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

[wormwood]

I remember that posting @TidyMinion You might be surprised at the damage that 10 years of Tylenol can do to your liver

This is so true that it is actually an understatement. Tyenol has actually surpassed alcohol as the leading cause of liver disease in the U.S. True story. People think because you can buy something in a store that it is safe to take. Unfortunately, that's not even remotely true.

Aspirin has killed thousands of people. I'm not exaggerating. The data is there. I don't believe that quality kava has ever killed a single person. I can't prove that, but I would be shocked if it weren't true.

 

[tonyd]

I use kava @ five days a week. I have had lab work done three times in the past nine months and liver enzymes have been normal. All liver and kidney function tests have been excellent.

 

[Deleted User01]

@sumguy, it's like I have always said. If you are taking Kava and something goes wrong, Kava gets blamed right away. Even I'm guilty of that. "Oh, I feel woozy today, it's the kava. Then my wife says, "So do I, it's the high mold count knucklehead." So the lawyers should ask if the lady did her liver tests so we can see a before and after. Then did she drink heavily. Did she gobble down handfuls of tylenol everyday (many people do). How much of the supplement did she take? Is the supplement one that we would even recommend? Was it pure? That is just a frivolous lawsuit and I wished the lawyer for the defendant would call us so I could give him my check list. By the way, that Web Site doesn't look like the place that I would get serious information on kava. Where ya digging that stuff up from?

So that is the other reason I say over and over again, get a blood test done BEFORE you do kava. That way you can find out if you already toasted your liver and spare us the trouble of having to listen to the accusations against kava after the fact. Did you see the post from @wormwood? He tossed and washed kava till his skin was falling off. Of course now he has a nice shiny new hide and his liver enzymes on hist last test were super low. By the way, we do not recommend toss and wash because you are ingesting all the hard fibers that have no benefit but may indeed cause problems. Those fibers are called Macas. We strain those and GHK removes them from the fresh root before processing Micronized.
They be bad for you.

 

[verticity]

I thought this was an interesting case related to this thread:
http://www.onpointnews.com/NEWS/kava-suit-puts-liver-toxicity-theory-to-test.html

The content of that site might well be interesting, or it might be bs. I can't tell, because that site is so butt-ugly it is impossible to read.

 

[SelfBiasResistor]

Just to add my experience. I have for years, on an almost daily basis, used Kava, prescription pain killers laced with acetaminophen (prescribed obviously) and very high amounts of alcohol. My liver has been tested multiple times and found to be in good shape. If Kava were really hepatoxic, my liver would be toast by now. If you worry so much about what you are taking to rid yourself of worry (anxiety), IMO, you are taking the wrong approach. I have anxiety issues and have had to deal with extreme stress in both my work and personal life and have never worried about my anxiety reducing crutches (alcohol, benzos, Kava, etc). If using Kava causes you so much stress, it might be best for you to goto you're doctor and have them prescribe a treatment in which they will monitor the appropriate vitals for you, so you will not have to worry. If you find something alarming about what is prescribed, you can always go in and have relevant tests done if necessary.

 

[tonyd]

Just had new lab work done this week and all liver and kidney functions / numbers are excellent. I do use kava daily.

 

[Deleted User01]

Thank you for posting @tonyd. So far most of us to have normal numbers and I even do kava on some days and alcohol on the others but my numbers are very good. I think the key is to drink noble kava and do everything in moderation. When I say most of us have normal numbers, I'm trying to think about a guy who may have had high numbers. But I always tell people to get their numbers before they start kava because they may be pre-existing.

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

Just had new lab work done this week and all liver and kidney functions / numbers are excellent. I do use kava daily.

how many tablespoons (or grams) per day, what kind of kava prep, do you make a point to deliberately hydrate throughout the day ? I'm trying to keep track of this stuff.

 

[Winning Shenanigans]

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.

It will not matter for probation they test for different things than kava would show up for + kava is not illegal so if it did show up it would not matter

 

[Crunked]

I drink kava daily and my liver test results have always been absolutely normal.

 

[greenbeen]

It will not matter for probation they test for different things than kava would show up for + kava is not illegal so if it did show up it would not matter

The program im in doesnt allow ingesting any substances, legal or not. Infact ive seen people in my program test postive for the dreaded k word (legal in my state) and theyre probation was revoked and they went back to jail on their original charges. They test for any irregular metabolites in your urine and even check your ekg levels. Extremelyy unfair? Most definitly. But kavas legality has nothing to do with it.
Its a minute point though, because the friendly and knowledgeable people here were correct, it doesnt bring up any irregularities in urine beyond the direutic effect. Otherwise i wouldnt be here to type this.

 

[SelfBiasResistor]

That's good that you passed. There is a specific test they can do to detect K*, it's not in the default 10 or so that most employers usually run. Sounds like your situation is different though.

 

[tonyd]

how many tablespoons (or grams) per day, what kind of kava prep, do you make a point to deliberately hydrate throughout the day ? I'm trying to keep track of this stuff.

Hey shakas I toss n wash 90% of the time. Usually about 2 tablespoons once or twice daily. I mostly use micronized but sometimes use grinded and very sifted medium grind which often gives better results than the micronized. I intentionally stay very hydrated throughout the day.

 

[nabanga]

I believe it's the fact that no cases of liver toxicity have been reported in these countries as a result of kava consumption (as opposed to a study which measures liver enzymes, or ideally something like an ultrasound). Everything I say comes from a slosh of having read everything I can about kava, so hopefully someone will back this up or call it out.

The problem with Vanuatu, and most of the other kava drinking countries is the lack of available health care and the ongoing belief in Bush medecine. When I lived in Vanuatu full time, people I knew would drop dead at around age 50 - 55 often, when they had been well just a week before, and no reason was usually known for their death. There is no way inside the country to diagnose even cancer for example, so no way to tell who expires from liver failure, cancer, blood infections or anything else.
The kava vs liver disease question would be an ideal PhD study for someone.

 

[StevenF]

The problem with the list of nonspecific symptoms (like light poop) is that other things can cause them as well. For instance, I tried using Cholestoff Plus on Saturday and Sunday and this morning my poop was greyish and since then it's still been lighter than usual. I'm pretty sure it's just the Cholestoff Plus making it so that fat doesn't get absorbed (ie: doing its job). But I think I'm going to lay off both that and the kava until things go back to normal just in case. (And I probably won't be taking any more CP).

The CP combined with fish oil apparently also caused the worst insomnia I've had in a while. I ended up using kava candy at about 2 am this morning to finally go to sleep after melatonin and chlorphenamine didn't help.

For the record: Also, Carrot and sweet potato soup will give you light stool

 

[Manuel Joao]

Or you can do what I do and just worry about it if my eyes turn yellow, when that happens I’ll check in with the doc, but till then...don’t be scared