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Bad First Time

ColeScar

ColeScar

Kava Curious
So I recently got some Single Cultivar Loa Leka Taveuni Island from artofkava in and it’s my first time really doing kava. I was recommended to start out at 4 tbsp. So I did, the first 3 times no effect, then the fourth time I felt super heavy in body effects, and also started having pretty bad anxiety / panic.. felt like I couldn’t get a good breath in. I suffer from GAD and was looking at kava for a alternative to Xanax or antidepressants. Feeling pretty disappointed cause I was pretty hype about a natural relief. Any input very welcome. The chemotype is 462531.
 
Groggy

Groggy

Kava aficionado
Admin
ColeScar said:
So I recently got some Single Cultivar Loa Leka Taveuni Island from artofkava in and it’s my first time really doing kava. I was recommended to start out at 4 tbsp. So I did, the first 3 times no effect, then the fourth time I felt super heavy in body effects, and also started having pretty bad anxiety / panic.. felt like I couldn’t get a good breath in. I suffer from GAD and was looking at kava for a alternative to Xanax or antidepressants. Feeling pretty disappointed cause I was pretty hype about a natural relief. Any input very welcome. The chemotype is 462531.
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I love the way wrote that, you came correct with all the information on the first post. (y)

A little back story on me, I deal with the same problems, or really I used to. It's been a long time with kava and it really saved my life, it even made it better or, it helped me become a better version of myself. Don't give up, there so many variables and what you experieced is not entirely uncommon.

The most obvious consideration is that particular cultivar doesn't agree with your body chemistry. I encourage you to try a variety, I think a good alternative is GHK kavas, Mo'i and Mahakea in particular, these kavas are very forgiving and quite potent in different ways. Mo'i is a super clean heady kava where as Mahakea is probably the most balanced kava out there.

Be sure to play with prep amounts, start small and work your way up. Use more or less water, to taste... Good luck, keep us posted!
 
ColeScar

ColeScar

Kava Curious
Krunʞy said:
I love the way wrote that, you came correct with all the information on the first post. (y)

A little back story on me, I deal with the same problems, or really I used to. It's been a long time with kava and it really saved my life, it even made it better or, it helped me become a better version of myself. Don't give up, there so many variables and what you experieced is not entirely uncommon.

The most obvious consideration is that particular cultivar doesn't agree with your body chemistry. I encourage you to try a variety, I think a good alternative is GHK kavas, Mo'i and Mahakea in particular, these kavas are very forgiving and quite potent in different ways. Mo'i is a super clean heady kava where as Mahakea is probably the most balanced kava out there.

Be sure to play with prep amounts, start small and work your way up. Use more or less water, to taste... Good luck, keep us posted!
Click to expand...
Thank you! Yeah I’ve read plenty of threads in my time to know to come correct so I don’t have to type it multiple times LMAO. is there a link to these you can send to me in a message? I don’t even know if you can send messages on here haha
 
Groggy

Groggy

Kava aficionado
Admin
ColeScar said:
Thank you! Yeah I’ve read plenty of threads in my time to know to come correct so I don’t have to type it multiple times LMAO. is there a link to these you can send to me in a message? I don’t even know if you can send messages on here haha
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gourmethawaiiankava.com

Mo’i Medium Grind

Mo’i is known for its “Heady” effects. This Kava is smooth and tastes good. It is almost like drinking the fresh root like the Original Islanders did thousands of years ago.
gourmethawaiiankava.com gourmethawaiiankava.com

gourmethawaiiankava.com

Mahakea Medium Grind

Mahakea has better than average potency with nice balanced effects. It shows a little bit of all the effects. It was once said that the ‘Awa Mahakea was one of the more common cultivars in the Hawa…
gourmethawaiiankava.com gourmethawaiiankava.com
 
Edward

Edward

Aluballin' in the UK
Kava Vendor
ColeScar said:
So I recently got some Single Cultivar Loa Leka Taveuni Island from artofkava in and it’s my first time really doing kava. I was recommended to start out at 4 tbsp. So I did, the first 3 times no effect, then the fourth time I felt super heavy in body effects, and also started having pretty bad anxiety / panic.. felt like I couldn’t get a good breath in. I suffer from GAD and was looking at kava for a alternative to Xanax or antidepressants. Feeling pretty disappointed cause I was pretty hype about a natural relief. Any input very welcome. The chemotype is 462531.
Click to expand...
Anything headier than balanced is more likely to give me anxiety than relieve it. Try a heavier kava like GHK Nene, Hiwa or Papa Kea. Or lots of other options. Look for the 2 and the 5 to be a bit more prominent in the chemotype. Koro Island from Art of Kava would probably be more your thing although I don't think they have updated their chemotype since the last batch so don't go by that.
 
Aceofwands9

Aceofwands9

Kava Enthusiast
GHK is gourrmet hawaiin kava. For a fiji lawena i'd reccomend Fiji Vanua Kava, you should also check out their Vanuatu- very potent and relaxing.
 
