need an advice which strain to choose

[DIego222]

Hello, I am going to order some kava (powder/instant) from BKH, so I would like to hear some of your advice on which one would be ideal for me :

I am looking for kava which could help me to cope with my severe social phobia and some other anxiety issues. I am not interested in any "highs" or spaced-out, heavy feelings and I definitely not looking for kava that could make me feel drunk. I am looking for a kava, that I can take for the anxiety and in some stressful social situations. Ideally also with minimal affect on my cognitive abilities so I can take it perhaps when driving (driving ofen makes me feel anxious).

I would appreciate it, if you according to your personal experiences could advice me a kava that could be suitable for this purpose.

Thanks in advance!

 

[infraredz]

Melo Melo sounds like a good bet to me. I have found it's got the perfect balance between anxiolytic effects and maintaining clarity. Another good bet is Nambawan, although I wouldn't spend money on that one until you've broken through the reverse tolerance or it would just be wasting money.

I've found that for social anxiety (which is much different than GAD or panic disorder sort of anxiety), something with a higher kavain level is actually better than something more "sedating". That being said, I think Melo Melo is a good balance between the two. Borogu might also be a good fit too. Everyone responds somewhat differently to kava and different lactone profiles so what works for me might not work for you, and vice versa.

I personally find that the anxiolytic/positive effects of kava linger a day or two under normal circumstances (Vekta refers to it as a "shield" which I think is a perfect description). That being said, only you will know if that works for you. Once you get a feel for kava, and break through the reverse tolerance, you might want to look into some instant too (if you're prone to panic attacks, even on a kava day which I would venture to guess is pretty rare).

As far as intoxication, feeling "high", etc (none of which I've ever experienced with kava), that all depends on the dosage. There are not certain strains that (by themselves) will make you feel high, it all depends on the dosing.

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

I'm not sure how effective any Kava would be for "severe" social phobia...especially since you also don't want it to make you feel high, spaced out, heavy or drunk. But the closest I've found to what you're describing is Tongan Pride from Kava By Rex. It's light and hardly noticeable, while still offering a natural, mild mood lift and calmness of mind.

 

[Bula Kava House]

Perfect candidate for a Kava Sample Pack. As was already said, all kava will affect different people differently. If you go with the sample pack you'll have a good shot at finding one that works best for your purposes. You'll have a lot of fun along the way as well.

 

[infraredz]

Oh yeah, I totally forgot about that awesome sampler. Definitely pick one of those up and then you could experiment with different strains and even mixing two to find what you need since social phobia is different (in my experience at least) from GAD.

 

[Vekta]

Infraredz gave you sound advice. Try as many different kava varieties as you can. It took me a while to find one that works really well for me.

I settled on Boroguru as my front line kava. Others work but that one just works the best for me. Borogu is a good base line to start with. It's a classic.

1. BKH- Boroguru
2. Paradise- Hawaiian (backup if I can get it)
3. Kava Boy- Tongan White "Hinehina" (back up for my back up)

If you're using it for the same things I do you'll probably end up with your favorite 3 that work well for you.

 

[endwatcher]

Vekta
Have you tried Paradises Fiji yet?

 

[Vekta]

@endwatcher
Nope, never got around to it. Fijian anything is something I haven't gotten around to.

 

[endwatcher]

Vekta,
We know everyones different, but I highly suggest the Fiji.
It has a creeper "but deep" feeling that really kicks my anxietys ass.