So I read on here that lots of ppl still get higher liver enzymes after using kava?

[Geiourht]

So just as i thought my worrese were finally at ease about the liver toxicity crap I read several users on here claiming to have raised enzymes suspected from kava use.

It seems to be 50/50 the ppl who have raised enzymes vs those who dont. For regular use I dont ike those odds!

So whats the deal there? is it just pot luck?

I would be interested in taking kava regularly at least a couple times a week maybe 3-4 but i cant do it with a clear conscience if i think it might be rotting me from the inside out slowly but surely.

 

[greenbeen]

Does anybody know if this is true or not??
Kind of important as my probation is extremely strict and they dont test for alcohol but they test the levels of your liver enzymes. I do not want to go to jail for something as simple as kava. And yes even though its legal i still get in serious trouble. Any input from the more experienced members of the forums??
Unless i hear an absoloute "no thats obsurd" from a well known member i will have to hold off on kava.
And no i dont use kava as a loophole etc. I use it for gad and social anxiety.

 

[owlofpeace]

This is one thing I considered before deciding to try kava myself. From my research (and I spend a good amount of hours reading about it), I found nothing conclusive =/. I just started using it a few days ago, but I'll have some bloodwork done in about a month and find out for myself. I'm drinking more water, and cutting down on sugar as well. We shall see.

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

Is it lots of people? I might remember one person who blamed kava for elevated enzymes and that person was also taking some hardcore sleep med. or something too.
All I ever see is people reporting back that their tests came back fine, even when they drink kava everyday. Many people even drink the night before the test. Another member has a wife who was battling Hep. C, a disease with very strict and crucial monitoring of liver enzymes ... and even her tests came back fine, while drinking kava daily.

 

[yardcat]

I was diagnosed with hep c in the early 90s. Had elevated enzymes for at least 25 years. Went through treatment 2 years ago and beat it.

Recent test last month showed very normal enzymes. I have been drinking kava almost daily since last September. Only noble, mostly GHK kava. I don't drink alcohol at all. That's my personal outcome with kava consumption thus far.

 

[Deleted User01]

I do my tests twice a year for cholesterol, liver, glucose and the rest. I do not have elevated liver enzymes. In fact, considering the abuse my liver has taken from alcohol, the results are excellent. And like @shakas, I don't see LOTS of people complaining about this. @yardcat is an excellent example. He has Hepatitis, got it fixed, does kava, and his enzymes are good. One think I must stress, I only drink NOBLE kava from GHK. I do not try to save money by buying crap on the internet. To my way of thinking, you either buy the best or don't even do it. It's the difference between drinking Chinese Moonshine and single malt scotch. And yes I know the cost can be prohibitive for some. All I can say to that is I hope Medical Ins. will someday cover that. It's got to be cheaper than Xanax.

 

[sumguy]

@Deleted User01 What does it do for your cholesterol? I'm actually supposed to be working on bringing my elevated cholesterol level down to normal, and am wondering if kava is hurting it any.

 

[Deleted User01]

I have never been able to bring mine down and I "conjecture" that it went up 10-20 points when I started with Kava. So I quit fighting it and I take a small dose of Lipitor now. So now I have it down from the 210-240 to about 175. But that's nuthin', my wife used to have cholesterol in the 300s and she didn't do kava, drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, and she ate lots of fruits, veggies, and hat no weight issues. She is also on Lipitor and now her reading is no 150. And so then I have friends who will argue that there is nothing wrong with high cholesterol and so on and so forth but I come from a family where it doesn't help and her family is even worse. By the way, I don't get any bad effects from the low dose of lipitor contrary to popular belief.

One more thing, I used to take Xanax to relieve work induced stress but it made me want to kill someone the next day ... unless I took another one. Talk about a crappy hangover. And then I was looking for the Scotch bottle at 3PM to try to get some relief for my irritated nerves. So there is no magic pill and now I think that I have a happy balance of Kava, low dose of meds, exercise, and diet. I also cut way down on alcohol. I will say this, my blood pressure is outstanding and Kava may have helped that. So life is a delicate balancing act.

 

[The Kap'n]

So just as i thought my worrese were finally at ease about the liver toxicity crap I read several users on here claiming to have raised enzymes suspected from kava use.

It seems to be 50/50 the ppl who have raised enzymes vs those who dont. For regular use I dont ike those odds!

So whats the deal there? is it just pot luck?

I would be interested in taking kava regularly at least a couple times a week maybe 3-4 but i cant do it with a clear conscience if i think it might be rotting me from the inside out slowly but surely.

The results we've been given from members have shown no fluctuation in liver enzymes other than one person. So, the answer is: As long as you're drinking noble kava, you don't have much to worry about. I had a blood panel test just recently and nothing odd showed up irregularly at all. It's far far less than 50/50, it's more like "there has only been one person who reported anything other than regular numbers when tested".

 

[TidyMinion]

I drank Kava for probably a year and a half leading up to a physical where I had my levels checked. My panel was fine, levels for the liver were well within the acceptable ranges. seeing that made me feel that much more comfortable with kava. this was this past September or so, If i remember correctly.

