Most Soporific Varieties

[Tigereye]

I'm looking for some advice regarding choosing a specific variety of kava which is best suited for anxiety reduction and sleep promotion. I've had issues with anxiety and insomnia for most of my adult life. I was prescribed Xanax for over six years but I managed to taper off of it. I still suffer from some residual benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms. I had a panicky reaction to Kona Kava's Mahakea and seem to be very sensitive to kava strains with stimulatory properties. Which GHK variety would you recommend as being the most relaxing and least likely to cause stimulation?

 

[I don't know]

I take 1 shell of Borogoru and then 1 shell of Nene about 30 minutes later. It really helps me relax and sleep like a well behaved baby.

 

[Alia]

My experience is- first- Nene for rest, sleep. Later I combined with Borogoru- good combination.
I've had GHK Nene and my own, fresh, from the garden so that's 2 consistent sources that it works.
The traditional use of Nene in pre-contact Hawai'i was to calm upset children. Ethnographer Martha Beckwith quotes from oral history-
"This is a fretful child and must be given the 'awa Nene".
It is not limited to children and dose matters so works fine for adults.
Interesting that Nene had a secret name in Old Hawai'i- 'Awa Kua'ea.

 

[verticity]

... I had a panicky reaction to Kona Kava's Mahakea ...

Note: products from Kona Kava are not likely to be accurately labeled. Real Mahakea from GHK is actually relatively heavy, and does not cause a panicky reaction in any way for me.

 

[Deleted User01]

Keeping the thought in mind that you had a panicky reaction to Mahakea, then I would propose Nene. Nene has a history of being the safest kava of all time. It was used by the Hawaiian Islanders to sooth a sick or agitated child. It has tested as the most noble of all kavas. So it is mildly sedating, super safe, and I think it is perfect for a Newbie looking for solutions. If Nene sits well with you, then you can try going up the ladder to stronger kavas. For the record, I do a lot of Nene and Mo'i. But if someone told me I could only have 1 Kava, I would choose Nene for sure.

 

[Tigereye]

UPDATE:
My Boroguru arrived today. All I can say is... WOW! First of all, I didn't think it was possible for kava to not taste awful. I've tried a lot of varieties going way back and some of them left me pinching my nose to get it down. But this is delightful. It honestly tastes good. And the effects are perfect. Zero stimulation and so, so soothing. It did take about 5 tablespoons to get to where I wanted to be which I think is a bit much but I really don't know if that's the norm with these varieties. But it's quite alright, with a taste this good and effects so well suited for my situation, I will definitely be buying more of this.

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

Welcome to Club Borogoru
​

 

[I don't know]

What

UPDATE:
My Boroguru arrived today. All I can say is... WOW! First of all, I didn't think it was possible for kava to not taste awful. I've tried a lot of varieties going way back and some of them left me pinching my nose to get it down. But this is delightful. It honestly tastes good. And the effects are perfect. Zero stimulation and so, so soothing. It did take about 5 tablespoons to get to where I wanted to be which I think is a bit much but I really don't know if that's the norm with these varieties. But it's quite alright, with a taste this good and effects so well suited for my situation, I will definitely be buying more of this.

Borogoru is the only kava I specifically have to have all the time. I am still experimenting with other kavas to have as extra. How are you preparing it? Some people only need a teaspoon and some people need like 8 tablespoons to feel anything, We are all different in how much we need. GHK has the best tasting and most effective kavas that I have found. They truly are gourmet.

 

[kavadude]

boroguru is probably the best budget option, I think of nene as "the sleep kava" because that's all I want to do after taking it.

 

[Tigereye]

I made it via the dunking cloth/strainer bag method. I didn't use any potentiators like oil or lecithin. I've never encountered such finely ground kava before: at least 50% of the material passed right through the cloth of the bag. But I have to mention that I woke up the next day to a very peely, itchy face. Now I use prescription Retin-A cream every night for acne and it's not uncommon for me to have a few patches of dry skin or mild flaking in the morning but this was rather extreme. An exfoliating scrub and steroid cream took care of the issue. It was nothing serious and definitely not solely the fault of the kava; rather what I experienced may be a novel, undocumented drug-herb interaction. I just thought I'd put it out there. But in all honesty, this kava is superb. The quality is stellar and the effects are highly therapeutic.

 

[I don't know]

You probably need a different strainer that doesn't let as much through. There are a lot of posts about different strainers on here and I think @Steve Mariotti knows of some that may be good for this kava.

 

[Steve Mariotti]

Look for any fine nylon monofilament mesh of 100 microns or lower. Amazon has a nut milk bag at 80 microns, and Duda Diesel sells pairs of straining bags all the way down to 25 micron (what I use.)

 

[Kavamon]

i had Nene yesterday alone for the first time and it was the most mellow of the instant GHK's I've had (moi, nene, mahakea)+ micronized boroguru.