GenieOfTheLamp
Kava Curious
Bear with me if you will.
Lately, the effects of kava on my brain/body have shifted in interesting ways. Where I used to get nauseous if I pushed it too far, I now almost never do. Definitely not to the point of puking, which wasn't a super uncommon occurrence before. This new lack of a built-in check on my intake has meant that I often find myself with other unpleasant effects at the end of a session. Namely increased heartrate and a general wound-up feelin' (sometimes anxiety, sometimes just a feeling of physical over-stimulation). This can, especially with certain strains, affect my ability to fall/stay asleep. Even with a few-hour buffer. I really wonder why my stomach all of sudden became impervious, and am actually bummed at the change. I find myself keeping the shells coming because, well, I really enjoy the lucid variety of intoxication kava gives me- until I don't. I've also found that I have more trouble hydrating lately (which certainly doesn't help the physiological effects). And that's even if I add electrolytes to my water and don't drink too many shells- hydration has just become an uphill battle where it wasn't particularly before. My prep is the same, in fact I tend to do a lower root-to-water ratio than seems standard. Taking a few days off will certainly be my first action on all this, but I'm curious if anyone else can relate at all to these changes or has any thoughts on them.
A few related questions- any strain recommendations on the non-excitatory side ? My selection has been more-or-less the same as always through the aforementioned changes. "Balanced" nobles. But I'll start erring on the heavier side. And maybe lower kavain content ? Any thoughts on specific chemotypes ?
Thank you very much for any insight !
Lately, the effects of kava on my brain/body have shifted in interesting ways. Where I used to get nauseous if I pushed it too far, I now almost never do. Definitely not to the point of puking, which wasn't a super uncommon occurrence before. This new lack of a built-in check on my intake has meant that I often find myself with other unpleasant effects at the end of a session. Namely increased heartrate and a general wound-up feelin' (sometimes anxiety, sometimes just a feeling of physical over-stimulation). This can, especially with certain strains, affect my ability to fall/stay asleep. Even with a few-hour buffer. I really wonder why my stomach all of sudden became impervious, and am actually bummed at the change. I find myself keeping the shells coming because, well, I really enjoy the lucid variety of intoxication kava gives me- until I don't. I've also found that I have more trouble hydrating lately (which certainly doesn't help the physiological effects). And that's even if I add electrolytes to my water and don't drink too many shells- hydration has just become an uphill battle where it wasn't particularly before. My prep is the same, in fact I tend to do a lower root-to-water ratio than seems standard. Taking a few days off will certainly be my first action on all this, but I'm curious if anyone else can relate at all to these changes or has any thoughts on them.
A few related questions- any strain recommendations on the non-excitatory side ? My selection has been more-or-less the same as always through the aforementioned changes. "Balanced" nobles. But I'll start erring on the heavier side. And maybe lower kavain content ? Any thoughts on specific chemotypes ?
Thank you very much for any insight !