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Efficacy of aluball?

Shredder

Kava Enthusiast
So I'm trying to get into a daily kava regimen. Ideally I'd like to take bare minimum 2 tablespoons a day. I am trying build up kavalactones in my system long term to help treat a panic disorder while I work on myself with exposure therapy.

I used to do traditional prep but with everything going on in my life I can't spare the 30 minutes everyday of grinding the pulp out and putting the final product in the fridge to chill for hours.

I'd like something quicker without having to resort to micronized. I love micro, but it's not very cost efficient for me.

Hoping to maybe buy 3 Alu balls and put them in the alu shaker once a daily with tablespoon in each ball to see if that works for my needs.

I like drinking kava with almond milk as the base as opposed to water.

Can I still hear the water up slightly on the stove just before boiling or should I just use cold almond milk?

Also, is the aluball a waste of money or is it actually a good tool for me people like me with limited time and money?
 

Jacob Bula

Nobody
If you are only drinking 2 tablespoons a day I think its a good choice. I personally need 4-6tbs to feel much. There is another thread where an electric mixing cup is recommended. That would also be an easy choice with just one more step. You can experiment with hot water vs cold. I find hot extracts more, tastes worse, and is heavier, so it depends on what you are looking for.

Kavafied Website- Aluball Pro

The Aluball Pro comes with an extra ball for free and is made with Eastman Tritan.

Edit: Also, I used to be a social worker, and managed a case where the mother had children who were in truancy court, because her agoraphobia was so bad that she couldn't leave a 1 mile area from her home without having a panic attack, and she wanted her children to stay home and comfort her. After 3 months or so of medication, and exposure therapy, she did MUCH better. She went on a date with her husband for the first time in 15 years and her children never missed another day of school. She still had good days and bad days, but my point is others have definitely beat panic disorder and agoraphobia and with solid effort you WILL get better.
 
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krunkgod

Kava Enthusiast
two aluballs in the aluball pro with 10 - 15g in each one. Hot water.

makes a surprisingly strong brew.

As for the panic disorder, don't feel bad if you have to go the pharmaceutical route. I spent nearly a decade dealing with bad panic,agoraphobia,depersonalization and health anxiety. It wasn't until I got on medication that I am somewhat functional.
 

Shredder

Kava Enthusiast
If you are only drinking 2 tablespoons a day I think its a good choice. I personally need 4-6tbs to feel much. There is another thread where an electric mixing cup is recommended. That would also be an easy choice with just one more step. You can experiment with hot water vs cold. I find hot extracts more, tastes worse, and is heavier, so it depends on what you are looking for.

Kavafied Website- Aluball Pro

The Aluball Pro comes with an extra ball for free and is made with Eastman Tritan.

Edit: Also, I used to be a social worker, and managed a case where the mother had children who were in truancy court, because her agoraphobia was so bad that she couldn't leave a 1 mile area from her home without having a panic attack, and she wanted her children to stay home and comfort her. After 3 months or so of medication, and exposure therapy, she did MUCH better. She went on a date with her husband for the first time in 15 years and her children never missed another day of school. She still had good days and bad days, but my point is others have definitely beat panic disorder and agoraphobia and with solid effort you WILL get better.
I'd love to talk with you more about this.bim really having a rough go at this after a long time... Was hoping kava long term taken daily would help me without having to be addicted to meds.
 

Shredder

Kava Enthusiast
two aluballs in the aluball pro with 10 - 15g in each one. Hot water.

makes a surprisingly strong brew.

As for the panic disorder, don't feel bad if you have to go the pharmaceutical route. I spent nearly a decade dealing with bad panic,agoraphobia,depersonalization and health anxiety. It wasn't until I got on medication that I am somewhat functional.
Yea I have panic disorder with agoraphobia and my life is passing me by. I'm glad you're feeling better. Think I'm gonna try the alu ball. So you're saying if I fill two of the balls up with some hot water (but not boiling) daily that I can get a good buzz?

The reason for me taking kava long term is in trying to o increase gaba in my brain.

There was a short time where I was taking kava every other day and honestly, when I stopped taking it I still felt good. I wanna get back to that point so that I can make some progress with my agoraphobia.

