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Kava Rash

KrunkMunster

KrunkMunster

Kava Enthusiast
Sadly, I think I might have developed rash, possibly because of Kava. I've been drinking Kava most days for the last month(usually 3-4 shells/session) I've not noticed any bad effects from kava other than maybe feeling a little tired some mornings. Today, I woke up with hives and bloodshot eyes. Some antihistamines seem to lessen the hives. If this is a kava allergic reaction, it seems strange it would take a month to show up.

It is also possible it could some other reaction, as I did get hives out of nowhere a little over a year ago, long before I drank Kava.

If I am having an allergic reaction, can I expect this to be an ongoing thing if I drink kava or do these sorts of things come and go?
 
kavadude

kavadude

❦ॐ tanuki tamer
I have had this happen very rarely while drinking some no-name kava. Presumably it is due to non-kava contaminants (e..g mold). It's also always happened after I drank kava and not persisted into the next day.

If you're having an allergic reaction to the actual kava, you'll probably continue to have allergic reactions to kava. But give it some time and see if it's not something else.
 
nabanga

nabanga

Kava Enthusiast
I've had this twice in the last 7 years ....both times it was an old unsealed container of kava that I used when my supplies were low. It smelled of mould/damp.
Red itchy face & scalp, puffy eyes etc. It went away with antihistamines after a day or so and a new batch of sealed kava.
 
KrunkMunster

KrunkMunster

Kava Enthusiast
I'm pretty sure my rash/itch is kava related and I've been drinking product for reputable vendors. I did try a new brand this weekend and the rash showed up the very next day, so I'll cut that one out and see what happens. It sounds like a certain percentage of people react to the lactones, so maybe I'm one of them. It's just odd it showed up out of no where after mostly daily use for a month or more. In doing some research of old threads here, it sounded like one guy kept with it and the rash went away. The rash I have isn't horrible and is kept at bay with some antihistamines. I'll keep at it for awhile longer and see what happens.
 
KrunkMunster

KrunkMunster

Kava Enthusiast
The rash I was having didn't seem to get better, so I decided to stop Kava until it goes away. Part of the incentive to stop was that it has spread to my face and I was starting to look pretty rough around the edges.

In the mean time, I read through all the rash related threads I can find in the forum and there's actually quite a few of them. Interestingly, the symptoms are all very similar and most don't feel like they were having an allergic reaction. This would be my characterization as well. In fact, I've taken a boat load of antihistamines over the last few days and they don't seem to be doing anything.

Instead of an allergy, I would characterize this rash more like getting poison oak. Poison oak is in fact not an allergy, but a dermatitis. Another forum member posted in one of the threads that he felt his hives/rash were more of a dermatitis than an allergy as well.

I'm going to let this rash subside and then try a small dose of a good noble and see what happens.
 
chandra

chandra

Kava Enthusiast
Dermo? Some people do get dermo from drinking kava. If this is the case try anti itch cream and consume coconut or fish oil. You may have to lay off the kava till it goes away, or cut back on your consumption. Also what kind of kava are you drinking? Some people think that micro is more likely to cause dermo. If it's medium grind, you may need a finer strainer. Some people get dermo and some don't. If that's what it is, there isn't anything dangerous about it like an allergic reaction can be. An oatmeal bath may help you as well. Get plain oats and fill up a strainer bag with them. Then throw it in the tub and soak awhile. I do this for sunburn, diaper rash, and pretty much any other skin issue I have and it always helps.
 
KrunkMunster

KrunkMunster

Kava Enthusiast
Chandra, Thanks for the feedback. I did find a bit more information that ifraredz posted. He did a very good job of detailing the issue I was having in terms of iching. I followed his suggestions and it seemed to really help.

Above, I stated that antihistamines don't help. This isn't entirely accurate. Generate 2 antihistamines (e.g., claritin) do not help. Generate 1 antihistamines (e.g. benadryl) do help. Benadryl took away most of the itching for me. However, I still don't believe this is a food allergy. I believe this is a type of severe dermo. If you look up typical food allergy symptoms and progression of a allergic reaction, it is nothing like I experienced. I didn't see any type of reaction until like 12 hours after drinking the Kava and this was after drinking quite a bit of a new brand I'd never consumed before.

It's hard to know exactly what set off my reaction because I wasn't paying very close attention to what I was doing until there was a problem. I was consuming kava every day (usually 4-8 table spoons) and a few times on a weekend day I drank it all day long. I also was not being very careful in my preparation. I was using medium grind root with a strainer Cactus sent me, but there were times I let root material from a previous brew get into a subsequent brew because I'd not cleaned the strainer very well. Note: I didn't get a reaction after drinking Cactus' kava. The reaction I got was the day after drinking a brand from a different vendor.

It took about 3-4 days for my rash to clear up. Today I'm like 95% clear. So, I thought I'd give Kava another whirl and see what happens. Today, I brewed up Moi because I know it's a very good Kava. I also brewed very carefully using a double bagged strainer. I'm going to take it easy and keep my consumption to 4 shells max and then I'm going to take a benadryl before bed tonight per ifraredz's suggestion. I'll let you guys know how I fair out.
 
