First Kava experience...Pro's and con's advice!?

[J.Fox]

Hi all

I've recently tried Kava for the first time. I must say I was pleasantly surprised at the effects and how strong it actually is! I enjoyed, what I'd describe as a warm body buzz and uplifting feeling it gave me. I have been drinking vanuatu instant kava. I was also surprised as I found it very relaxing (mainly body) yet actually quite stimulating at the same time!

The only problem was that I was also experiencing very mild anxiety, even thought my muscles felt very warm and relaxed. This was mainly in-between doses and was accompanied by a sort of restless/agitated sort of feeling of the mind. Like I said this was mainly in-between doses once I had started drinking but I have found it has slightly carried through into today as well, I can still feel that lingering feeling in my body (I was drinking last night and the night before).

I am wandering why this may have happened? as after reading I would have thought kava would done quite the opposite and made me more calm! I used 1 tea spoon of the instant kava per drink and had around 5 drinks through out the evening on both nights. Would this be considered too much for a new comer to kava? Or would the problem maybe because my body isn't used to it yet? Would I be better trying a different strain? Is kava maybe just not for me?

If anyone can help me out and give me some advice that would be great!

Many thanks.

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

Paradoxical reactions happen sometimes. I've had edgy, anxious feelings a few times from kava. It usually seems to be when I drink a strong dose of a new strain that I'm not used to. High kavain kavas may be more likely to cause it.

If you always get that feeling then your biochemistry doesn't vibe well with kava or you're taking another medication that kava is interacting with.

 

[August West]

a large quick dose of high kavain kavas that are considered daytime kavas give me the feeling I believe you're talking about every single time. I get a paradoxical relaxed/energized feeling kinda like I want to curl up and stretch out at the same time. It always subsides quickly, and then I am relaxed. Read some reviews of the vendors' kavas on this forum. If instant or micronized kava is the route you wanna go, gourmet hawaiian center has a sampler pack with three varieties that does a great job at defining all ends of the kava spectrum. Whilei haven't sampled the nene yet, I can only attest for the mo'i and mahakea, they are both phenomenal varieties.

 

[J.Fox]

a large quick dose of high kavain kavas that are considered daytime kavas give me the feeling I believe you're talking about every single time. I get a paradoxical relaxed/energized feeling kinda like I want to curl up and stretch out at the same time. It always subsides quickly, and then I am relaxed. Read some reviews of the vendors' kavas on this forum. If instant or micronized kava is the route you wanna go, gourmet hawaiian center has a sampler pack with three varieties that does a great job at defining all ends of the kava spectrum. Whilei haven't sampled the nene yet, I can only attest for the mo'i and mahakea, they are both phenomenal varieties.

Thank you very much, funnily enough I was looking at those two along with another one earlier. I am not going to give up until I have sampled some different strains

 

[Steve Mariotti]

I've gotten that too, @J.Fox. More when I first started drinking than now. I remember feeling simultaneous uplifting mood AND irritation at the same time. It usually started about 40 minutes into a kava session (two shells' worth for me) but then was gone by 60 minutes every time. Now I don't remember the last time I've felt that. I haven't found a correlation with any particular kind so I'm just assuming that it was part of my adjustment period to the effects.

Yangonin (dunno about Desmethylyangonin, the double bonded version) is anxiogenic, so it's possible that high yangonin kava could do that. Something with a chemotype with the 3 in a prominent place.

I'd be curious to know if that still happens each session and whether you find it cultivar/variety related or something else.

 

[J.Fox]

I've gotten that too, @J.Fox. More when I first started drinking than now. I remember feeling simultaneous uplifting mood AND irritation at the same time. It usually started about 40 minutes into a kava session (two shells' worth for me) but then was gone by 60 minutes every time. Now I don't remember the last time I've felt that. I haven't found a correlation with any particular kind so I'm just assuming that it was part of my adjustment period to the effects.

Yangonin (dunno about Desmethylyangonin, the double bonded version) is anxiogenic, so it's possible that high yangonin kava could do that. Something with a chemotype with the 3 in a prominent place.

I'd be curious to know if that still happens each session and whether you find it cultivar/variety related or something else.

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the info and reply I appreciate that. I did Kava for the third time yesterday night. This time I was taking it over the period of around 10 hours continuously (the same batch) I used it in the afternoon and then through onto a night out to great effects - to say the least. believe it or not I didn't have the same problems this time. I can only report on what happened and I have no idea why. I did get a very slight edgy feeling but when I kept taking more it totally went away.

The only thing I did differently this time was I didn't put as much kava powder in each drink. I put around a third of the powder I did for the other times into each cup. I ended up having 3 times as many 'drinks' this time but it was more spread out. Again, like last time I got a great body relaxation with a very 'upper' feeling with loads of energy, it was fantastic. I just can't believe you don't get the rebound you get in the morning with other substances. For the effects being as pronounced as they are (at least for me) it's unheard of and quite confusing lol.

Needless to say I can feel a hangover of some sorts again this time, but it isn't as bad as the last one and it's just some what of a groggy feeling - with a tiny bit of edginess. But compared to some of the alcohol hangovers I've endured in the past this is pure luxury, absolutely nothing to complain about.

I can only see what happens next time now but I've got a feeling maybe things will continue to get better and better the more my body gets used to kava. Maybe it's circumstantial depending on certain aspects on your physical and mental well-being on the given day you take it. If it continues like yesterday though I'l be extremely happy.

 

[Sesar Diaz]

Hi all

I've recently tried Kava for the first time. I must say I was pleasantly surprised at the effects and how strong it actually is! I enjoyed, what I'd describe as a warm body buzz and uplifting feeling it gave me. I have been drinking vanuatu instant kava. I was also surprised as I found it very relaxing (mainly body) yet actually quite stimulating at the same time!

The only problem was that I was also experiencing very mild anxiety, even thought my muscles felt very warm and relaxed. This was mainly in-between doses and was accompanied by a sort of restless/agitated sort of feeling of the mind. Like I said this was mainly in-between doses once I had started drinking but I have found it has slightly carried through into today as well, I can still feel that lingering feeling in my body (I was drinking last night and the night before).

I am wandering why this may have happened? as after reading I would have thought kava would done quite the opposite and made me more calm! I used 1 tea spoon of the instant kava per drink and had around 5 drinks through out the evening on both nights. Would this be considered too much for a new comer to kava? Or would the problem maybe because my body isn't used to it yet? Would I be better trying a different strain? Is kava maybe just not for me?

If anyone can help me out and give me some advice that would be great!

Many thanks.

I had the same anxious feeling. What I have done for them anxious feeling between my cups of kava is to eat slices of apples so my stomach wouldn't be so empty. I have noticed that the kava really gets me hard is when my stomach is empty. But you are in a right dose for this not to occur. Maybe it might be the kava strain you got.

I use Paradise Kava Number 7. That really works for me. Get it on Paradisekava.com.

Hope it works with you.