I don't wanna be addicted to meds if I don't have to. What were you if you don't mind me askin?
 

DaManTheyCallB

Kava Curious
Yea I have panic disorder with agoraphobia and my life is passing me by. I'm glad you're feeling better. Think I'm gonna try the alu ball. So you're saying if I fill two of the balls up with some hot water (but not boiling) daily that I can get a good buzz?

The reason for me taking kava long term is in trying to o increase gaba in my brain.

There was a short time where I was taking kava every other day and honestly, when I stopped taking it I still felt good. I wanna get back to that point so that I can make some progress with my agoraphobia.

I don't wanna be addicted to meds if I don't have to. What were you if you don't mind me askin?
I'm in your same situation. I went down the self treatment route and made myself worse. Currently hooked on K@ so that's my big issue now. Ya may look into mulungu I bought an 2:1 extract off a guy that has his own website but also posts in the mulungu subreddit it's definitely good stuff atleast for sleep but brazil prescribes it for anxiety it's from tree bark. Ya may look into the sort of stuff https://www.maps.org is into as well just do plenty of research and they also have trials going on. Sometimes that sort of thing will knock ya outta bad mindsets like or Ayahausca (just do plenty plenty of research and it's not to be taken lightly). Ya may consider getting some lithium orotate off of Amazon just don't mix it with mind expand substanances like mushrooms it can cause bad interactions . The lithium orotate will definitely help anxiety. It's horrible to deal what we deal with honestly a good psycologist may be the good starting route though although I know it's hard to go outta the house I fully understand. Probably left less then 20 times these last yr or two. It's just easier to stay on our comfort zones although it gets very boring. Hollar If ya need to talk I'm on here every now and then and dealing with the hell of agoraphobia like yourself.
 

Jacob Bula

Nobody
Yea I have panic disorder with agoraphobia and my life is passing me by. I'm glad you're feeling better. Think I'm gonna try the alu ball. So you're saying if I fill two of the balls up with some hot water (but not boiling) daily that I can get a good buzz?

The reason for me taking kava long term is in trying to o increase gaba in my brain.

There was a short time where I was taking kava every other day and honestly, when I stopped taking it I still felt good. I wanna get back to that point so that I can make some progress with my agoraphobia.

I don't wanna be addicted to meds if I don't have to. What were you if you don't mind me askin?
The thing about kava is that it won't fix your problems like prescriptions will. It's
I'd love to talk with you more about this.bim really having a rough go at this after a long time... Was hoping kava long term taken daily would help me without having to be addicted to meds.
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-Ram Dass, Be Here Now
 
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Rand McNally

Kava Curious
So I'm trying to get into a daily kava regimen. Ideally I'd like to take bare minimum 2 tablespoons a day. I am trying build up kavalactones in my system long term to help treat a panic disorder while I work on myself with exposure therapy.

I used to do traditional prep but with everything going on in my life I can't spare the 30 minutes everyday of grinding the pulp out and putting the final product in the fridge to chill for hours.

I'd like something quicker without having to resort to micronized. I love micro, but it's not very cost efficient for me.

Hoping to maybe buy 3 Alu balls and put them in the alu shaker once a daily with tablespoon in each ball to see if that works for my needs.

I like drinking kava with almond milk as the base as opposed to water.

Can I still hear the water up slightly on the stove just before boiling or should I just use cold almond milk?

Also, is the aluball a waste of money or is it actually a good tool for me people like me with limited time and money?
I've been wondering about these things as well. Just be aware that they recommend replacement every 2-3 months, and some Amazon reviews state exactly that: that the screen developed holes within 3 months.

The pro seems like the way to go if you were planning on getting 2 balls anyway, 'cause then you get a bonus cup, depending on how you look at it. Pretty sure a cup is mandatory in some sports to protect your two balls, har dee har har...

I don't think you'll have enough room for any decent shaking action in a single cup using 3 balls, so you may need to double fist it as well.

The electric mixing cup that Jacob mentions has a plastic "blade". I believe it's under "Fun fact of the day". The idea is to NOT chop the root and end up with undesirable particles in your beverage, but rather beat it up to free the kavalactones. If you have a blender with a plastic dough blade, it may be worth giving it a whirl, so to speak. (You'll still need to strain though). That's what I'm gonna do with the Ninja dough attachment.
 

