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How much kava is too much kava ?

Chris1052

Kava Curious
It depends on the kava. I find it's hard to get too much kava into my body. Once I reach a certain point the thought of more kava makes me want to gag. 6 Tbsp/3 shakers of squanch waka is about my limit. I pretty much only use the aluball prep method. I think it helps with the dehydration as it forces me to drink more water.

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Groggy

Kava aficionado
Admin
Amazing how a few more weeks of heavy drinking has changed my mind on this topic. Somewhere about a week and half ago, I started feeling severely dehydrated which led to a pretty severe case of dermo. It wasn't my first outbreak but it was finally the final straw that led me to put down the shells to let my body and skin heal. This last time certainly felt more severe then other times I had dermo.

I came to the conclusion that I cannot drink 8-16 tbs anymore, not just for the foreseeable near future but going forward as whole. I restarted drinking again Saturday night at 1 tbs followed by an increase in my water consumption, specially after shelling. The "less is more" mentality finally sunk in for me and I plan to keep my shelling at a 2-3 tbs max, at night only.

I have to say that I am very content with this new amount and I think it may be partially due to the break I took off of kava. This approach is a simple one to follow for me. I have 2, 6 ounce shells before dinner and the second wash of the same dosing a few hours after dinner.

I guess sometimes you have to fall flat on your face to learn a lesson. For me it took a few falls and I am going on 2 years of almost daily drinking. I am the stubborn type. I have no complaints and have actually already noticed better sleep, with better dreams.

I wanted to post this to remind myself and embed in my head of this going forward but maybe it can help someone else.
 

Krunkie McKrunkface

Kava Connoisseur
I wanted to post this to remind and embed in my head of this approach going forward but maybe it can help someone else.
Sorry you had to go through that, man. I knew something must have been up when you scarcified but was afraid to ask. It seems like the kava is telling you what to do now and you're listening so that can't be anything but good.

Of course, now we are completely reversed. A few months ago I was shocked at how much you could shell and I was a lightweight, 4 - 6 TBS a day, never more than 8. Now I always use a cup. Actually, when we shell together the same prep I use 1.25 cups, to make a full half gallon mason jar to split, very handy.
 

Groggy

Kava aficionado
Admin
Sorry you had to go through that, man. I knew something must have been up when you scarcified but was afraid to ask. It seems like the kava is telling you what to do now and you're listening so that can't be anything but good.
I think it was bound to happen at my rate of consumption, going through close to 2 lbs a week of potent kava, for the last 4-5 months. I am kind of glad it happened. Obviously dermo is a bitch.

Of course, now we are completely reversed. A few months ago I was shocked at how much you could shell and I was a lightweight, 4 - 6 TBS a day, never more than 8. Now I always use a cup. Actually, when we shell together the same prep I use 1.25 cups, to make a full half gallon mason jar to split, very handy.
Out of curiosity, in what time frame to you drink that 1/2 gallon and how many servings are you (and your wife) getting out of it?
 

Pounigirl

Kava Enthusiast
Amazing how a few more weeks of heavy drinking has changed my mind on this topic. Somewhere about a week and half ago, I started feeling severely dehydrated which led to a pretty severe case of dermo. It wasn't my first outbreak but it was finally the final straw that led me to put down the shells to let my body and skin heal. This last time certainly felt more severe then other times I had dermo.

I came to the conclusion that I cannot drink 8-16 tbs anymore, not just for the foreseeable near future but going forward as whole. I restarted drinking again Saturday night at 2 tbs followed by an increase in my water consumption, specially after shelling. The "less is more" mentality finally sunk in for me and I plan to keep my shelling at a 2-3 tbs max, at night only.

I have to say that I am extremely content with this new amount and I think it may be partially due to the break I took off of kava. This approach is a simple one to follow for me. I have 2, 6 ounce shells before dinner and the second wash of the same dosing a few hours after dinner.

