Kava head concerned about long term effects

[Kavaguy]

I have been drinking about 16 teaspoons of Kalm micronized kava for the past several months which is 5 times the recommended dose. I have found that it is the only thing that helps me to sleep and reduce anxiety levels. My dermopathy is moderate, but I can live with it. Is there anyone on this board who has consumed large quantities of kava for a while and who has noticed any other side effects besides dry skin? If so, could you share how much you drink and what side effects it has caused? Thanks in advance.

 

[Groggy]

I have been drinking about 16 teaspoons of Kalm micronized kava for the past several months which is 5 times the recommended dose. I have found that it is the only thing that helps me to sleep and reduce anxiety levels. My dermopathy is moderate, but I can live with it. Is there anyone on this board who has consumed large quantities of kava for a while and who has noticed any other side effects besides dry skin? If so, could you share how much you drink and what side effects it has caused? Thanks in advance.

I drink a lot of kava, the last 10 months or so I have drank more or less 2 lbs a week. I tend to stick to heady kavas, same as you it keeps me Kalm and collected. Overtime I have realized that staying hydrated, well fed and taken care of my skin, I am good.

I've had no other medical side effects, other than a bit of laziness sometimes, but I can't really complain about that.

Hopefully @sɥɐʞɐs will respond here, I know he drinks a lot for much longer along with a few others..

EDIT:

I'll be honest with you, given the benefits of kava for me and minimal side effects. I wish I had come across this 10 years ago.

 

[Kojo Douglas]

I'll mostly echo what @Krunʞy said above. People drink Kava their whole life and there is no correlation with illness. In fact, given the alternatives (stress, drug addiction) you are making a healthy choice with Kava.

 

[nosuni]

No issues here, I drink about a lb a week and guzzle down some kava every night. I didn't even get dermo until after about a year. The only other side effect is being lazy, like @Krunʞy said.

 

[Edward]

I think @Capitán Bastos had a thread discussing all of the side effects of kava but I looked through his entire list and can't find it. I think dry skin, lethargy, more or less constant dehydration. That's the worst I've had, can't think of anything else. I use coconut oil capsules for the dry skin, b vitamins for the lethargy and salt tablets for the dehydration.

 

[Groggy]

I think @Capitán Bastos had a thread discussing all of the side effects of kava but I looked through his entire list and can't find it. I think dry skin, lethargy, more or less constant dehydration. That's the worst I've had, can't think of anything else. I use coconut oil capsules for the dry skin, b vitamins for the lethargy and salt tablets for the dehydration.

I forgot to mention that...coconut is your friend. In any and all forms.

 

[Gourmet Hawaiian Kava]

I have been drinking kava every day for over 25 years. I use about 8 tablespoons of instant just because I drink my own kava and I tend to spoil myself, but I have never had any problems. I drink mostly Hawaiian but also some Fijian, Tongan and sometimes a good Vanuatu kava.
Aloha.

Chris

 

[Kavaguy]

Some people bring up the healthy Pacific Islanders when the long term effects of Kava are questioned. I read that they only drink it occassionally when having a ceremony, but I am glad to see there are those who drink a lot of it and are fine. Thank you.

 

[Edward]

I have been drinking kava every day for over 25 years. I use about 8 tablespoons of instant just because I drink my own kava and I tend to spoil myself, but I have never had any problems. I drink mostly Hawaiian but also some Fijian, Tongan and sometimes a good Vanuatu kava.
Aloha.

Chris

8 tablespoons of instant?! WOW, that'll do the job!

 

[Edward]

Some people bring up the healthy Pacific Islanders when the long term effects of Kava are questioned. I read that they only drink it occassionally when having a ceremony, but I am glad to see there are those who drink a lot of it and are fine. Thank you.

Something that statement makes me think of is the difference between fresh and dried kava. The indigenous users are most likely drinking fresh kava, I wonder if that makes any difference in the long term? I know @kasa_balavu says that in Fiji they mostly drink dried kava but I'm not sure how long they've been doing that?

 

[Bula Kava House]

Some people bring up the healthy Pacific Islanders when the long term effects of Kava are questioned. I read that they only drink it occassionally when having a ceremony, but I am glad to see there are those who drink a lot of it and are fine. Thank you.

In Fiji many people drink mildly prepared kava every day. In Samoa it's more ceremonial nowadays. In Tonga many men drink it daily. In Vanuatu many people drink lots of ridiculously strong kava daily, and have been doing so for over 3,000 years. I have been drinking strong kava daily for nearly 10 years and haven't even experienced so much as the lightest touch of dermopathy. You're safe. Drink away.

 

[ThePiper]

If you don't want dermo try switching to traditional prep

 

[ThePiper]

Something that statement makes me think of is the difference between fresh and dried kava. The indigenous users are most likely drinking fresh kava, I wonder if that makes any difference in the long term? I know it@kasa_balavu says that in Fiji they mostly drink dried kava but I'm not sure how long they've been doing that?

I'm fairly sure that drinking dried Kava is common practice in most Kava drinking cultures. Of course they love fresh, but as Chris once said it is such a hassle. Also I am sure there are a lot of people from Kava culture who move to different countries and have no choice but to drink dried Kava for their long term daily Kava lifestyle. Seems unlikely that there would be too much difference in terms of health risks between fresh and dried root since kavalactones are seemingly pretty durable. It's mostly water content that is lost during the drying if plants though there are certain kinds of compounds that can be broken down over time or due to certain drying methods. I don't know if this applies to Kava at all.

 

[Bula Kava House]

You'd be surprised, @ThePiper. Fijians think Ni Van are crazy for drinking fresh kava. They hate it! Doesn't have anything to do with convenience or shelf life. They do drink fresh every once in a while in Tonga, but not really ever in Samoa. Honestly, the only cultures that drink fresh kava regularly are in Vanuatu and Hawaii. But yes, you're absolutely right- there shouldn't be any health differences between the two.

 

[ThePiper]

Yeah Its crazy that people would skip out on fresh Kava when it is widely available all around them but dried is surely much more practical 9 times out of 10. Interesting to hear about the different perspectives on this between different Kava drinking cultures.

 

[Kavaguy]

Piper, is micronized known to cause more dermopathy than traditional prep? Since instant is the most concentrated out of the three and consequently has less powder, does instant cause the least amount of dermopathy?

BKH, good to know I am safe.

 

[Kojo Douglas]

I don't know that anyone has seen any real differences between Kava preparation methods and dermopathy. It seems to be more of a cultivar issue. I might be wrong, of course. I just can't imagine a big difference between preps except the makas. Instant is just nasty, so I won't even go there.

 

[Edward]

Piper, is micronized known to cause more dermopathy than traditional prep? Since instant is the most concentrated out of the three and consequently has less powder, does instant cause the least amount of dermopathy?

BKH, good to know I am safe.

In the early days I used a lot of instant and never really got any dermo. When I used med grind I used to drink more sediment than I do now and I found that gave me more itchiness. I also find that micro gives me more of an itchy feeling for whatever reason. If I stick to well strained med grind I am fine. Coconut oil helps a lot though.

 

[Kavaguy]

I have been finding good results with coconut oil pills. I would imagine there is something in the micronized powder that otherwise gets filtered when one uses a strainer. I am itching all over my body, so this has got to stop.

 

[Groggy]

I have been finding good results with coconut oil pills. I would imagine there is something in the micronized powder that otherwise gets filtered when one uses a strainer. I am itching all over my body, so this has got to stop.

I think the ground down fibers in the micro is what causes dermo faster, I stopped drinking micro after a few pounds because of the same reason and it's twice as expensive.