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Anxiety and tension from many strains... Input appreciated !

GenieOfTheLamp

Kava Curious
For some reason, over the last six weeks or so, I'm not feeling relaxed by most of the kava I'm drinking. Sorta doin the opposite. As I write this, about 3 tablespoons of AOK's Temo has me feeling tense and off. This is after a couple years of dabbling, then regularly prepping and shelling for the past year and a half. There were always certain strains that if I pushed it would leave me with racing thoughts and a feeling of unease. I began to gravitate toward more heavy root, and that was rarely an issue for some time. 8 shells of Squanch might do it to me, but most of what I was drinking wouldn't. Now, much of what had been pleasant prior, and new strains I'm trying that are known as at least on the heavy side of balanced, can give me a pretty intense sensation of shoulder/chest tension, obsessive thoughts, etc. Beyond about shell three, brewed rather weakly by the standards of most folks on here, and formerly, myself. I hydrate big time around the clock, I make sure my electrolyte intake is solid, I try different snacking approaches. I did start drinking a couple strong cups of Earl Grey in the morning roughly around the time this started, after abstaining from caffeine for about 4 months. I hadn't had this issue prior to that, even as a coffee drinker, but it's possible I developed a new sensitivity there- maybe that's contributing ?

For reference, AOK's Koro was probably my favorite when available, never giving me issue. Their Kadavu too. Went through a lot of their Qila Leka, but now even it can be dicey. Got some Stone that treats me pretty well currently, though it's not that potent for me in other effects either.

Anyway, curious of anyone's thoughts, anecdotes, maybe strain recommendations. Also, I'm gonna cut the tea down to a cup a day, and would happily phase it out if that allows me to enjoy Kava freely again.

Thank you !
 

Russell Caruso

TravelingMan
I had one strain - just one - borogu from BKH that made me feel this way. There was nothing wrong with the kava, I even left it a good review, my body just reacted poorly to it and made me feel super anxious. I even had stomach upset with it whereas I didn't with any other strains unless I simply drank too much. Once I switched off of borogu, the problem never returned that I can remember. Pushing strains never really left me with problems, though. It could just be your biochemistry and it might take a bit of work to see what works best for you - I personally always go back to the same few kavas, and almost never branch out.
I doubt my reply is much help, but stick with it. Kava is very nice & worth the effort when working properly. It is very consistent for me now, but I have gone through phases where it was odd or felt strange.
I'm sure others will have much better comments than I.
 

Artofkava

Jacksonville, FL
Kava Vendor
For some reason, over the last six weeks or so, I'm not feeling relaxed by most of the kava I'm drinking. Sorta doin the opposite. As I write this, about 3 tablespoons of AOK's Temo has me feeling tense and off. This is after a couple years of dabbling, then regularly prepping and shelling for the past year and a half. There were always certain strains that if I pushed it would leave me with racing thoughts and a feeling of unease. I began to gravitate toward more heavy root, and that was rarely an issue for some time. 8 shells of Squanch might do it to me, but most of what I was drinking wouldn't. Now, much of what had been pleasant prior, and new strains I'm trying that are known as at least on the heavy side of balanced, can give me a pretty intense sensation of shoulder/chest tension, obsessive thoughts, etc. Beyond about shell three, brewed rather weakly by the standards of most folks on here, and formerly, myself. I hydrate big time around the clock, I make sure my electrolyte intake is solid, I try different snacking approaches. I did start drinking a couple strong cups of Earl Grey in the morning roughly around the time this started, after abstaining from caffeine for about 4 months. I hadn't had this issue prior to that, even as a coffee drinker, but it's possible I developed a new sensitivity there- maybe that's contributing ?

For reference, AOK's Koro was probably my favorite when available, never giving me issue. Their Kadavu too. Went through a lot of their Qila Leka, but now even it can be dicey. Got some Stone that treats me pretty well currently, though it's not that potent for me in other effects either.

Anyway, curious of anyone's thoughts, anecdotes, maybe strain recommendations. Also, I'm gonna cut the tea down to a cup a day, and would happily phase it out if that allows me to enjoy Kava freely again.