I guess sometimes you have to fall flat on your face to learn a lesson. For me it took a few falls and I am going on 2 years of almost daily drinking. I am the stubborn type. I have no complaints and have actually already noticed better sleep, with better dreams.

I wanted to post this to remind and embed in my head of this approach going forward but maybe it can help someone else.
It sounds like you learned a valuable lesson. Thank you for sharing it so we can learn from your experiences as well. I was curious if you are taking the coconut oil as well to keep the dermo away?
 

Groggy

Kava aficionado
Admin
It sounds like you learned a valuable lesson. Thank you for sharing it so we can learn from your experiences as well. I was curious if you are taking the coconut oil as well to keep the dermo away?
I am not or didn't, I took Benadryl through the bad days and used Amlactin (CVS's version). Coconut oil is excellent both internally and externally. But I didn't set foot outside of my house for nearly 5 days, lol, I wasn't in the best mood.
 

Pounigirl

Kava Enthusiast
I am not or didn't, I took Benadryl through the bad days and used Amlactin (CVS's version). Coconut oil is excellent both internally and externally. But I didn't set foot outside of my house for nearly 5 days, lol, I wasn't in the best mood.
I can just imagine. I'm glad you are on the other side and doing better. IT sounds like it is no fun! I always struggle with finding balance too. I seem to always jump into things with both feet and weigh the consequences out after I am also am pretty stubborn and pigheaded too and have to take quite a few lumps til I finally learn so I really appreciated your honesty and how you found your way to balance. It helps me to read it as I think I have a similar personality traits. :D I'm glad you are doing better. Bula Krunky! :) ::shell::
 

Summer

mercy triumphs over judgment
Thanks for posting your recent experience and decision @Krunʞy.

I can definitely relate to some degree - I do not suffer dermo, but have other effects that can be at times trying for me (mainly sporadic insomnia, bizarre dreams, rapid/strong heartbeat, and depression). I, too, can drink 1.5 pounds a week easily, so this has been a luxury I can't really afford as well.

I definitely enjoy kava for the most part, but having these effects and continuing drinking daily make me feel like it has more control over me than I it, and that is what I don't like. It's a personal and situational experience.

I was wondering how long you took off, and how you feel physically/emotionally from your cutback?
 

Groggy

Kava aficionado
Admin
I was wondering how long you took off, and how you feel physically/emotionally from your cutback?
I took 7 days off but aside from the dermo, I felt very calm, as in no anxiety. I have to guess it was because of the amount of kavalactones that have been building up in my system overtime.

You mentioned feeling mild depression from heavy consumption and can relate to that. Before the dermo started at the end of last week and thinking about it now, I had been feeling unmotivated, sluggish and had trouble staying asleep. Falling asleep was really easy but sleeping through the night without waking up at least once was another story.

Last night was the first night I really noticed an improvement staying asleep. I only slept 6 hours but it was probably one the better nights of sleep I've had in a while. I woke up early today not feeling tired and actually motivated to get up and get stuff done, which hasn't happened in a while, I was usually tired and sleepy prior and often wanted to stay in bed and sleep three more hours.
 

Summer

mercy triumphs over judgment
For the most part I always feel calm, but I also often wake in the middle of the night and feel like a couple hours may pass, all the while I feel very calm and always fall asleep again.

I'm not blaming kava, because it's been a very long time since I haven't been not taking something...Klonopin, then kava, ashwagandha, tulsi, valerian, etc. I kinda wonder what/who I would be with my thoughts. It's scary to me, but your post makes me want to try too.

I know withdrawal and there is none with kava for me, but it's more anticipating what my day (or rather, days in a row) will be like without it that I wonder about.
 

lonnyzone

Kava Enthusiast
I think it's pretty difficult for anybody to tell you how much Kava is too much Kava for anybody but them. Too much or not enough of anything is entirely subjective in my opinion. I tend to think that too much Kava is more Kava than is useful in attaining the positive impact that you're consuming it in order to make on your life, and exactly how much that is is entirely up to you to figure out and be honest with yourself about. I guess my general rule for any substance is to continually assess whether it's a worthy addition to or constantly sought-after escape from my life as a whole. It's all just intuition, discipline, and honest self assesment imo.
As far as consequences like dermo go, again, whether or not that signifies too much Kava is up to you. Whether or not the dermo is worth the amount of consumption required to get it is your tradeoff to make a decision on, nobody else's. Of course this isn't all to say that it's not worth paying attention to others' experience with it, but I really do think it's largely a matter of opinion rather than fact.
 

