I've been buying from GKE for some time now and it seems that since they have relocated to the UK that they can no longer discuss drinking Kava, Kava effects or Kava preparation. It's a real pain not to be able to discuss these things with the vendor. I understand from GKEs side of things that they have to remain within the boundaries of the law but it really does make things difficult. I think this section is where a lot of people come to look for information after they buy or when considering buying from GKE so I thought I would add as much helpful information here as I can. For legal reasons I must stress that I do not represent Global Kava Exports, also known as Kava Europe. I think that people who buy from GKE want to know what to do with the Kava, I hope this helps.
Here we cover dosage, effects
Kava Dosages:
Kava dosages differ from person to person. People use Kava for a broad range of reasons and this means that it's quite hard to pin down an exact dosage. Different varieties of Kava with differing strengths and qualities also makes it a difficult job but we can use our own personal experiences and those of our customers to give some approximate dosages and to help people figure out what amount of Kava might suit them best.40gms is the most common dosage when it comes to using Kava root powder. You need to also factor in how much water you use to strain the Kava also. You can strain 40gms in 100ml of water and get a small glass of very potent Kava or you can use 500ml of water and end up with 4 glasses of less potent Kava but are then able to pace yourself and if you drink the glasses with at least a 20 minute interval between them you might find that you only need two glasses or that you need all 4 and then you can decide how much water to use next time around when preparing your Kava. Remember not to throw away the strained Kava and put in the fridge, it will still be good for some time and it nearly always has more Kavalactones inside so you can reuse it next time around to make the most of your Kava.
If you are using Quick Kava Powder then you need to use a lot less per dose. Just 6gms is plenty when mixed with one glass of water. If you find this is too little or too much for you then you can work your way down or up on your next try.
Don't forget about reverse tolerance if this is your first time trying Kava.Reverse tolerance is defined by the Kava community as the "break in" period where the new Kava consumer may not feel any effects at all from Kava. It is theorized that for some people a certain level of Kavalactone buildup in the body must be present before one begins to feel the full effects from Kava. The range of time it may take to overcome the reverse tolerance ranges per individual, from weeks to up to a month and a half. Some individuals feel the effects immediately.
Reverse tolerance also applies to the principal that the more often you drink Kava, the less Kava you need to achieve your desired level of therapeutic effects. Kavalactones build up in the body, and the more frequently you replenish them, the more effect you will receive off of your given amount.Remember to always drink Kava on an empty stomach. If you have sensitive digestion try to eat a light meal a few hours before hand so that you don't feel unwell but your stomach is still not full. Simply put, the more empty your stomach is the stronger the effect of the Kava is. It's also nice to eat a light meal half an hour or an hour after drinking your Kava,you probably won't feel hungry but eating after Kava can increase the potency and can also help settle your stomach if it feels a little uncomfortable after the Kava.
Kava Effects:
Mental and physical relaxation are the main effects of Kava but it does so much more than that also. Relief from Insomnia and the increase of sleep quality is also a well proven effect of drinking Kava. It's know to help lift depression, to treat general anxiety, elevated anxiety, social phobia, specific phobias and is also used to help reduce symptoms in perimenopausal women. New studies also suggest that Kava reduces the risk of colon cancer so new benefits are being discovered all the time.
Weight loss can also be achieved using Kava as a mild appetite suppressant. Drinking Kava takes away hunger pangs and masks the urge to eat and helps those wishing to skip unnecessary meals to do so and therefore lose unwanted weight.
Alcohol dependency can also be reduced by replacing alcohol with Kava. Kava does not get you drunk but can give some of the effects that alcohol drinkers desire. Most people drink to wind down after a stressful day at work or after looking after children all day. Alcohol does help you relax at first but after a while it starts to create the very problems you may have been trying to get away from as it is a depressant and can lead to anxiety and even more stress not to mention the negative results of drinking to excess such as violence and publicly embarrassing yourself. Alcohol is also often not consumed to get drunk at all but simply so as not to feel normal, a lot of drinkers don't realise this but it is simply a form of escapism, a way to avoid reality. Kava can help you with this feeling of escapism by relaxing the mind and soothing the body without the dangers of becoming dependent on alcohol and without the other problems that go with it like that horrible hangover the next day.
