taking one for the team...

[August West]

So after I do two washes with my root, I dry it out in the windowsill and store it for when I have nothing left. Once I have the leftover root from the pound, I then boil, blend, and strain it for one last session. The resulting brew is thoroughly disgusting, and the effects are quite different than the first brew, which leads me to believe certain kavalactones are more easily extracted than others.

BRASS TACKS:
I've heard that something like 20-30% of the kavalactones are released with traditional prep, so (drumroll please) in the name of science i went ahead and tossed and washed 12 heaping tablespoons of the spent root in three separate chugs over about an hour and...... I felt minimal effects, if any. I certainly felt something the next morning after a couple cups of coffee, but it wasn't a kava buzz. Needless to say, I will not be saving my spent root anymore.

BTW the spent root was a mixture of mahakea, mo'i and borongoru. What I consider the creme de la creme in the kava world.

 

[kavadude]

Interesting. What is the boiled third wash like? Would you say it's fairly potent or diminished compared to the first/second?

 

[August West]

With the leftover b-b-s method, I feel very little of the bright light, loud noise cerebral effect. Just heavy and amotivated, with muscle relaxation. On top of that, in a matter of minutes after consumption, i feel like I used to when waking up from having a few beers directly before falling asleep. Like my brain isn't lubricated enough. Fuzzy, dehydrated and almost cold or feverish for about an hour. My first washes also do this to me if i consume too quickly. And I get that feeling even before the kava effects hit me. It's no longer worth it for me to save and consume the leftovers.

 

[verticity]

Yikes! Hope you have a cast iron stomach.
When you do the boiled makas, how exactly are the effects different?
EDIT: nevermind you just answered while I was typing this!

 

[August West]

@verticity, I still tnw a tablespoon or two if I'm running out the door and don't have any prepared. The fuzzy crummy feeling is certainly more prevalent when I do this. I either boiled or tossed and washed most of the time over the last ten years, until I realized the minor increase in strength wasn't worth the crummy fuzzy feeling. And yes, my stomach is made of solid steel.

 

[Bert07]

Just reading this disturbs my gag reflex. Tossing and washing 12 tbsp of used root fiber? You deserve a medal.

 

[August West]

It's the texture that made me gag, not the taste. Spent root fibers are more brittle and straw-like than the first go around, which is softer and putty-like. And yeah, I gagged with every single gulp. I filled a large coffee cup half way with root fiber three separate times. It was like sludge. The last cup I had to keep adding water to try and make the texture more fluid.

 

[Poivrier]

Makas are earthworm's kava ! Don't be selfish and give it back to the garden's little workers: they need it bad after a long work day !

 

[Steve Mariotti]

It's the texture that made me gag, not the taste. Spent root fibers are more brittle and straw-like than the first go around, which is softer and putty-like. And yeah, I gagged with every single gulp. I filled a large coffee cup half way with root fiber three separate times. It was like sludge. The last cup I had to keep adding water to try and make the texture more fluid.

Urp. Ack. Ugh. Damn!

I think if I did that, I'd be in for 48 hours of digestive fireworks and beating a path between the toilet and the bed. Good lord.