I like kava candy for its accessibility, but have to eat a whole pack to do more than take the edge off. I've taken Gaia capsules, but their effects don't kick in for me until I take a massive number of capsules, so I have to wonder how much of the actual product is kava, and how much is the lecithin they list on the ingredients. I cut a capsule of Gaia open and dissolved it in a little warm water, and it was nowhere NEAR the potency of the old extract from Paradise kava... and that had a bit of sugar in it. I don't know if Gaia capsules are stored too long and poorly or if they're stretching it out, paranoid that people will take too much and make themselves sick. I bought a couple of bottles for experiments' sake, gradually increasing the number of capsules taken. I have LITERALLY taken up to 20 of the capsules of Gaia, with no ill effects. Even those 20 caps were not very strong, nothing when compared to traditional kava, it was just the number of capsules that made me go "Okay, that's enough, this isn't worth going any further, to find out when it gets good". I'm actually betting that you could safely take the entire jar of Gaia. Don't quote me on that, of course, and don't do it. Just.. you know, I'm just saying they're pretty weak in my experience. Not worth what you spend on them. The same goes for the kava extract liquid I got from sprouts. It didn't have any ill effects, but it was hilariously weak. $25 for one bottle of liquid, and it tasted more like honey than kava, and which I drank the entirety of over an evening. Gaia's capsules are not great, but Sprouts Farmer's Market extract is beyond a rip-off. It was insulting. Nobody who is an experienced kava user is going to feel like they got their money's worth, when you have essentially condensed two shells into a $25 bottle, and if you're NOT an experienced kava user, then that weak of a solution- which they only recommend something like 15 drops of!!- is going to do nothing more than give you a placebo effect, at best. Even if you had THE best kava sensitivity on the planet, I doubt the recommended dose would have any noticeable effect. It's literally worthless.
I keep the candy around for conveniences sake, but unless you've got a lot of money, it can in no way be one's staple form of kava intake. The cost is prohibitive and the effects aren't as good. I mentioned Paradise extract, and that stuff was absolutely beautiful... strong, pure, tasted like good kava. THAT is an extract that was on par with traditional kava. But it was pretty pricy, too, and they've retired from doing that now... so. I would happily use that as my go-to if they were still in business.
