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Has anyone bought kava extracts off aliexpress?

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hoopie55

Newbie
A simple search on ali express yields results of 100 kava extract suppliers, I was wondering if anyone has bought from any of them or otherwise knows anything about them?
They're all good prices but I don't know if I should trust any of them.
 

Steve Mariotti

Kavapithecus Krunkarensis
Review Maestro
I'd be wary unless they document their preparation technique very thoroughly. It'd be hard to know how the plant was handled, what parts of the plant were used (ie. root only, or toxic aerial parts?), method of extraction (CO2 or potentially poisonous extraction?), etc. You probably won't find all of that information, and even if you see nice prices, you may do damage to your health which is a much higher price to pay.
 

mjazzguitar

Kava Curious
They do have some nice prices and some of the descriptions say 100% organic, but I knew an organic food store that discontinued a Chinese brand of ginseng because customers said it was burning their throats.
 

verticity

I'm interested in things
The stuff sold by discount Chinese companies is very like to be made from two-day kava. I would avoid it like the plague.
Avoid-the-plague.gif
 

Schlang

Kava Curious
I am still curious about Aliexpress vendors. For instance there is this seller who is offering 28 grams of "Organic 100% Fiji Root Extract Instant Powder" for USD 14.95 including worldwide shipping. Has noone here tried or analyzed this stuff? On the other hand this seller had some negative reviews on Aliexpress about their Kava.

Either way, ehese Aliexpress sellers seem attractive for European buyers because of the low shipping cost and prizes. However, of course there is the risk that one does not really know what he gets... unless a particular seller is recommended by someone.
 

Kalm with Kava

Kava Vendor
The problem with Alibaba is 99.9% of the kava products sold on there are from companies who have no interest for safety or quality. Most of the time you'll find kava that is either mixed with Tudei, 100% Tudei, or contains leaves & stems and that's not even getting into the extracts. Using these products as base material for extracting (which the extracts are) only amplifies their problems, concentrating the harmful constituents contained in the leaves, stems and Tudei varieties (and that's assuming an acceptable method of extraction such as CO2 was used). Powdered extracts are most often made with acetone and other solvents - another huge red flag. All of these things are what led to the quality issues back in the late 90s and early 2000s which eventually contributed to warnings and bans being associated with kava. When it comes to Kava, you get what you pay for - while it may seem you've found a smoking deal, you'll always end up with garbage that could potentially make you very sick.
 

Schlang

Kava Curious
@Kalm with Kava Thanks a lot for your input.

I understand your point and have no interested in cheap-quality Kava. Have you actually bought/ analyzed any of the Aliexpress Kava though or are you basing your opinion on assumptions because there is quite a numbers of different sellers on that platform as well as on Alibaba.com? I am sure there is a lot of terrible Kava on the market but I have bought other consumption products from Aliexpress (particularly tea) and only had a few disappointment. I am sure it is different with Kava though because you can not rate the quality by smell, looks and taste (as far as I know, but I am new to this). Once it's in there, it's in there. :) The first seller I pointed out in yesterday's post actually also claims their Kava is 100% noble.

Is there actually any sort of certification that could be requested for Kava products? However, even this probably would not mean a lot when buying a product from China...
 

Kalm with Kava

Kava Vendor
@Kalm with Kava Thanks a lot for your input.

I understand your point and have no interested in cheap-quality Kava. Have you actually bought/ analyzed any of the Aliexpress Kava though or are you basing your opinion on assumptions because there is quite a numbers of different sellers on that platform as well as on Alibaba.com? I am sure there is a lot of terrible Kava on the market but I have bought other consumption products from Aliexpress (particularly tea) and only had a few disappointment. I am sure it is different with Kava though because you can not rate the quality by smell, looks and taste (as far as I know, but I am new to this). Once it's in there, it's in there. :) The first seller I pointed out in yesterday's post actually also claims their Kava is 100% noble.

Is there actually any sort of certification that could be requested for Kava products? However, even this probably would not mean a lot when buying a product from China...
Great question Schlang. When we started the formulation for our relaxation drink and concentrate we literally sourced every possible extract we could find across the globe. This included everything on Alibaba at the time and extracts from German, New Zealand, and US companies as well. We ran them through basic tests such as acetone and HPLC but also personal tests of drinking them nightly. From personal experience, we had a lot of rough mornings afterwards. Granted, consumption of these 1 or 2 times probably won't do any long term damage (I'm hoping anyways ) but recurring use is what contributed to all the issues back in the early 2000s. This is why we ultimately decided to contract a company to extract our own root we import so we knew exactly what we were getting. As said before, anything that is a powdered extract is almost guaranteed to be using acetone or other solvents - I'm not aware of any other methods currently utilized other than water exraction for instant kava but these won't be sold as "extracts" and don't get into the 30-80% kavalactone range.

Unfortunately, and by experience, most of these companies will tell you anything you want to hear to make a sale. They may be using "100% Noble Organic Kava" but they may also be throwing in tons of leaves and stems with it as well. They have actually gotten so good at skirting testing now that they can take Tudei heavy batches, manipulate the pressure and temperature of extraction to produce noble looking chemotypes.

If you do decide to go this route, the best advice would be to stay away from the extract powders #1. At least go with something CO2 derived and if possible somewhere other than China. Ask them for a COA of their base material including chemotype and FKB analysis - any reputable company will have this readily on hand. The best would be acetone test results as well but most international companies haven't integrated this yet. Start slow and listen to your body - if you feel like garbage the next day, throw it out and don't blame kava in general.

Hope this helps
 

Schlang

Kava Curious
Thanks again for your input and explanation. If you tested all of them you must have tested quite a few hundred or thousand? I wonder what a person feels like after that. :D
You seem to be knowledgeable about Kava and I would love to give your products a try if ordering from Europe would not be such hassle and expensive due to shipping cost and customs.
 
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