Groggy

Kava aficionado
Admin
For the most part I always feel calm, but I also often wake in the middle of the night and feel like a couple hours may pass, all the while I feel very calm and always fall asleep again.

I'm not blaming kava, because it's been a very long time since I haven't been not taking something...Klonopin, then kava, ashwagandha, tulsi, valerian, etc. I kinda wonder what/who I would be with my thoughts. It's scary to me, but your post makes me want to try too.

I know withdrawal and there is none with kava for me, but it's more anticipating what my day (or rather, days in a row) will be like without it that I wonder about.
Having gone through the roller coaster of benzos for several years before kava I can also relate. I think lonnyzone makes a good point in that what is good for one may not be the same for the other. Maybe you can do a bit of experimenting on your dosing rather then taking a full break to see if a different amount over a couple weeks makes you feel better. That way you don't need to get the pre-anxiety of just stopping it all together, before you do it. Just a thought.
 

Krunkie McKrunkface

Kava Connoisseur
I think it was bound to happen at my rate of consumption, going through close to 2 lbs a week of potent kava, for the last 4-5 months. I am kind of glad it happened. Obviously dermo is a bitch.


Out of curiosity, in what time frame to you drink that 1/2 gallon and how many servings are you (and your wife) getting out of it?
well, that's 1.25 cup of root making 1/2 gallon of grog *on the first wash* and that will make for a long and pleasant afternoon/evening for the two of us. I then the next day make 2nd 3rd and 4th washes (maybe 5th) that make another 1/2 gal at least. It's hard to say exactly about serving size. I do use standard small shell/big shell servings at first, which I chug, but once I'm in that zone I have a big tumblr with ice and grog and sip as the mood hits and when kava tells me to. That might be fast but it's more likely to be slow, stretched out over a long period of time. I'm not getting krunk with this, just getting mildly mellow and, well, staying there. It's a lifestyle choice alternative. :)
 

SelfBiasResistor

Persist for Resistance!
I've definitely reached a point where it feels like it's becoming too much. The dermo seems to be getting out of control and I find that I don't really get the same enjoyment/euphoria that I used to. I've been considering a break but I'd rather not use the chemical alternatives. I don't think using low doses will be helpful either since it takes a lot to really feel anything from it.
 

Krunkie McKrunkface

Kava Connoisseur
My quotidian heuristic is if kava tells me don't drink kava, I don't. The fact that I might *want* to drink kava doesn't count one bit. If kava says no (although it's usually phrased more gently, as in "yeah you could, but I don't think it would be a very good idea for you to have a shell now"), I trust kava. I know myself well enough not to trust myself. For one thing, I'm an idiot, but kava is wise. Also, I know that you don't have to be actively drinking kava in any specific moment in order to enjoy the benefits of having drunk kava in the past. So I am quite capable of enjoying kava without having to drink it. In fact, drinking kava only marginally enhances my enjoyment of kava.

Side question: er, um, am I the only person to whom kava is manifest as a sentient spirit, one that talks to me and to which I can pose questions and get remarkably reliable useful answers? As spirit presences go I find kava to be gentle, loving, kind, affectionate, concerned, never belittling or patronising, forgiving, warm, smiling, joking, joyful, powerful but the quite kind of powerful that knows its own strength and doesn't feel the need to prove itself and so can afford to be generous. Basically a bad-tasting Mr Rogers that can kick ass.
 
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Deleted User01

You might have drank too much kava if:
You feel sluggish, headachy, or cranky the next day. So just cut back. No big deal.
 
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