Kava Preparation Vitamin C Does it eliminate Kavain?

[aviavieu]

I have heard that this could be how much truth there is? And how much vitamin C you need to add when preparing it to eliminate Kavaine and how much it will eliminate. I know that this post looks strange for someone, because Kavaina is considered the best kavalactone, but she is short but unpleasant and excites me and I prefer chill for Kava

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

That is a very interesting question.

Do you use warm, hot, room temp, or cold water ?

 

[verticity]

In Lebot's book, Kava: The Pacific Elixer, he refers to earlier authors who suggested that the reason there is no kavain in kava leaves is "the immediate reduction of one double bond (7,8) by ascorbic acid." (p. 67). Reducing that double bond (i.e. changing it into a single bond) would change the kavain into DHK. Lebot was referring to the biosynthetic processes that naturally make kavalactones in plants, but previously on this forum I have speculated based on that passage that mixing your kava drink with vitamin C might cause the same thing to happen. But as far as I know that has not been proven or disproven by experiment. It might be possible, but it's an unproven hypothesis that that reaction actually happens in the conditions in a kava drink. And it's unclear if the role of ascorbic acid in DHK biosynthesis is really any more than a hypothesis either. So I don't have any idea how much vitamin C you would need to make it happen (if it actually does).

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

You could always test it. And if your symptoms are reduced we could speculate that it is possible. But still not know. Placebo, coincidence etc.

 

[kasa_balavu]

This isn't an answer to the question, but I've read posts on here saying that in Vanuatu nakamals they often use oranges as chaser.

 

[aviavieu]

For the preparation of Kava I added 1.5g of vitamin C.
Probably not only eliminates Kavaine. Much weaker performance. And so empty like after valerian. Vitamin C destroys a lot with drinking

 

[Groggy]

For what it's worth, I take 500mg of vitamin C daily and never noticed anything.

 

[aviavieu]

This works when you add Vitamine C to the water in which you prepare Kava.

Most likely, taking Vitamin C has no effect, but let someone else comment, a lot of juices have Vitamin C and it's not fun to be restricted from drinking them by drinking Kava

 

[Yogini]

I take 2,000 mg a day of Vit C and never noticed a discernable difference. This could be an hour before I have kava.

 

[Yogini]

And many of us have mixed kava with citrus at some point. I've never noticed a difference.

 

[Herbalwise-Kava]

I take 2,000 mg a day of Vit C and never noticed a discernable difference. This could be an hour before I have kava.

At 2,000 mg per day of vitamin C, you've probably wiped out your gutathione levels (and increase oxalate in the urine), which would result in vit c becoming pro-oxidant rather than antioxidant, so would not reduce the double bond, if I'm thinking correctly. You can check your urinary oxalate levels to see if this is the case. In this case, it's no argument against vitamin C weakening kava effects.

 

[Plantacious]

Can someone tell me the difference between kavalectones and kavain, as far as effects ?
Ok I did a quick search, and apparently kavain is actually a type of kavalectone, and the "main one" if the source is correct.
So, more kavain is good, right ?

 

[Orz[EST]]

Interesting. Maybe someone testsckava prepared with water vs kava tested with effervescent vitamin C drink before me. Maybe not