Hey guys new to the forum

[kl.colinske]

Im 25 and have been drinking pretty heavily latley.  I love to drink.  However, Its taken its toll on me.  I needed to find a substitute for a while to let my body recover.  I discovered kava last week while looking for  green tea and stumbled upon the yogi's stress tea.  From there on out I wanted more.  I unfortunately found this site to late and ordered from the kono kava web site.  I ordered 60 kalvatone pills and the paste.  I was pretty disappointed.  I ate about 16 pills today and a quarter of the paste which gave me a litte buzz but now I have a head ache.   I have on order right now the powder from paradisekava.com.  I think I get it Saturday and am excited to try it out.  Since I am a first timer I had a few questions.  Will It feel different from the pills and paste?  What ratio should I try out?  Can I get a strainer from the grocery store?  Can I drink It during the day?  My girlfriend has bad shoulder pain would it help her?  Should I try out any other kava right now or just stick with this one?  Thanks guys look forward to hearing from.
-Colin

 

[kl.alohasteve]

Hey Colin, in my experience, kava does not produce the same buzz or feeling that alcohol will.  So that might be part of the reason why it doesn't seem to quite work at first.  Kava is much more subtle, relieving anxiety and stress more than producing the euphoria that alcohol does (although there are still some euphoric effects).  The best way to enjoy kava is to make a batch and then kick back and relax with a book, tv show, or some music.  Of course one of the best aspects of kava is the lack of hangover the next day.   
You might want to be careful with the pills, it's hard to tell what's in them.  Also, when you start making kava, be sure to strain well and don't overconsume as you'll likely get a stomachache and end up dizzy for a little while (I know this from personal experience!)  As always, heed the directions and warnings produced by the retailer/government/doctors.
I usually go with 2 tablespoons per cup of water.  Most nights, 4-6 tablespoons and 3 cups of water is enough for me (Paradise Kava is good but not the most potent).  Place the kava in a strainer (paradisekava should send one, but you can always use a clean tshirt, pantyhose, etc.), pour the water over the strainer, then gently kneed/squeeze the kava in the strainer to extract the kava into the water for around 5 minutes.  Sometimes you'll need to strain the end product again if you get too much sediment.  Everyone develops their own way to prepare kava.  Then enjoy!  Nakamal@Home is another great website to check out for beginners, they have some great kava too.

 

[kl.colinske]

Thanks Steve,  I cant wait to try this.  I still have a terrible headache from those pills and paste,  I hope the paradise kava will be better.

 

[Prince Philip]

You buy strainers from building supply stores, like Lowes or Home Depot. Look for large paint strainers. Really, that's what Nakamal@Home is selling, at a mark-up. (You can also go to a specialty paint store).



Seriously, five gallon paint strainer.



For anyone just starting kava, I would recommend Fire Island from Nakamal@Home for at least a fortnight, so that you can understand what kava is supposed to be by default. From there, you can adjust your mixing of root powders to achieve the same effect. It's good stuff, clean, and takes out the guess-work involved in finding good ratios of powder, root, hot water, cold water, emulsifier, etc.



Also, play to Me and John Frum for best results.

 

[kl.ericm53]

http://www.smithsonianmag.../people-places/john.html

 

[kl.colinske]

Ok cool thanks.  Can I use a T-shirt or pantyhose as a strainer?  Thats the funniest fucking thing I have ever seen, how great would it be to go over there and claim your John.

 

[kl.alohasteve]

Prince Philip is exactly correct about Nakamal's instant kava. For me, it's the standard, Fire Islands is great for relaxing and Shaman is great if you need an extra kick.



ParadiseKava will likely include a strainer which is essentially nylon pantyhose. I've never used a t-shirt or a paint strainer from a hardware store, but I've bought what are apparently paint strainers from kava sellers. My favorite is Hawaiian Kava Center's strainers, but I suspect that they are also something you could get at a hardware store.



John Frum, hmm... I think I will celebrate next February 15th!

 

[kl.colinske]

I just got my paradise kava today,  I first tried 2 table spoons to two cups with my girlfriend.  I felt a little bit and she didnt feel anything.  Then I made another batch and split it with her and she still didnt feel anything.  So I fixed her up here own bowl (I kept adding to the bag, 2 more table spoons) she drank it all and still didnt feel anything and just got a head ache.  I mixed up a batch with 2 table spoons to one cup.  I have felt like I have had a few beers but mostly want to vomit.  Any tips on what I should try next?

 

[kl.EthnoPharm]

Hey Colin! Don't worry about the slight lack of effects when you begin partaking in kava. Many people have a reverse tolerance of sorts to kava, and it may take a few sessions, or evenings, of drinking it in order to start feeling the full effects. I never had the reverse tolerance, but I know one of my friends and my brother did. As for a strainer, I used to use the strainers from Kona Kava Farm, which kinda sucked big time, then I used the 5 gallon mesh paint strainers. Those work pretty well, but I have come to find that using two at a time, like putting one inside the other, is best. Recently though, I have been using nylons, and they work great. Also, putting a teaspoon or so of olive oil, soy lecithin, or something with some fat in it (e.g. coconut milk) help to bind to the kavalactones to make their uptake into your body more efficient. As for the feelings, kava has much better effects than alcohol, and depending on the strain, can be extremely enjoyable. I have come to find that alcohol just isn't as enjoyable as before, and I would always go out for some drinks. Now I would rather stay in and drink some kava, bula! Nakamal at Home definitely has some awesome kava, and perhaps some of the most potent varieties. I would recommend Solomon Islands and Wow! kava. Both are exceptional in my opinion.

P.S. - Pills, tinctures, and pastes are shit, excluding Paradise Kava's solvent free extracts.

Enjoy!

 

[Prince Philip]

I wouldn't say they're shit, but you usually do have to overdose on them, which makes them prohibitively expensive. I have a bottle of pills (essentially Black Sands kava in pill form) that I keep in the car so that I don't Road Rage and start ripping my car apart from the inside. I also have a small vial of tincture in my desk at work because how it's labelled and sold makes it look like I'm not self-intoxicating at work in order to deal with acute stress.

 

[Prince Philip]

I use a two-strainer method. The first pass is through one or two paint strainers, and the second (to remove the finer particulates) is through a much finer nylon cloth. I purchased a very beautiful one from http://www.kickbackwithkava.com/kava_order_form.htm



I also purchased some rather dull ones of the same material from realkava.com. They're functional, but not as visually appealing.-

 

[kl.EthnoPharm]

Haha sorry, I was referring to more of the store-bought pills and such, and things like Kona's products. How are the black sand pills?

 

[kl.colinske]

Ok, so I am starting to feel a little bit.  This stuff taste like horse shit by the way.  I did 3 table spoons of kava to one cup of water.  I have already gone through a half bag of this stuff.  Can I re-use the kava?

 

[kl.colinske]

Also I want to get real fucked up and drink the least amount.  What do you recommend?  Thanks guys.

 

[kl.kavanah]

Whether or not you can reuse depends on the kava and your method for making it. 2 tbsp to a cup should be all you need unless it's fresh. Different kava varieties will have very different effects. If you're just looking to get fucked up, try SI kava. Make 2-3 cups per person. Kava's going to be more mellow than a lot of other things, alcohol included. If you're feeling like you want to vomit then you may not be straining well enough. OTOH if you drink too much then you may feel sick, also dizzy.