Best Kava for daytime muscle relaxation?

[kl.Letharia]

I'm really new to Kava, and have started exploring for anxiety, as well as an alternative to alcohol. I was lucky enough to order Vanuatu3 before it sold out again, so that will be my first real Kava.
I'm now wondering what Kavas would be best for muscle pain relief, while not interfering with daily work/school activities. I don't want to fall asleep, though mild sedation might not be a problem.
If there are any women that could chime in, that would be great. (smiley: embarassed) You know what I mean! haha Basically, to ease the muscles during that time.
Thanks everyone! This forum has been wildly helpful to me. /creeper

 

[kl.kraving kava]

I am also fairly new to kava. I would like to let you know that I tried Boroguru from BKH and I definitely felt muscle tension relief after using it especially in my neck, face, and upper back muscles. Unfortunately I cannot offer any insight from a woman's perspective, as I have yet to get a woman to try kava. I am currently 2 shells into Van3, my first experience with KBR, and I must say I am enjoying the effects, but so far does not offer much in the realm of muscle relaxation/muscle pain relief.

 

[kl..]

I get the best muscle relief from kavas that are listed as high DMH, but these also make me the most tired. To be honest, I don't drink kava in work/school settings. I use it to relax in the evenings. I don't usually use it for pain relief, just relaxation, so if you were looking for something to ease menstrual pain I couldn't tell you. I'm also pretty careful about mixing it with painkillers since I'm not an expert on liver metabolism, I just feel safer keeping tylonel and kava pretty widely spaced. I like Boroguru, like kraving kava said, it's a great price and it works well. (I'm drinking it right now!). I've tried Chief's Jungle and I liked it, but it cost twice as much as Boroguru and that didn't really play out for me. I've heard really positive things about WOW and Stone from N@H, but haven't tried them. I think if you look for something that advertises high DMH you'll be on the track you're looking for.



I love Van3, but it's considered high in kavain and very low in DMH. It's great for my anxiety, though, and really lifts my mood.

 

[kl.Letharia]

Thanks for your input... I kinda figured high DMH was the only way to go. I guess there's nothing wrong with plain old Aleve. How far apart do you space painkillers and Kava? 
I'm guess I'm just used to trying not to drink alcohol on the same days, then many days I would end up drinking and not using a painkiller. (smiley: ohwell) I figured if I liked Kava enough, it would turn into the same thing, but it's quite possible I can just not always be drinking something! Just have to get out of the alcohol mindset. I've already cut back considerably, and don't plan to be drinking it alongside Kava. Hopefully it'll ease the transition.
I will first try Van3, then another one with higher DMH to decide if Kava is right for me. I wasn't very interested in the sedating effects at first, but it's starting to intrigue me more as a sleep aid.

 

[kavalover]

If you find (like me and many others do) that you don't like the primarily sedating kavas that are higher in DHM, then an easy way to fix that problem is to mix a DHM variety with a higher kavain variety. This combination tends to be the "best of both worlds" for me in terms of anxiety relief and muscle aches from work. You might even find this combination to be similar to alcohol as I do. Just a suggestion. I do hope you find what you're looking for.

 

[kl.Letharia]

I will definitely give that combo a try when I get the chance. If Van3 goes well, I might order Fiji + Tongan next time. Would this be a nice combo to mix, or would you recommend something else? I like Rex's prices... for a beginner, anyway.



Thanks everyone so much! My Van3 shipped today and I feel like my life is suspended until it gets here. haha It might not solve all one's problems, but just easing my anxiety would be a godsend.

 

[kl..]

If I've had a pain killer in the morning, I may still drink kava at night, but I don't drink it any closer than that. I usually don't have kava if I've had painkillers at all that day. I really have no idea if this is an appropriate spacing, however. I just don't know enough about how kava interacts with these drugs. There maybe someone else on here that understands the mechanisms better than I do.



I like Fiji Waka as a stand alone because it doesn't have such a sedating effect on me, but it's not as much of an energetic kava as tongan pride. It's probably my favorite kava right now, so I'd definitely recommend you try it. For me tongan pride is a great mood lifter and also gives me energy. (I painted my bathroom one evening after drinking some tongan pride. Great for cheerfully approaching unpleasant household chores. Other people who have more active social lives also recommend it for parties.) I mix Van3 with boroguru when I need sleep, but also a mood lifting effect. (Boroguru is from Bula Kava and it's very comparable to KBR in price. Those are basically the only two places I order from with any regularity because of cost.) The only other thing I can think of is to let you know that the first few times you drink kava you may not get the full experience. Kudos for looking for an alcohol substitute. Kava works that way for a lot of people. I hope you'll let us know how you like it.

