical issues and one of those was an ovary was removed about 15 years ago. So I had her take Ashwaganda as a preventative for future issues and she really noticed a difference in energy and well being even though we didnt think there was any thing wrong there. Amazeing herb.

 

[madLyfe]

Ashwandaga is an adaptogenic so it just does what the body needs, not intrusive at all. My wife takes a couple home made capsules everyday for 3 out of four weeks and then breaks for a week to keep her body from getting to used to it. She dosent really need any thing to make her happier or more energetic but she has had some medical issues and one of those was an ovary was removed about 15 years ago. So I had her take Ashwaganda as a preventative for future issues and she really noticed a difference in energy and well being even though we didnt think there was any thing wrong there. Amazeing herb.

does she also take it with kava?

 

[schatz]

She has not come around to drinking kava daily like I have, hates the taste. I have been mixing it lately for her by using Nakamals recipes and she likes it, but she is still unsure if she likes the effects of kava as much as she likes alcohol. She will eventually come around, I will just be patient and offer it whenever I make some and not force it on her. I dont think it would interfere with kava though, I am not in the medical profession though. I think it is a matter of these adaptogenic herbs doing just what the body needs and not interfering like pharmaceuticals do regardless of what you need. Good luck and research.

 

[Rewildyoursoul]

Hey my friend,
Sorry about your terrible experience.
Bovine adrenal hormone is one of those dangerous products typically peddled by inexperienced chiropractors.
It is truly a dangerous and often tainted product not meant for human consumption.
This is no insult to them or any other, but if someone is selling something and suggesting you take it, refuse.
There is a bit of conflict of interest.

To me, as a practicing herbalist and forager, that is what I find most exciting; the food and medicine we need is growing around us, thus, no marketing necessary.

My experience was much the same with a naturopath; well intended, but utterly unfounded.
As you seem to know, personal exploration in these areas is often far more beneficial the trusting these experts.
Collaboration, yes, unquestioned belief, no.
Glad you are on the path to recovery.

Nettle, as mentioned before, would be excellent and nourishing.
With spring coming up you will be able to find plenty.
Also look into chaga and Reishi.
Both relatively benign, adaptogenic, and accessible.
Stay well!