Questions about toss and wash

[pitshack]

Hey there guys. I am finally taking the plunge and buying some traditional kava powder, it's boroguru and should be here tonight when I get home from work. I have been using instants from bula and kava kauai for about six months every day. Usually 4tsp.s on week days and maybe 8-10 tsp.s on weekends to get a liitle krunked. I have ridiculous anxiety to the point of it causing hypertension, which I am going to have to start taking meds for. I take traditional psych meds but they seem to be only going so far.


I plan on using a toss and wash type method. I figured I would put an amout in a large glass of water stir it and chug it. I may eventually move to a traditional prep, but not yet. I have two reasons for trying traditional powder. 1. its cheaper and 2. I am getting curious about other types of kava. By using only instants I only get to experience whatever type of kava they decided to make into an instant.


So basically I have two questions. I have heard that toss and was is stronger. I'm wondering what I should start with. 2 tbsp.s seems to be fairly common but is that for traditional prep? I usually use 2 tsps. of instant about an hour apart. Also, what are my chances of serious dermopathy. As it is now, I use a hell of alot of instant and have never had a problem with it at all. Any responses would be awesome!

 

[infraredz]

I would say that with Boroguru, 2tbsps would be a good place to start. In my experience, 2tbsps of Stone was effective when consumed this way and Boroguru is about the same in potency.


I think, and I would imagine many would agree, that the risk of developing dermopathy is much higher with toss and wash. Also, there is some reason to believe that there may be other unhealthy effects from consuming it this way (the hundreds or thousands of years of consumption have either been buccal or strained powder, not toss and wash).


Speaking as someone who has dermopathy that is so bad I had to stop drinking Kava, I would be extremely wary with doing anything that could contribute to you getting it.


Also, as a more important point, because Kava causes widespread hepatic enzymatic inhibition, there could be a real danger in using an anti-hypertensive drug, especially a beta-blocker. I would be most concerned with this point as Kava is one of the most powerful and broad enzymatic inhibitors that I know of and could cause serious complications (dangerously high serum concentrations, decreased elimination rate, etc).

 

[pitshack]

I didn't know about the enzyme inhibition aspect, I'm going to have to see if I can find out which enzymes kava affects the most. Whats up with the buccal route. Could you enlighten me on that?

 

[infraredz]

Basically they would take about an inch or raw root and chew it, and the kava would be absorbed through the mucous membranes of the mouth. One area of the Pacific used this method almost exclusively I think.


As far as the enzymatic inhibition, this is a good article http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12386118. Most, if not all of the prominent enzymes responsible for common drug metabolism are inhibited in a "clinically significant" way.