 

[kl.Letharia]

Thanks a lot for the overview. I'm definitely looking forward to any mood-lifting effects Kava might provide. I also have chronic fatigue, so accomplishing serious chores rarely ever happens... I'll keep Bula Kava in mind as well. I'll try to refrain from making a shopping list until after I actually try Van3 though. haha I'll definitely share how it goes! I'm trying to finish up my Yogi Kava tea, even if I suspect it'll have a minute effect on tolerance... I'm kind of a lightweight though, so I hope that's not much of an issue.

 

[kl.Gray Owl]

As for pain killers, I wouldn't mix kava with Tylenol (Acetominophen) which puts a heavy load on the liver. I wouldn't mix it with opioids or other stronger pain killers. With OTC NSAIDs, like Advil / Motrin (Ibuprofen) or Aleve (Naproxen Sodium) as long as you don't have problems with bleeding or bruising, I don't see why it should be a problem. When my joints are really bad or I feel stiffer than usual, I've been taking a little bit of the Paradise Kava CO2 extract sublingual.

 

[kl.Letharia]

Thanks for the tip. I probably wont be mixing them anyway, but if I do I wont worry so much.



Finally got to try Van3 today. I knew it was coming, so I didn't eat prior. I know most consume Kava in the evening, but with alcohol I'm more of an all-hours/anything goes drinker, so I didn't hold back. I mixed 1 tablespoon per 8oz tepid water, kneading and squeezing for about 5 minutes or so in a sheer stocking. The color was a pleasant light nutty color. The taste was good! I've consumed some pretty questionable spirits on a regular basis, and didn't know what to expect with Kava. There is simply no comparison there. haha It's nice and earthy. I went slightly numb, but I guess it was a mild mixture so not much to say there.



I guess my first psychological effect was slight confusion, kind of like with alcohol. Though, having chronic fatigue and not eating all day might have more to do with that. I didn't feel too much after that though, so I made another tablespoon per 8oz again. After 45 minutes I'd consumed it all, and laid out in the backyard sunbathing. For a while I got pretty bored though... I'm used to spending 24/7 in my head chatting away, and it went quiet for a while, leaving me with the calm setting to look at. I'm not a very outward focused person so that was hard, but I'd like to explore it more. The euphoria never really set it... I expect since it was my first time, the effects would be more subtle. The more pronounced thing was me being not quite sure what to do next... Even as writing this I feel slightly unable to gather my thoughts. It's like they're in a black hole or something. haha



So that was my first Kava experience. I'd like to keep trying it and see where it goes. For now I feel pretty good, but can't stop analyzing this new experience, so that dampens the enjoyment slightly. Just gonna try to get on with my day.
Edit: Had another tablespoon... Feeling pretty good now, but still unfocused. Maybe I'm just kind of a bored and restless person... But I'm not relaxed enough just to lie out in the sun and enjoy it. Gonna lay off it for today, and continue tolerance-building tomorrow!

 

[kl.new2kava]

I'd say boroguro fro BKH is a great muscle relaxer due to the high DHM but is relatively palletable and doesn't bomb out the stomach. I really liked tudei from KBR but they've been out of stock for like ever and that stuff does taste like death and totally kills my stomach, but is pretty much the fire. I actually just ordered up a kilo of boroguro with 100 gms of instant green with a new strainer bag as my last one got ripped trying to strain the impossible to strain van3, I broke down and got a coconut cup to. It just couldn't shake the feeling of herbishness that came with drinking kava from stainless steel coffee cup, I really don't think the South Pacificers would really approve of that.

 

[kl.Letharia]

Could Boroguru be a bit much for a beginner? I just don't really know what to expect with DHM yet. I might just get a half pound of Boroguru for now. I'll most likely also get Borogu and Fu'u from BKH, then Tongan Pride and Fiji Waka from KBR.



I read elsewhere someone say that Van3 gave them an almost stoned-like feeling, which I experienced too...and don't particularly like. I'm gonna spend the whole weekend exploring it though and see what elements I do like, before placing any more orders. I'm pretty happy though. While I didn't get anything comparable to alcohol, I didn't get a horribly depressive crash, or other negative effects, like alcohol gives me... It's more temperate all the way through. Really glad to have given this a go so far!