Addiction to prescription medications like Benzodiazepines can also be helped by using Kava instead. The closest known drug that we can compare Kava to is Valium and other members of the benzodiazepine family. These drugs are highly addictive and you can easily gain a high tolerance of their effects pushing you to take more and more just to feel okay. Kava easily takes the place of benzodiazepines and with Kavas reverse tolerance you can never get to the stage where you need more and more to feel the effects, in fact the opposite will happen, you will need less and less Kava over time.
Kava can take up to 20 minutes to take effect after you drink it and for 3 to 8 hours these effects can be very strong but there is also a longer lasting effect which can go on for days afterwards and this lasting effect is less intense. It is an underlying sense of calm, mental clarity and patience which for many people is just what their lives are missing.
Kava Side Effects:
There is really only one significant side effect to Kava and that is Dermopathy. Dermopathy is a skin condition which is entirely reversible, it is basically dry and/or scaly skin which may itch. This condition only occurs after prolonged use and does not affect every Kava user. It is simply treated by using moisturizing lotion.Note that the more you strain your Kava the less likely you are to find yourself with dry skin as their will be less sediment in your Kava.
Some people may feel sick after drinking Kava, remember that Kava is a pepper plant and those with a weak stomach may feel ill for a while or if the user has eaten certain foods the Kava may react with this.
Getting High On Kava:
Kava is not a legal high. It is nothing like the type of product you might find in your local headshop or the type of product you see for sale online from chemical research websites and the like. It's not a stimulant, a hallucinogen, a dissociative or an opioid and won't give you a high like any of these types of substances.Kava calms the mind, relaxes the body, relieves pain and also helps with insomnia. Some other substances can claim to give similar effects but they are more often than not addictive and have long term negative cognitive effects such as memory creation impairment and so on. While Kava calms and relaxes it does not mentally impair the user so when you drink Kava you are in full control of your mind and although your body will also feel relaxed you will not be 'high', 'stoned' or drunk.
Kava really is a wonderful plant with almost magical powers and the effects are enjoyable, this much is for sure, but it cannot be compared to 'getting high' in the usual sense of the term.
Here we cover dosage, effects
Kava Dosages:
Kava dosages differ from person to person. People use Kava for a broad range of reasons and this means that it's quite hard to pin down an exact dosage. Different varieties of Kava with differing strengths and qualities also makes it a difficult job but we can use our own personal experiences and those of our customers to give some approximate dosages and to help people figure out what amount of Kava might suit them best.40gms is the most common dosage when it comes to using Kava root powder. You need to also factor in how much water you use to strain the Kava also. You can strain 40gms in 100ml of water and get a small glass of very potent Kava or you can use 500ml of water and end up with 4 glasses of less potent Kava but are then able to pace yourself and if you drink the glasses with at least a 20 minute interval between them you might find that you only need two glasses or that you need all 4 and then you can decide how much water to use next time around when preparing your Kava. Remember not to throw away the strained Kava and put in the fridge, it will still be good for some time and it nearly always has more Kavalactones inside so you can reuse it next time around to make the most of your Kava.
If you are using Quick Kava Powder then you need to use a lot less per dose. Just 6gms is plenty when mixed with one glass of water. If you find this is too little or too much for you then you can work your way down or up on your next try.
Don't forget about reverse tolerance if this is your first time trying Kava.Reverse tolerance is defined by the Kava community as the "break in" period where the new Kava consumer may not feel any effects at all from Kava. It is theorized that for some people a certain level of Kavalactone buildup in the body must be present before one begins to feel the full effects from Kava. The range of time it may take to overcome the reverse tolerance ranges per individual, from weeks to up to a month and a half. Some individuals feel the effects immediately.