Rand McNally

Kava Curious
I'm in your same situation. I went down the self treatment route and made myself worse. Currently hooked on K@ so that's my big issue now. Ya may look into mulungu I bought an 2:1 extract off a guy that has his own website but also posts in the mulungu subreddit it's definitely good stuff atleast for sleep but brazil prescribes it for anxiety it's from tree bark. Ya may look into the sort of stuff https://www.maps.org is into as well just do plenty of research and they also have trials going on. Sometimes that sort of thing will knock ya outta bad mindsets like or Ayahausca (just do plenty plenty of research and it's not to be taken lightly). Ya may consider getting some lithium orotate off of Amazon just don't mix it with mind expand substanances like mushrooms it can cause bad interactions . The lithium orotate will definitely help anxiety. It's horrible to deal what we deal with honestly a good psycologist may be the good starting route though although I know it's hard to go outta the house I fully understand. Probably left less then 20 times these last yr or two. It's just easier to stay on our comfort zones although it gets very boring. Hollar If ya need to talk I'm on here every now and then and dealing with the hell of agoraphobia like yourself.
Take a look at the list I posted under "alternatives to kava for anxiety" or something to that effect. K@ is great for anxiety short term, but ultimately makes it 10x worse as it will induce it when not present in your system. Magnesium glycinate will help with anxiety as well as keep your K@ tolerance lower. Huge doses of regular vitamin C (huge like 15-25 grams) will lessen K@ withdrawals, as will lypsomal vitamin C, which is more easily absorbed. There's a study on the impact of vitamin C and its effectiveness on Heroin withdrawals from like 1993 I believe.
 

JohnMichael

Kava Synchronized
So I'm trying to get into a daily kava regimen. Ideally I'd like to take bare minimum 2 tablespoons a day. I am trying build up kavalactones in my system long term to help treat a panic disorder while I work on myself with exposure therapy.

Hoping to maybe buy 3 Alu balls and put them in the alu shaker once a daily with tablespoon in each ball to see if that works for my needs.

I like drinking kava with almond milk as the base as opposed to water.

Can I still hear the water up slightly on the stove just before boiling or should I just use cold almond milk?

Also, is the aluball a waste of money or is it actually a good tool for me people like me with limited time and money?
Though I'm currently using @Kapmcrunk's new method, I've used the Aluball for years. The "new and improved" one is great because one can shake as hard as you wish without damaging the ball. I use only one ball at a time, with two tbs (but never more than that) in the ball. Regular temp water works great...if you're doing everything else right. The secret is threefold: 1. put just barely less than 2 tbs in the aluball. That allows the water to truly flow over the kava. 2. Use a finer ground medium-grind kava. That sounds strange, but it's important. Several good suppliers produce that finer grind, from Squanch to Kauai Kava (Five Star) to all the great New Zealand Kava Society products to Kavafied. 3. Clean the aluball with very hot water after each use, gently rubbing the mesh dry with a paper towel. If you allow the mesh to get 20% clogged, then the efficiency really drops.

Enjoy!
 

Edward

Aluballin' in the UK
Kava Vendor
@Shredder I recommend the aluball but don't discount just chucking it in a blender and then passing it through a strainer. That's pretty quick and easy.

I don't have experience in all of the things that are troubling you but I know there are a lot of people who have got over a lot of things with regular kava use.
 

Shredder

Kava Enthusiast
@Shredder I recommend the aluball but don't discount just chucking it in a blender and then passing it through a strainer. That's pretty quick and easy.

I don't have experience in all of the things that are troubling you but I know there are a lot of people who have got over a lot of things with regular kava use.
Cool! Do you think I could do the blender trick with cold almond milk or should it at least be warm?
 

Jacob Bula

Nobody
You don't ever need warm liquid, it just makes it a little stronger. I've gone weeks using cold water, and it worked just fine.
 