 

[kl.new2kava]

Could Boroguru be a bit much for a beginner? I just don't really know what to expect with DHM yet. I might just get a half pound of Boroguru for now. I'll most likely also get Borogu and Fu'u from BKH, then Tongan Pride and Fiji Waka from KBR.



I read elsewhere someone say that Van3 gave them an almost stoned-like feeling, which I experienced too...and don't particularly like. I'm gonna spend the whole weekend exploring it though and see what elements I do like, before placing any more orders. I'm pretty happy though. While I didn't get anything comparable to alcohol, I didn't get a horribly depressive crash, or other negative effects, like alcohol gives me... It's more temperate all the way through. Really glad to have given this a go so far!

Really the only kava that I think may be tough on a newbie would be KBR tudei and that was the 3rd kava I ever bought and I was good with it. DHM is more of a body load effect with a pronounced effect of sedation, much more of a baseline kava effect. I'd reccomend that a beginner try several strains with varient kavalactone levels to find which kavalactones appeal to them, I did such and found that I love DHM but alot of people prefer kavain and so on. I think boroguro is a good choice for anyone.

 

[Kojo Douglas]

There are definitely some kavas out there that I would not suggest to a newbie. I have never tried Boroguru, but I would hesitate to give Chief's Jungle, Stone, or Wow! to a newbie. Any kind of Tudei for a newbie would be a poor choice. I always initiate people with Fijian or Tongan Kavas, but now that I have tried White Sand a few times I think that might also be a good candidate for a newbie. The ultimate "light yet strong" Kava remains Malekula Magic in my book. I think VKS added Coconut flavor to Malekula to make their new Coconut Kava.

 

[kl.Letharia]

Thanks everyone... I don't know what I'd do without all this info. I guess I'll just try a bunch of different kinds and see where it goes.



Another newb question: Today I had 6 tbls in 24oz over the span of about an hour and a half... It was nice for a good while, felt pretty calm, but felt no euphoria or particularly good feelings. I also noticed it didn't help my social anxiety hardly at all. I wonder if Kava will ever do that for me... Anyway, what should my dosage be in the beginning? Just enough to feel it, or should I take it easy? I also don't know if I should just make a more potent drink...?

 

[Ed!]

I'm still fairly new at this myself, but I ended up going more potent than what most people here do. I think ultimately it's always going to be a personal exploration that everyone has to do. I say go ahead and try stronger.



I will also say that after a couple months of this that either my reverse tolerance is kicking in or I've gotten heavy-handed enough with my mixing that it does it for me. I still have some of the kava that I first tried (and did almost nothing)... I wonder how it would go if I tried it now.

 

[Kojo Douglas]

Reverse tolerance is an entry barrier for any kava drinker. That's why I doubt Troost's description of his first kava experience in "getting stoned with savages."

 

[kl.Letharia]

I figure it might take a while... Today I mixed 3tbls with 1 cup water... Definitely hit me harder. I was feeling a bit light headed earlier, and when I came up the stairs I had an anxiety attack or something of the sort, with pronounced derealization. The Kava might had aided in that, but also helped me calm myself down from it so it didn't last long.



Mostly, I just find myself seeking out calm settings where nothing will annoy me, when normally I can just go with the flow (even if I'm anxious internally.) Anything that tries to snap me out of my zone tends to annoy me with Kava. Texting people is a pain and I get frustrated half-way through trying to form a sentence. Otherwise time slows down, or I slow down, and I'm quite accepting of it. Still waiting for good feelings... maybe I need to cultivate that myself...? Not really sure what to do there.
Just ordered Fu'u, Borogu, Tongan Pride and Fiji Waka. ahh, guess after those I might know more of this plant. I'm not sure what Van3 is doing for me except make me feel slightly stoned at times and a little cranky.

 

[Paradise Kava]

Letharia, There is another method to use kava for muscle relaxation by applying it topically. We have been working on a product for several years which works wonders in this area. It's nearly there and we try not to rush product release. (Our extract took over 4 years to perfect before we ever had it for sale)

Please email us in a few weeks to see if we have any samples of our Weary Warrior Kava Muscle Salve to send you.

 

[kl.Letharia]

Wow that would be pretty cool. I do avoid using painkillers when possible, so any alternative would intrigue me. Thanks for the heads up!