Reverse tolerance also applies to the principal that the more often you drink Kava, the less Kava you need to achieve your desired level of therapeutic effects. Kavalactones build up in the body, and the more frequently you replenish them, the more effect you will receive off of your given amount.Remember to always drink Kava on an empty stomach. If you have sensitive digestion try to eat a light meal a few hours before hand so that you don't feel unwell but your stomach is still not full. Simply put, the more empty your stomach is the stronger the effect of the Kava is. It's also nice to eat a light meal half an hour or an hour after drinking your Kava,you probably won't feel hungry but eating after Kava can increase the potency and can also help settle your stomach if it feels a little uncomfortable after the Kava.
Kava Effects:
Mental and physical relaxation are the main effects of Kava but it does so much more than that also. Relief from Insomnia and the increase of sleep quality is also a well proven effect of drinking Kava. It's know to help lift depression, to treat general anxiety, elevated anxiety, social phobia, specific phobias and is also used to help reduce symptoms in perimenopausal women. New studies also suggest that Kava reduces the risk of colon cancer so new benefits are being discovered all the time.
Weight loss can also be achieved using Kava as a mild appetite suppressant. Drinking Kava takes away hunger pangs and masks the urge to eat and helps those wishing to skip unnecessary meals to do so and therefore lose unwanted weight.
Alcohol dependency can also be reduced by replacing alcohol with Kava. Kava does not get you drunk but can give some of the effects that alcohol drinkers desire. Most people drink to wind down after a stressful day at work or after looking after children all day. Alcohol does help you relax at first but after a while it starts to create the very problems you may have been trying to get away from as it is a depressant and can lead to anxiety and even more stress not to mention the negative results of drinking to excess such as violence and publicly embarrassing yourself. Alcohol is also often not consumed to get drunk at all but simply so as not to feel normal, a lot of drinkers don't realise this but it is simply a form of escapism, a way to avoid reality. Kava can help you with this feeling of escapism by relaxing the mind and soothing the body without the dangers of becoming dependent on alcohol and without the other problems that go with it like that horrible hangover the next day.
Addiction to prescription medications like Benzodiazepines can also be helped by using Kava instead. The closest known drug that we can compare Kava to is Valium and other members of the benzodiazepine family. These drugs are highly addictive and you can easily gain a high tolerance of their effects pushing you to take more and more just to feel okay. Kava easily takes the place of benzodiazepines and with Kavas reverse tolerance you can never get to the stage where you need more and more to feel the effects, in fact the opposite will happen, you will need less and less Kava over time.
Kava can take up to 20 minutes to take effect after you drink it and for 3 to 8 hours these effects can be very strong but there is also a longer lasting effect which can go on for days afterwards and this lasting effect is less intense. It is an underlying sense of calm, mental clarity and patience which for many people is just what their lives are missing.
Kava Side Effects:
There is really only one significant side effect to Kava and that is Dermopathy. Dermopathy is a skin condition which is entirely reversible, it is basically dry and/or scaly skin which may itch. This condition only occurs after prolonged use and does not affect every Kava user. It is simply treated by using moisturizing lotion.Note that the more you strain your Kava the less likely you are to find yourself with dry skin as their will be less sediment in your Kava.
Some people may feel sick after drinking Kava, remember that Kava is a pepper plant and those with a weak stomach may feel ill for a while or if the user has eaten certain foods the Kava may react with this.
Getting High On Kava:
Kava is not a legal high. It is nothing like the type of product you might find in your local headshop or the type of product you see for sale online from chemical research websites and the like. It's not a stimulant, a hallucinogen, a dissociative or an opioid and won't give you a high like any of these types of substances.Kava calms the mind, relaxes the body, relieves pain and also helps with insomnia. Some other substances can claim to give similar effects but they are more often than not addictive and have long term negative cognitive effects such as memory creation impairment and so on. While Kava calms and relaxes it does not mentally impair the user so when you drink Kava you are in full control of your mind and although your body will also feel relaxed you will not be 'high', 'stoned' or drunk.
Kava really is a wonderful plant with almost magical powers and the effects are enjoyable, this much is for sure, but it cannot be compared to 'getting high' in the usual sense of the term.