KrunkMunster

KrunkMunster

Kava Enthusiast
So it has been 24hr since I drank Moi and no rash. It's possible I was allergic to the specific brand I bought (and drank right before the rash) or maybe I just hit the Kava too hard and pushed my body over the limit. I'm going to continue to consume Kava, but in a more measured fashion. Maybe just 4 days a week or something for the short term. Maybe at some point, I'll get brave and try the one brand of Kava again and see if it gives me a reaction.

Anyway, I seem to have dodged a bullet so to speak. It would have been a real bummer to have been allergic to Kava right after discovering it!
 
KrunkMunster

KrunkMunster

Kava Enthusiast
I wanted to follow up with an update on my rash issue with Kava. As I outlined above, I switched over to drinking Moi and mostly didn't have any rash issues. I did feel a little itchy at times, but certainly wasn't covered with hives like I was a couple weeks ago. I suspect my body is a little sensitive to the lactones. Taking a benadryl pretty much eliminates the itch when it becomes really bothersome. I know benadryl makes some people very sleepy, but I can function just fine on 50mg of benadryl, which is all I need to knock out any itching.

Last night I got brave and tried the Kava that gave me the hives last time. Sadly, I woke up today covered with hives again. So, I must have some level of allergy to that specific strain of Kava. Benadryl decreased the itch, but I've been uncomfortable all day. I don't want to bad mouth the vendor, because they are one of the better ones. I think this is more related to my own body chemistry and not any reflection of their product.

I have had good luck with Cactus' Lao Lawana and GHK Moi, and also Stone; so I'm going to stick with these as my main Kavas. When I try a new brand, I'll order the smallest quantity to begin with to make sure I can tolerate it.

If I have some time, I might pull together some of the various threads in the forum history related to rashes. I noticed that some people get the rash and then you never hear from them again. I think with a little persistence, and a box of benadryl, one can find a kava that you can enjoy and not be covered with hives. Problem is, it would be very easy to throw the baby out with the bathwater because being covered with hives REALLY sucks.
 
Honest Kava

Honest Kava

Newbie
KrunkMunster said:
I don't want to bad mouth the vendor, because they are one of the better ones. I think this is more related to my own body chemistry and not any reflection of their product.
Click to expand...
Can you private message me with the brand name? I'm really curious, because I'm having the same symptoms you are describing.
 
Sacred Journey

Sacred Journey

Kava Curious
maybe try cutting down a bit? 3-4 shells is enormous amount in my opinion, i can't even drink a whole shell anymore without spending the next day in bed too relaxed to do anything. I think I need to give up the solomon kava and try a weaker variety.
 
KrunkMunster

KrunkMunster

Kava Enthusiast
Honest Kava said:
How long did the rash last?
Click to expand...
Probably ten days to two weeks. I was able to keep the rash mostly in check with benadryl. Since this initial issue with the rash, I've had very little issue since. I had a day or two a few weeks ago where the rash popped up again on my neck, but I took some benadryl and it went away.

I do still have issues with very dry skin, which I believe is part of drinking Kava. I use ALOT of coconut oil and drink lots of water.
 
Last edited:
KrunkMunster

KrunkMunster

Kava Enthusiast
Honest Kava said:
Can you private message me with the brand name? I'm really curious, because I'm having the same symptoms you are describing.
Click to expand...
It's not the brand, as I've drank the same Kava since then with no issues. I did a TON of research on this topic and it seems that some people who get hives after starting Kava consumption, but it isn't a food allergy (However, I'm sure it could be for some people, so be aware of the symptoms of a true food allergy). From what I understand, this is a type of immune system response to the kavalactones binding with proteins in your skin. If you can keep drinking Kava, your immune system will get used to the lactones and stop freaking out.

You'll need to take benadryl basically all of the time until your body moves past this. I usually took one benadryl in the morning so I didn't look like I was going in to anaphylatic shock when I went to work. I also kept a box of benadryl in my car in case I needed to take a second one. I'd then redose with benadryl about 6hrs later and then again right before bed.
 
Honest Kava

Honest Kava

Newbie
KrunkMunster said:
Probably ten days to two weeks. I was able to keep the rash mostly in check with benadryl. Since this initial issue with the rash, I've had very little issue since. I had a day or two a few weeks ago where the rash popped up again on my neck, but I took some benadryl and it went away.

I do still have issues with very dry skin, which I believe is part of drinking Kava. I use ALOT of coconut oil and drink lots of water.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Did it move to your face?
 
Honest Kava

Honest Kava

Newbie
KrunkMunster said:
It's not the brand, as I've drank the same Kava since then with no issues. I did a TON of research on this topic and it seems that some people who get hives after starting Kava consumption, but it isn't a food allergy (However, I'm sure it could be for some people, so be aware of the symptoms of a true food allergy). From what I understand, this is a type of immune system response to the kavalactones binding with proteins in your skin. If you can keep drinking Kava, your immune system will get used to the lactones and stop freaking out.

You'll need to take benadryl basically all of the time until your body moves past this. I usually took one benadryl in the morning so I didn't look like I was going in to anaphylatic shock when I went to work. I also kept a box of benadryl in my car in case I needed to take a second one. I'd then redose with benadryl about 6hrs later and then again right before bed.
Click to expand...
Interesting. Where did you find the information regarding kavalactones binding with proteins in your skin?
 
R

r45t4m4n

Kava Curious
Interesting, I developed a rash over the weekend and I have stopped kava until it clears, wonder if we were drinking the same stuff.
 
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