Thanks for the reply. The rash just keeps getting worse and spreading, back to doctor tomorrow. I still don't know if it was the kava or the stress or the alcohol I had the day before. I will try a very small amount of kava in the future and see what happens. I have had a niacin flush before, I wouldn't say his is like that. Feels more like a childhood experience of chicken pox or measles. The steroids and antihistamines have done nothing at all.
That's exactly how my full body hives felt, and I was even worried I had something communicable until doctor diagnosed hives. Have you tried an H2 blocker like ranitidine (Zantac)? Steroids and antihistamines didn't touch my reaction either, but taking OTC generic Zantac cleared them instantly. Hope you are feeling better by now.
My hives were not brought on by kava, but I did seem to recently develop the dreaded kava allergy. The first reaction came after an evening of normal consumption. The next morning I awoke with my eyes swollen nearly shut, and it took over a week to abate. The edema strangely stopped at armpit level. A couple weeks later it happened again. The reaction was less severe the second time, but the amount I ingested was minuscule. Just a little scraping off the sides of a jar of Paradise extract. Face and eyes swollen and nearly a week clearing. Nothing I did seemed to effect the time it took to clear.
Both kavas I mentioned were noble. But prior to that I had been consuming non-noble ground root via toss-and-wash. I also have immune system dysfunction, so either/neither/both of these factors may have brought it on for me (I had developed several sudden "allergies" in the last few years, including before I started drinking kava). Consuming whole root seems to be a common factor in many of these allergic reactions.
I would strongly advise you and anyone else who is experiencing these types of hypersensitivities to proceed with caution and listen to your body so it doesn't have to scream for your attention. Some people get over certain types of allergic reactions just fine by popping a benadryl. Other people will experience a worsening of the reaction with repeated exposure, which could be dangerous or even fatal depending on the severity.
When you are considering trying again you may want to try a true instant kava, which fully dissolves in water without any particulate. Or get a very fine strainer and try to squeeze/strain the sediment from micronized before consuming. Start with a very small amount and give it a couple days to see how your body handles it.
It is usually a good idea to leave more time in between alcohol and kava to allow the body time to clear each and prevent flush reactions.