Shredder

Kava Enthusiast
Though I'm currently using @Kapmcrunk's new method, I've used the Aluball for years. The "new and improved" one is great because one can shake as hard as you wish without damaging the ball. I use only one ball at a time, with two tbs (but never more than that) in the ball. Regular temp water works great...if you're doing everything else right. The secret is threefold: 1. put just barely less than 2 tbs in the aluball. That allows the water to truly flow over the kava. 2. Use a finer ground medium-grind kava. That sounds strange, but it's important. Several good suppliers produce that finer grind, from Squanch to Kauai Kava (Five Star) to all the great New Zealand Kava Society products to Kavafied. 3. Clean the aluball with very hot water after each use, gently rubbing the mesh dry with a paper towel. If you allow the mesh to get 20% clogged, then the efficiency really drops.

Enjoy!
Thanks! Where can I find some of the kavas that you recommend? Any on amazon? I wanna start my new regimen quickly.
 

kava_chief

Kava Curious
Maybe there's a trick to it, but the blender thing always took me ages to filter all the kava remnants out. I'd have to keep unplugging my strainer. Blender makes really strong kava, and the alu ball is good if you are impatient and can't just sit and knead but don't want to deal with the blender. Alu ball is probably half-strength vs traditional kneading and blender is like 1.25-1.5 times the strength of kneading. Personally I like kneading the most if my attention span can support it that day, because you can make as much as you have a bowl for, and it's relatively easy to setup and then clean afterwards.
 

AlexisReal

Kava Enthusiast
Maybe there's a trick to it, but the blender thing always took me ages to filter all the kava remnants out. I'd have to keep unplugging my strainer. Blender makes really strong kava, and the alu ball is good if you are impatient and can't just sit and knead but don't want to deal with the blender. Alu ball is probably half-strength vs traditional kneading and blender is like 1.25-1.5 times the strength of kneading. Personally I like kneading the most if my attention span can support it that day, because you can make as much as you have a bowl for, and it's relatively easy to setup and then clean afterwards.
This really matches my own feelings and experiences. Except I have never actually done traditional prep.

Just blender, Aluballs, and shaking a tied bag inside a jar.

But the potency of the blended kava, and I use slightly above lukewarm water, is way above Aluballs. Much fuller bodied, pleasurable, deeply and lastingly relaxing.

But I do have gripe with how hard it is strangely to strain the liquid through the strainer.

Currently Im first straining through a porous nutmilkbag, then tipping the strained kava through the strainer bag, to skim off the sediment I want to avoid.

It's much easier to get the liquid to pass through the proper strainer, 2nd time round, this way, and it catches a significant extra amount of sediment.

If the blender was as easy as the Aluball, I would use it exclusively.
 

Edward

Aluballin' in the UK
Kava Vendor
Cool! Do you think I could do the blender trick with cold almond milk or should it at least be warm?
You can use anything you like. Very hot liquid isn't good as it tends to explode. I prefer cold water with cow's milk added as warmer liquid affects the taste.
 

AlexisReal

Kava Enthusiast
You can use anything you like. Very hot liquid isn't good as it tends to explode. I prefer cold water with cow's milk added as warmer liquid affects the taste.
The problem Im finding lately, with pretty warm water- damn well keeps burning my hands when straining lol!
 

JohnMichael

Kava Synchronized
Thanks! Where can I find some of the kavas that you recommend? Any on amazon? I wanna start my new regimen quickly.
Of those I mentioned, only Kavafied kava is available on Amazon. So, you could have their Supreme or Bati or whatever by tomorrow. But, it is worth the wait to also order some of the others.
 

swillis

Kava Curious
me and my partner have been using the aluball pro almost daily for about 2 years now. we use room temp water and 2 balls with about 2 tablespoons each ball. weve ruined 3 balls in the time frame, due to screen holes. we usually fill the shaker twice in a day for our needs. sometimes we do a third shaker if i really push my body on the farm. we use medium grind from GHK and our set up works perfectly for us, we usually split the shaker into 4 servings. we can have kava in less than 5 minutes every time.
weve been doing a 'second wash' in every batch. we make a normal brew, drink it, leaving the balls in we add more water and shake it up again. then add new kava to the balls and shake it up for the next brew. and then serve.
the shaker can handle 3 balls as well. but we usually prefer the second wash as it gives us a bit more liquid to consume for the two of us.
 
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