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First Kava Experience and Some Questions

T

Tesseract

Newbie
Hi everybody,

I just got my first order of kava root powder (BKH boroguru) in and tried it earlier today. The effects were far more pronounced than I expected and feel that I may have taken too much (even though it was a fairly low amount compared to a lot of recommendations.) I am a fairly light person at ~120lbs so that might has something to do with it.

To prepare the Kava, I kneaded about 20g (~3 tbsp) in 3 cups of warm water for about 20 minutes and then repeated for a second extraction in about 1.5 cups of hotter water. After cooling for about an hour, I drank about 1 measuring cup initially and a half cup every 15 minutes after for an hour. I didn't feel too much of an effect until the third or fourth serving, after which I, almost immediately after drinking, felt it strongly in my head and body. After about 4 cups, I felt almost lightheaded for a few minutes and my vision seemed to lag behind a bit with a slight difficulty focusing. Additionally (and most concerning), I experienced tachycardia for several hours after taking the final dose (I measured a pulse near 150 at one point). I think it might partially be attributed to nervousness after experiencing unexpectedly strong effects, but I'm not convinced that's the whole reason. Is tachycardia a fairly common side effect people experience? The physical relaxation effects (it almost feels like I spent an hour doing heavy exercise, everything just feels loose and just slightly numb) were very pleasant, but some of the initial effects made me a little nervous and unable to really relax.

I see a lot of potential for kava to help me with anxiety and general relaxation if I can get past some of the immediate effects I experienced. Are these common symptoms to taking a bit too much or is kava maybe just not for me?

I'm going to try again with 12g tomorrow and see how that goes, but has anyone else had a similar experience? Or does it perhaps take a few times to get past some of those effects? (I know reverse tolerance is a thing, but if anything the effects were too strong, not too weak)

Thanks!
 
sɥɐʞɐs

sɥɐʞɐs

Avg. Dosage: 8 Tbsp. (58g)
Review Maestro
That's a fairly small amount kava and very diluted ratio. If you felt strong or worrying effects from it, you may either be a natural born lightweight or you might have some degree of an allergy to kava. (which happens in some people)
On occasion, when I try a new kava, it will hit me crazy hard the 1st night. But every night afterward is much more normal. So there's a chance it might just be an adjustment period.
Another thing to consider, is that we've recently learned that many available kavas are spiked with Tudei kava, to varying degrees. Tudei kava is stronger, harder on your body, and often has more negative side-effects. The kava you drank is among them.
As for tachycardia, some of us recently tested our pulse after drinking kava and found that it goes up about 15-20 beats on kava. 150 bpm is pretty extreme though, you should test your pulse a few times when you feel normal and see what your resting heart rate is for comparison. A snowball effect of anxiety may have contributed to the number, but if not, I'd say you might be allergic...or it's interacting poorly with another medication you might be on.
 
Roaddog

Roaddog

Kava Who?
Yes @Tesseract ,
wellcome.jpg
To the Kava Forums. Glad you found us. It takes a while to get used to kava properly. I would recommend reducing your dose a bit. Kava makes my heart rate rise, also. Although I must say, 150 is high. But If it made you nervous, that may have played a role in it. Wishing you the best on your Kava Journey. Much love. Roaddog....
 
Monkava'd

Monkava'd

A spoonful of sugar makes the Awa' go down.
Welcome @Tesseract ! @shakas and @Deleted User explained it perfectly that a mode of caution should certainly be ascertained to at the moment, because no matter how relevant our advice is to your situation we're not doctors; though a little opinion won't hurt as long as it's not taken as a guideline. (y) It may've been anxiety but i'd regret sending you in that direction of thought if it came to be a reaction of any kind and figuring you're clear to go take a larger dose. :(

Aside from all of that I truly hope it's nothing at all and you get to enjoy the root as we all have. :D Sending you the best of luck @Tesseract .
 
T

Tesseract

Newbie
Thanks for the welcomings and information!

I tried cutting back to 15g of kava root this evening and had a more pleasant experience, though the effects were still quite strong so I think I have a very low tolerance naturally. The tachycardia was all but gone and after an initial hour or so, most of the other effects subsided leaving me feeling generally relaxed and a bit euphoric. I still think 15g might be a bit above my optimal dose, but I definitely enjoyed the effects today.

@Deleted User The tudei vs noble strain is something I've looked into, but I didn't realize BKH's Boroguru was considered tudei. I think I will still finish what I ordered but take some breaks from drinking it here and there as I would hate to waste it. Next time I'll be sure to get a verified noble strain, though.

One other question: Almost right after finishing all the kava I prepared, I ate a big meal and that seemed to cause me a mild but long lasting stomach discomfort. It also seemed to interfere with my sense of hunger a bit. Should you wait a while after drinking kava to eat anything substantial? I did strain the kava well.
 
Prince Philip

Prince Philip

Duke of Edinborogu
The argument I've seen is that it's not the food, but the heat, that helps the kava move from the gut to the brain. One thing I have noticed about food, and this might be a coincidence, is that Piper Nigrum seems to synergize with Piper Mythisticum. In other words, whatever you eat, put lots of pepper on it.
 
Prince Philip

Prince Philip

Duke of Edinborogu
It could be the piperine. Life Extension Foundation adds piperine to some of their products in order to increase potency or absorption. That would make it a fluke of evolution that two plants in the same genus work so well together.
 
HeadHodge

HeadHodge

Bula To Eternity
Prince Philip said:
The argument I've seen is that it's not the food, but the heat, that helps the kava move from the gut to the brain. One thing I have noticed about food, and this might be a coincidence, is that Piper Nigrum seems to synergize with Piper Mythisticum. In other words, whatever you eat, put lots of pepper on it.
Click to expand...
What do you think about spicy foods (like tai)?? They have peppers that can bore a new hole in you.
 
The Kap'n

The Kap'n

The Groggy Kaptain (40g)
KavaForums Founder
I really think he's on to something with the black pepper. The vasodilation effects could easily cause the quicker and more complete absorption of kavalactones. Who's hungry? Consequently and thirsty?
 
Prince Philip

Prince Philip

Duke of Edinborogu
One thing I've done with hamburgers... kava as a spice. You might want to try sprinkling some on your Thai, mixing it into a salad dressing, or otherwise just using it as a flavoring agent. The best flavor I've tasted, in terms of ground-up roots as a spice, is the ISA from Kava By Rex.
 
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