Thank you !
Hey! So glad ur loving the kava and sorry ur getting that tense feeling.

Personally I understand that completely. I get the same kind of feeling with borogu. Anxious and idk...tense.

Maybe give the feo a try? Newer one from solomon that sampled heavy.

Man been working hard on the Koro. There's a permitting process to get kava from the far off islands now in Fiji because of covid. I have an agent there and we just got it. So hopefully it'll be available again soon. Will take some time. It's a labor of love with this one
 

GenieOfTheLamp

Kava Curious
Hey! So glad ur loving the kava and sorry ur getting that tense feeling.

Personally I understand that completely. I get the same kind of feeling with borogu. Anxious and idk...tense.

Maybe give the feo a try? Newer one from solomon that sampled heavy.

Man been working hard on the Koro. There's a permitting process to get kava from the far off islands now in Fiji because of covid. I have an agent there and we just got it. So hopefully it'll be available again soon. Will take some time. It's a labor of love with this one
I've come to think it's definitely an electrolyte issue. I was doing what seemed like basic maintenance supplementation- a bit of magnesium, a bit of calcium, a bit of potassium, some salted water. But a couple nights ago I tried a fatter dose of calcium and a lot more salt and the Temo had me probably 50% less edgy after the same amount as the night I posted this. I think high water intake, exacerbated by long-term low carb eating had left me with more of a deficiency than I realized, and that the calcium and sodium channel blocking mechanism of kava was sending me into physiological stress and mild psychosis ! I'm feeling confident that addressing all of that in a bigger way should get me back on track.

Thanks for the response and, yes- love y'all's Kava ! I think I'll order some of the Feo today. Gotcha on the Koro. That and the prior batch of Kadavu may have been the most smile-inducing of the two or three dozen roots I've tried, so I'll always stay abreast of what you've got coming ! The care you put into your curation is deeply appreciated.
 

Palmetto

Thank God!
Fijian kavas don't produce anxiety. Some 243/423 kavas from Vanuatu and Hawaii can produce such effects. Papa Kea and Papa Ele Ele (different chemotypes) also produce such effects for me. I believe it is more than just the major kavalactones producing this effect. Some people complain about Borogu causing this, I personally don't have that problem. You are not the only one to notice this. You just have to find the ones that don't cause that for you.
 

GenieOfTheLamp

Kava Curious
Fijian kavas don't produce anxiety. Some 243/423 kavas from Vanuatu and Hawaii can produce such effects. Papa Kea and Papa Ele Ele (different chemotypes) also produce such effects for me. I believe it is more than just the major kavalactones producing this effect. Some people complain about Borogu causing this, I personally don't have that problem. You are not the only one to notice this. You just have to find the ones that don't cause that for you.
Interesting. Even Fijians have been giving me trouble recently, but I think that's on my body's chemistry, and that they have indeed tended to be the friendliest. I will keep away from those chemotypes and stock up when I find what treats me really right. Thank you.
 

Artofkava

Jacksonville, FL
Kava Vendor
Fijian kavas don't produce anxiety. Some 243/423 kavas from Vanuatu and Hawaii can produce such effects. Papa Kea and Papa Ele Ele (different chemotypes) also produce such effects for me. I believe it is more than just the major kavalactones producing this effect. Some people complain about Borogu causing this, I personally don't have that problem. You are not the only one to notice this. You just have to find the ones that don't cause that for you.
Thank you so much for the kind words. Yeah I love that kadavu and stocked up on it. The process they do that goes into hand selecting the cultivars in the field and managing harvest is pretty awesome.

Sounds great on the feo.

Huh....interesting that u mentioned low carb maybe being related and that u took calcium etc and it helped. When I was on keto I experienced panic attacks. The doctor prescribed me an ssri bc it was happening a lot and it kinda freaked me out which produced more lol. I couldn't bring myself to take an ssri tho...so I researched stuff I was doing (or not doin). Low and behold a side effect of keto can be heart palpitations and panic attacks. I stopped and boom all that stopped as well. Insane how the body works.
 