Artofkava

Artofkava

Jacksonville, FL
Kava Vendor
Hey Cole! Great to see you found the forum! When we spoke, and as krunky also said above, its likely that strain doesnt work super well with your body chemistry. Try a variety and youll find an excellent one that works for you. I get the same effects from borogu kavas. Also the amount may have just been too much. @Edward is right, the koro might work better for you as its more sedative and relaxing (less balanced) than the taveuni (id also say that that leans heavy tho as well).

The koro info will be updated shortly as the new batch is in and available on the site*

GHK is a great brand as well by the way. My favorite there is the Hiwa.

I hope you try as many as you can and find ones that work well for you (even if its not from us). GAD is a rough thing to deal with and finding something natural to deal with it is a bit harder than the scripts. In the end itll be worth the search.

Bula!
 
ColeScar

ColeScar

Kava Curious
Artofkava said:
Hey Cole! Great to see you found the forum! When we spoke, and as krunky also said above, its likely that strain doesnt work super well with your body chemistry. Try a variety and youll find an excellent one that works for you. I get the same effects from borogu kavas. Also the amount may have just been too much. @Edward is right, the koro might work better for you as its more sedative and relaxing (less balanced) than the taveuni (id also say that that leans heavy tho as well).

The koro info will be updated shortly as the new batch is in and available on the site*

GHK is a great brand as well by the way. My favorite there is the Hiwa.

I hope you try as many as you can and find ones that work well for you (even if its not from us). GAD is a rough thing to deal with and finding something natural to deal with it is a bit harder than the scripts. In the end itll be worth the search.

Bula!
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Thanks! I have reduced my intake to about 2 tbs which hasn’t hit me as hard but also doesn’t really give me the anti anxiety relief I’m looking for. The 4 was definitely just too much sauce. Haha. I am gonna stick with this bag til I can afford some more, but definitely gonna go for less than 1lb just incase it doesn’t sit well. Don’t get me wrong y’all’s shipping (super fast) and previous chats with me about getting into kava have led me on this journey and I will be forever great full! GAD is a b*tch and I truly believe I can find a solution. All love.
Bula!
 
Zaphod

Zaphod

Kava Lover
Artofkava said:
All of the above is awesome bro! Were going to drop a larger sample pack as well. 4 or 5 kavas at 4oz each. I think thatll let ppl try more with less left over if it doeesnt work well.

Bula!
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Yes! More vendors used to offer sample packs but they seem to have died out the last few years. They are a great way for a new person to try different kavas. I remember going around and around for weeks before picking my first vendor and kava. Went with a sampler pack from GHK.
 
Artofkava

Artofkava

Jacksonville, FL
Kava Vendor
Zaphod said:
Yes! More vendors used to offer sample packs but they seem to have died out the last few years. They are a great way for a new person to try different kavas. I remember going around and around for weeks before picking my first vendor and kava. Went with a sampler pack from GHK.
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Ah thanks so much for the encouragement! Its difficult to guess what customers want and what will actually help find the right stuff. i love sample packs for this so this felt like a no brainer.

If anyone ever has an idea for a product mix, lbs or kg bundle im always open to doing it. Especially if it adds value to ur visit
 
kavakarma

kavakarma

Kava Enthusiast
I like to have 4Tbsp kava in a shell, it is a strong serving and a large portion. Having 2Tbsp is much milder, more gentle and easier to decide if you want to have another shell later on.

Remember that two heaping tablespoons actually equals four tablespoons of root, so four heapers is an 8Tbsp bowl, which should be about 1/8th of a pound. Another thing to try is have a full belly with food before drinking kava and some nice fresh fruit snacks for after. Bula.
 
Jacob Bula

Jacob Bula

Nobody
ColeScar said:
So I recently got some Single Cultivar Loa Leka Taveuni Island from artofkava in and it’s my first time really doing kava. I was recommended to start out at 4 tbsp. So I did, the first 3 times no effect, then the fourth time I felt super heavy in body effects, and also started having pretty bad anxiety / panic.. felt like I couldn’t get a good breath in. I suffer from GAD and was looking at kava for a alternative to Xanax or antidepressants. Feeling pretty disappointed cause I was pretty hype about a natural relief. Any input very welcome. The chemotype is 462531.
Click to expand...
Kava is great for temporary anxiety relief. For round the clock GAD relief, no kava will touch that. If you want something for the sos times though it works great.
 
ColeScar

ColeScar

Kava Curious
kavakarma said:
I like to have 4Tbsp kava in a shell, it is a strong serving and a large portion. Having 2Tbsp is much milder, more gentle and easier to decide if you want to have another shell later on.

Remember that two heaping tablespoons actually equals four tablespoons of root, so four heapers is an 8Tbsp bowl, which should be about 1/8th of a pound. Another thing to try is have a full belly with food before drinking kava and some nice fresh fruit snacks for after. Bula.
Click to expand...
That may be something I need to try out! I have been waiting til right before dinner to drink kava. I also feel like if I take any type of medicine on a empty stomach it never sits right so this may make sense. I just thought you wouldn’t get any effects from a full tummy!
 
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