 

[Deleted User01]

I remember that posting @TidyMinion because I had posted mine around July or August when I get my mid year check up. I want to add something that I find is very, very true and is part of human nature. Every time we get a weird pain or something is not quite right, we are quick to blame Kava. And that is because (in the back of our minds) we keep hearing all the naysayers tell us how bad it is. But when you look at the facts, nobody here is sick because of kava and most of us are living better lives because of it. So just like the German Kava Scare, people get sick from pre-existing conditions and Kava gets blamed without a trial. That is why I have started to suggest that all Newbies get their blood tests done along with a full check up BEFORE they start kava. You might be surprised at the damage that 10 years of Tylenol can do to your liver along with alcohol, drugs, and a host of other substances that "tickles our livers". I guess I'm saying, "Let's put the blame where it belongs and quit making Noble Kava the scapegoat".

 

[Geiourht]

Ok sounds more promising then .

If i want to get liver tests done for peace of mind how does one approach their doctor for it? because surely its a bit of a case of having to go with your tail between your legs isnt it? you have to 'fess up' and tell them youve been up to no good or else you woudlnt have cause to get the tests done would you? Seems like it could be a rigmarole to do that because id want at least 2 done. Maybe privately would be better tho im tight for cash so that isnt gonna be faesible either really.

Im in the uk with good ol nhs but as i say im not sure how i would go about telling him i want to get tested. They would likely frown on kava use as 'bad' wouldnt they as it would just be a 'recreational substance' to them.

 

[kavadude]

It is perfectly normal to take supplements and to request your doctor perform these tests because you want to be completely sure they are not harming you. There's nothing to be ashamed of there and if your doctor has an issue with it, that's their problem.

That being said, I am unsure what NHS policies would be. Let us know if you find out.

 

[Deleted User01]

I just tell them I want the Lipid Panel, Glucose and Liver Enzymes for sure. Then they add whatever else they thing you need. They never say anything. If they did, you can say, "Just want to make sure the beer ain't sneaking up on me". But I'm a grown man and the doctor won't ask me and in fact, he has been doing the liver test without me asking. Ya know why, because I'm a man with bad habits just like most men. Doc know this. Hell, you can also say, "I use a lot of Tylenol and now I'm worried".

 

[Blippy5]

I used to feel like I had to apologize, or feel guilty with doctors. You absolutely do not.

Even if you were using an illegal drug and wanted to get checked out, it's still their responsibility to do it. Imagine if we had to apologize to the mechanic for curbing our car?

Just an FWI- for people who work out. Strenuous weight lifting before a blood test can cause elevated liver results.

 

[verticity]

Ok sounds more promising then .

If i want to get liver tests done for peace of mind how does one approach their doctor for it? because surely its a bit of a case of having to go with your tail between your legs isnt it? you have to 'fess up' and tell them youve been up to no good or else you woudlnt have cause to get the tests done would you? Seems like it could be a rigmarole to do that because id want at least 2 done. Maybe privately would be better tho im tight for cash so that isnt gonna be faesible either really.

Im in the uk with good ol nhs but as i say im not sure how i would go about telling him i want to get tested. They would likely frown on kava use as 'bad' wouldnt they as it would just be a 'recreational substance' to them.

If you don't want to fess up to your doctor about the kava, you could say maybe you drink a lot of beer sometimes and are concerned.. or that your spouse is concerned.. I don't know if that would be less embarrassing or not. I think though, if you just get a regular check up, a liver panel would usually be part of that.

 

[greenbeen]

Thanks guys.

 

[Gourmet Hawaiian Kava]

Does anybody know if this is true or not??
Kind of important as my probation is extremely strict and they dont test for alcohol but they test the levels of your liver enzymes. I do not want to go to jail for something as simple as kava. And yes even though its legal i still get in serious trouble. Any input from the more experienced members of the forums??
Unless i hear an absoloute "no thats obsurd" from a well known member i will have to hold off on kava.
And no i dont use kava as a loophole etc. I use it for gad and social anxiety.

I have been drinking pure Noble Hawaiian kava for over 25 years and I get my liver functions checked every year, I just had it done last week and everything is normal. As long as you stay with known Noble kava you should have no problems at all. The liver scare is from Germany and they were using acetone extract and the material they were using was peelings from stalks, tudei kava as well as the hard course fibers called makas. There was no problems till Germany started making kava products this way with these materials. Aloha.

Chris

 

[Geiourht]

25 years is certinaly a good length of time to know . But indeed a sample size of 1 doesnt say much. I know lots of others take it without apparent harm which helps, but there havent beeen widescale reorting of enzymes.

Well its not really true its 'only a german problem' is it. Ive read studies about natives also having raised enzymes. Its just that the fatalities were related to the germans but there was still evidence of raised enzymes even in natives. Whehter they were rasied to the point of being dangerous or not I havent looked into that enough but I deifnitely recall them saying the fact the natives had is got rid of the 'native paradox' or whatever its called.

 

[Geiourht]

Ok so I havent seen my doctor in years anyhow so i could make the first one aobut having a 'general overall checkup'. Then maybe say I am thinking of adding some supplements to my diet in the next couple of months and want to get another test in a few months. That should do it right?