Australia to trial commercial kava imports in 2020

[AaronCobra]

I've found caps a very poor trade. I've tried 30 at a time and that's all I can stomach, with few benefits. I have a high tolerance, and that would play a part.
Kudos to those who get a little kava reprieve from any source, and hope it improves for us all later this year with the review. Get those submissions in if you have something to say, only a few days to go before submissions close.

Yeah you have to take a lot of caps to feel anything. The Fiji Kava ones are good if you break them open but whoa it's expensive.

What would you recommend as a submission? I was thinking of writing one but wasn't sure if consumer submissions would help. I could argue the spiritual significance/cultural relevance until the cows come home but wouldn't want to mess it up or say something that could be taken in the wrong way.

I think products available elsewhere in the world that are mixing Kava with substances that are yet to be decriminalised in Australia are doing us all a disservice. Hopefully some very smart and influential people are making some valid and good natured submissions.

 

[itwasmoonlight]

Hey, did your Amazon order make it to you?


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Yeah - I would also love to know!

 

[itwasmoonlight]

Has anyone tried interstate postal within Australia? NSW to VIC

 

[Nodsey]

Has anyone tried interstate postal within Australia? NSW to VIC

Should be fine i'd think? There's no customs as such on domestic air freight.

 

[the_wilderness]

@AaronCobra and any others with this experience; why break the caps open? does it alter how the body responds to the kava?

 

[Nodsey]

@AaronCobra and any others with this experience; why break the caps open? does it alter how the body responds to the kava?

Just to speed up absorption I think? Plus it's not a great look necking 15 or so pills in one go...

 

[the_wilderness]

Just to speed up absorption I think? Plus it's not a great look necking 15 or so pills in one go...

Failed the pretty test, oh well. I've necked 30 fijikava without effect. Gonna try some coconut oil, maceration and heat tests, see what I can do. Desperate times, etc.

 

[AaronCobra]

@AaronCobra and any others with this experience; why break the caps open? does it alter how the body responds to the kava?

Just so you can mix up a shell and feel like you're actually "drinking" Kava.

 

[the_wilderness]

Okay, having experimented with every variation I can think of, what is working 'well enough' for me atm is 13 fiji kava plus 8 thompson's kava, ground up in pestle and mortar and skolled on a 5hr hour fast. Not sure why but this combo works better than other variations, and with any slight adjustment the nausea becomes unmanageable (I'm def more inclined to nausea with tabs). It gives me an hour or so of that entry level relaxation, but it's the larger benefit I'm after; the 'kava bubble' and management of other addictions. It's expensive for sure (I got all the caps half price so I'm looking at about $10 a day for this habit. Probably the same as I was spending on alcohol, and the health benefits from that switch have been tangible.)
a sad way to drink kava, but it helps me enough that it's worth it...for now.
Can't wait to get across the pond and get some proper stuff when borders reopen! Or, fingers crossed, this import thing goes through 2021.

 

[the_wilderness]

Oh and...not sure why, but grinding tabs/emptying capsules really does make a big difference.

 

[Gopd_CleanKava]

Good news for kava producing nations and Australia. But I wonder what "commercial imports" means. Will Australians be able to buy kava powder, or will it just mean imports for OTC pharma products?

Clearly the right just thing to do, but I do nonetheless also wonder about my own selfish interests as a US kava consumer; will we see our prices go up even further?

No i do not think that price for kava will go up!

 

[Crunked]

In the Federal budget for this year the Australian government has allocated $1.9m to implement the proposal to allow commercial importation of kava to Australia by December 2021 to improve consumer access to kava. Details here.

 

[Artofkava]

Good news for kava producing nations and Australia. But I wonder what "commercial imports" means. Will Australians be able to buy kava powder, or will it just mean imports for OTC pharma products?

Clearly the right just thing to do, but I do nonetheless also wonder about my own selfish interests as a US kava consumer; will we see our prices go up even further?

Commercial imports just means those who area able to meet the facility and testing guidelines to be a registered exporter (in fiji) but on the other, import side as well. They deal in larger quantities and usually water transport rather than air. So it is possible that otc pharmas would be included in this. They're not there yet in the states but Australian, maybe.

As for the increase in prices, itll ebb and flow. When it starts to get really popular in the states is when I think middlemen there will try to gouge prices. There are already farmer associations trying to do this. I've talked with a couple of them extensively about it to widen our selection. While their kava is excellent....I wouldn't be able to move it. I have some ultra premium tea I do like this that u cant normally get in the states and I only buy 1kg at a time. It would be like that. That said, there are groups calling for national standardized pricing. Which is a normal path I guess. The vanilla industry did that. Vanilla is super popular everywhere tho. Check out prices for that!

 

[kavakarma]

I want to say, @the_wilderness in reply to "$10 a day". First, make sure your "tabs" that you are grinding is Noble Kava. I'm wary of extracts, and my book "Kava: an Ethnobotanical Review of a Treasured Plant - Hawaiian 'Awa" says extracts are performed using chloroform, acetone, and ethanol. It also demonstrates one millionth of a shell being capable of increasing the toxicity of ethanol, similar to other herbs and medications.

On the bright and beautiful, now, I want to share with you that my kava habit is about 5 to 10 dollars a day too. Whether it's lovely fresh root, my favorite dried root powder, or a treat of some kind (such as fresh bottled elixr or vanilla orange co2 extract) it ends up costing 5 to ten dollars per serving, where a serving lasts a whole day and a portion of which may be squeezed another day.

Here is a proof: If one pound of my favorite dried kava costs $60/lb with $8.50 shipping this is 68.50USD/bag. If I prefer 8 tablespoons per night give or take that makes a bag of kava last, 8 individual days, plus some, because there are 64 Tbsp per pound & the roots may be squeezed more than once for an additional couple days. Shipping calculated, since it is part of the overall cost. That rounds out to $7 per night for ten days of Kava. Or $10/day for seven days.

Don't feel bad, it's a cash crop which there are many. Feel content with it. It is okay. Bula!

 

[the_wilderness]

thank you @kavakarma! all the tabs I used are water extracted and noble sources, the therapeutic goods laws here are strict in that regard and I've only seen noble kava and water extractions on the market.
I'd be happy to pay $10 a day for good kava, this isn't haha. but we are looking good here in Aus to get some imports coming through next year, and I can't wait life will be better for it. in the meanwhile, happy to have a little kava hack to get me by.