Kava from Mountain Rose Herbs

[Plantacious]

I have seen this in the bulk spice and herb section, mainly in health food stores.
I decided to give it a chance. The supplier for the store was Mountain Rose Herbs
It wasn't powder form. It was a rough cut, coarse root form.
But I got some from my local store and put it through my coffee grinder, which cut it down to a pretty fine powder.
Then I took the powder and shook it up in the Aluball.
I could tell by the scent and the taste that it was of good quality.
I was a little hesitant at first because of the unknown. For all I knew, this could have been tudei.
But the effects were quite nice.
I checked the website for Mountain Rose, and they say it's from Vanuatu. I assume it's noble. Can anyone confirm ?
But anyway, it was a nice discovery, because now I know that whenever I run out of kava, and am waiting for a shipment, that I can go to my local health food store and get something of decent quality like this. It costs more than other kava, so I would probably just have it in case of emergency, when I run out

 

[hightides42]

we get some mountain rose stuff, good quality herbs.

but that kava cost per pound, $111usd amagad! (to be fair, they do offer what appears to be a fine / medium grind and both forms show as $82-84/lb, still way too expensive unless epic life changing level of root...

also, website does state type as Borogu sourced from Vanuatu, so noble in statement. and i do believe Vanuatu is one of the Pacific Island countries that specifically ban export of all non -noble cultivars, including tudei, medicinal and witchimanii (spelling?) so that should be a vouchsafe for noble variety sold outside island of origin.

 

[Plantacious]

111USD is a lot, so I kept looking at the sticker next to it, that said "6.99 per ounce" and suddenly it didn't sound so bad

 

[hightides42]

yah, $7/oz sounds good until it becomes $116 a pound buying it that way

I'm gonna get me some ounces of that rough cut root tho, go real old fashioned traditional and see what chewing on a chunk or three will do for me

 

[Stephanie12]

"i do believe Vanuatu is one of the Pacific Island countries that specifically ban export of all non -noble cultivars, including tudei, medicinal and witchimanii (spelling?) so that should be a vouchsafe for noble variety sold outside island of origin."

Ok, this may sound totally ignorant, but what about glyerine or alchohol tinctures of kava? I know Mt. Rose makes them also. And then there are dozens of other companies you can find making them in Whole Foods or Trader Joes... Are these not noble because they are medicinal or for another reason? Why wouldn't medical companies - at least the higher end ones, chose the best quality herbs?

 

[Michael Nielsen]

"i do believe Vanuatu is one of the Pacific Island countries that specifically ban export of all non -noble cultivars, including tudei, medicinal and witchimanii (spelling?) so that should be a vouchsafe for noble variety sold outside island of origin."

Ok, this may sound totally ignorant, but what about glyerine or alchohol tinctures of kava? I know Mt. Rose makes them also. And then there are dozens of other companies you can find making them in Whole Foods or Trader Joes... Are these not noble because they are medicinal or for another reason? Why wouldn't medical companies - at least the higher end ones, chose the best quality herbs?

There is only one way to produce safe kava. And that is not by using extracts.

 

[Stephanie12]

There is only one way to produce safe kava. And that is not by using extracts.

So, if my dog - I'm in Europe, right - has mood disorder, and because of lack of standardization, the masculated kava he gets in his water bowl Friday and Saturday are very different so he jumps in out in front of a car, is that safe??

 

[hightides42]

hi @Stephanie12 good question and basically i don't know.
i work with assumption if it (kava product) doesn't list chemotype or state 'Noble' variety or a common Noble named cultivar then looking for source seems a decent vouchsafe, like from Vanuatu who i know has a ban on export of non-Noble.
hoping someone knowledgeable on the topic chimes in, i think Fiji also has such a ban in place and can imagine other Pacific Island counties have similar ban in place. Hawaii does sell Tudei (called Isa), and why i specified PI countries above.

if you find kava extracts, tinctures etc touting medicinal then my assumption is it is Noble root used, and they are simply lable based on effects not sourced 'medicial' kava root cultivars. hope this helps!

 

[Michael Nielsen]

@Edward Does sell kava for your dog.

 

[Stephanie12]

hi @Stephanie12 good question and basically i don't know.
i work with assumption if it (kava product) doesn't list chemotype or state 'Noble' variety or a common Noble named cultivar then looking for source seems a decent vouchsafe, like from Vanuatu who i know has a ban on export of non-Noble.
hoping someone knowledgeable on the topic chimes in, i think Fiji also has such a ban in place and can imagine other Pacific Island counties have similar ban in place. Hawaii does sell Tudei (called Isa), and why i specified PI countries above.

if you find kava extracts, tinctures etc touting medicinal then my assumption is it is Noble root used, and they are simply lable based on effects not sourced 'medicial' kava root cultivars. hope this helps!

I follow some of what your saying. Indigenous people in S. Africa have used a pychotrop, Kanna for centuries. I grow another Sceletium which is yet to be named but isn't S. tortuosum, but also has very similar pschytropic properties, and it might be called "Kanna" also. I have yet to see Kava in capsule or tincture form with as little as the Latin sp. name, much less the Island of origin or cultivar

 

[hightides42]

yes, and one huge factor to consider when considering kava extracts and tinctures, you just don't know...

also consider, as @Michael Nielsen stated above echoed by most if not all experienced kava consumers these boards, as well science for sure, that traditional (aqueous/with water) prep is not only the best you'll get from the root but studies constantly state it's The Safe prep method for consumption.

 

[hightides42]

wanted to add, as i claimed science findings, please do see the kava fact of the day posts by Kap'm (@Kapmcrunk in the in depth discussion forum on these boards. very interesting, and assuring, reads of the scientific papers he finds and posts about, also the discussion related all makes it simple to see the millennia or so of constant kava consumption by the peoples of the Pacific Islands testify to the safety of traditional prep. and all i really need to know about it for assurance~