GenieOfTheLamp

Kava Curious
Thank you so much for the kind words. Yeah I love that kadavu and stocked up on it. The process they do that goes into hand selecting the cultivars in the field and managing harvest is pretty awesome.

Sounds great on the feo.

Huh....interesting that u mentioned low carb maybe being related and that u took calcium etc and it helped. When I was on keto I experienced panic attacks. The doctor prescribed me an ssri bc it was happening a lot and it kinda freaked me out which produced more lol. I couldn't bring myself to take an ssri tho...so I researched stuff I was doing (or not doin). Low and behold a side effect of keto can be heart palpitations and panic attacks. I stopped and boom all that stopped as well. Insane how the body works.
I'm not sure what the deal was with the calcium and salt on the aforementioned night, beyond me probably being a bit deficient in both, and maybe some placebo effect? - but daily supplementation wasn't enough to keep the weirdness and anxiety at bay moving forward. I reflected more on what had changed with my intake, and when I'd last enjoyed a typical krunk, and it became clear that my caffeine intake was really the only variable. So today, I skipped the mid afternoon caffeine, only having a single bag of Earl Grey after waking, and from how I feel, it would seem that was the culprit. When I went from the single morning cup to the spread out intake was when these effects became really pronounced. I'm a few shells in and don't feel fully at ease, but mostly. I searched up on caffeine and Kava and found that Kava specifically prevents caffeine's breakdown, and anecdotes of certain folks' saying that they had intense anxiety if they butted the two up too close together. I'm gonna phase the tea out completely over the next few days and see if that brings my sessions back to neutral.

And yeah, I suppose low carb eating isn't for everyone ! Have been doing that most of the time since 2015, before and after getting into Kava, and have only had good results, so I figured if anything it was a long-term electrolyte/mineral imbalance from the two combined. But now it seems pretty clear it's the caffeine. I would, for instance, be only 3.5 hours into processing my 3:30 tea when I'd start with the shells, and I think it was making my brain go a little haywire. I'm very sensitive, and have always metabolized caffeine slowly, so it makes sense I'd be affected by their interaction.

The Feo is real nice !
 
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Artofkava

Jacksonville, FL
Kava Vendor
I'm not sure what the deal was with the calcium and salt on the aforementioned night, beyond me probably being a bit deficient in both, and maybe some placebo effect? - but daily supplementation wasn't enough to keep the weirdness and anxiety at bay moving forward. I reflected more on what had changed with my intake, and when I'd last enjoyed a typical krunk, and it became clear that my caffeine intake was really the only variable. So today, I skipped the mid afternoon caffeine, only having a single bag of Earl Grey after waking, and from how I feel, it would seem that was the culprit. When I went from the single morning cup to the spread out intake was when these effects became really pronounced. I'm a few shells in and don't feel fully at ease, but mostly. I searched up on caffeine and Kava and found that Kava specifically prevents caffeine's breakdown, and anecdotes of certain folks' saying that they had intense anxiety if they butted the two up too close together. I'm gonna phase the tea out completely over the next few days and see if that brings my sessions back to neutral.

And yeah, I suppose low carb eating isn't for everyone ! Have been doing that most of the time since 2015, before and after getting into Kava, and have only had good results, so I figured if anything it was a long-term electrolyte/mineral imbalance from the two combined. But now it seems pretty clear it's the caffeine. I would, for instance, be only 3.5 hours into processing my 3:30 tea when I'd start with the shells, and I think it was making my brain go a little haywire. I'm very sensitive, and have always metabolized caffeine slowly, so it makes sense I'd be affected by their interaction.

The Feo is real nice !
Yeah the feo has been awesome. Unfortunate name for the cultivar fo those Spanish speakers out there tho haha.

Yeah I really feel now that we had the same experience and similar thoughts as to the culprit. I cut caffeine and did much better. Though I was still feeling off. I cut keto and boom back to normal.

I love keto and was fine on it the first time around. Got off and went back on. I think my issue was that I was less regimented and didn't get the nutrients I needed. Somehow tht resulted in heart palpitations and panic attacks.
 
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