taking kava on a not quite empty stomach

[24601]

So obviously kava is best taken on an empty stomach, but what happens when you take it on an almost empty stomach? Does it just take a little longer to kick in? Or is the overall potency somehow reduced?

(this question might be answered myself since it's time for afternoon kava but I'm not sure if lunch has completely left my stomach... it seems to just take longer to kick in.)

 

[Bert07]

I'd say both a decrease in rate of absorption along with less bioavailability of kavalactones (less potent). If you're looking to get the most out of your kava, you should wait a couple of hours after eating. If it's 'almost empty' then there wouldn't be a big difference however.

 

[Runding]

I agree with Bert. While I normally wait ~4 hours to enjoy a few shells, I'll sometimes do it after 2 hours or so depending on how big my meal was.

 

[nabanga]

I usually have lunch then start kava about 5-6pm with no food in between, but agree that it make little noticeable difference if you ate a couple of hours before.