Weight vs. Volume

[Redrider]

My apologies if this question has been asked before, but I didn't see it anywhere.
I'm curious if anybody has weighed out their tablespoons of the various strains that are currently available. For instance, the Ambae's seems a bit more moist, than, say, the Mâlôlô, and the tablespoons would thus have different volume/weights. I was wondering if anybody has made the measurements on Mâlôlô, or Ambae's, or Loa Lawena, or Melo Melo, or Nambawan.
I would prefer to weigh them as it seems to be a more consistent method of insuring replicability in terms of effects.
p.s. I'm sorry if this seems overly analytical. That's part of what I'm hoping to dampen with kava - among other things. To - in the imortal words of Lennon- just "let it be..."

 

[Edward]

@Henry is the man to ask about this.

 

[verticity]

If you have a scale you can weigh them yourself and comment on the product profile...

 

[Groggy]

My apologies if this question has been asked before, but I didn't see it anywhere.
I'm curious if anybody has weighed out their tablespoons of the various strains that are currently available. For instance, the Ambae's seems a bit more moist, than, say, the Mâlôlô, and the tablespoons would thus have different volume/weights. I was wondering if anybody has made the measurements on Mâlôlô, or Ambae's, or Loa Lawena, or Melo Melo, or Nambawan.
I would prefer to weigh them as it seems to be a more consistent method of insuring replicability in terms of effects.
p.s. I'm sorry if this seems overly analytical. That's part of what I'm hoping to dampen with kava - among other things. To - in the imortal words of Lennon- just "let it be..."

You can find some that information below, we tried to gather as many results as possible from vendors and members, so you may not see results for every single kava but it's work in progress..

http://kavaforums.com/forum/pages/ProductReference/?mode=html

The same link (or product reference bar) can be found on the right side of the homepage, below users online.

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

My apologies if this question has been asked before, but I didn't see it anywhere.
I'm curious if anybody has weighed out their tablespoons of the various strains that are currently available. For instance, the Ambae's seems a bit more moist, than, say, the Mâlôlô, and the tablespoons would thus have different volume/weights. I was wondering if anybody has made the measurements on Mâlôlô, or Ambae's, or Loa Lawena, or Melo Melo, or Nambawan.
I would prefer to weigh them as it seems to be a more consistent method of insuring replicability in terms of effects.
p.s. I'm sorry if this seems overly analytical. That's part of what I'm hoping to dampen with kava - among other things. To - in the imortal words of Lennon- just "let it be..."

My average for all types of kava overall is 72 TBS/lb

Some more useful measurements for kava

so, 1 TBS medium grind kava MGK weighs about 6.25g, and 4 TBS = about 25g

so, 100g = 16 TBS which also = 1 cup of MGK

a half lb will net you about 2.25cups

I use on avg 8 TBS/day of MGK all told, which means a pound runs me about 9 days.

Of course, there will be some variations in the weight/volume relationship depending on the kava but this is surprisingly reliable to me. Also, I've yet to find a vendor to cheat me on weight so I stopped bothering to check labeled weights long ago.

 

[The Kap'n]

My apologies if this question has been asked before, but I didn't see it anywhere.
I'm curious if anybody has weighed out their tablespoons of the various strains that are currently available. For instance, the Ambae's seems a bit more moist, than, say, the Mâlôlô, and the tablespoons would thus have different volume/weights. I was wondering if anybody has made the measurements on Mâlôlô, or Ambae's, or Loa Lawena, or Melo Melo, or Nambawan.
I would prefer to weigh them as it seems to be a more consistent method of insuring replicability in terms of effects.
p.s. I'm sorry if this seems overly analytical. That's part of what I'm hoping to dampen with kava - among other things. To - in the imortal words of Lennon- just "let it be..."

Just weighed out a tablespoon of Ambae’s and it’s 8.2 grams. Probably could go a little higher if your tablespoon is more rounded.

 

[Redrider]

If you have a scale you can weigh them yourself and comment on the product profile...

The problem with varieties like Ambae's is that unless you weigh it out, you can end up with different densities in the tablespoon and thus end up with significantly different amounts of material. With the more dry varieties, while certainly more consistent, there still is some degree of variability. That's why weighing it would theoretically, to me, seem to be the best way to get consistent results from specific strains.

 

[Redrider]

I am incredibly grateful to all of you for the information.
I am even more grateful to be in the company (albeit online) of folks who actually give a damn about each other, and sharing the benefits of this plant.
Thank you.

 

[Redrider]

Just weighed out a tablespoon of Ambae’s and it’s 8.2 grams. Probably could go a little higher if your tablespoon is more rounded.

Thank you, Kapm.
One of the main reasons that I was asking is that when somebody tells me that they felt effects from two shells or what not, it's good to know what I'm supposed to be looking for, to at least give myself some kind of baseline or benchmark to work off of. I know that everybody isn't the same, but still, it's helpful to know what other people's experiences are, so I can pivot off of that.
So all of this information is very helpful to me - even if it's only in my head.
Thank you again.

 

[Redrider]

@Henry is the man to ask about this.

Am I embarrassing myself if I ask who Henry is ?

 

[recentreturn]

Am I embarrassing myself if I ask who Henry is ?

No reason to be embarrassed! If you tap on his name, you'll get more info. However, he was tagged, so presumably he will get an alert that his name was mentioned in the conversation.

 

[Redrider]

No reason to be embarrassed! If you tap on his name, you'll get more info. However, he was tagged, so presumably he will get an alert that his name was mentioned in the conversation.

Wunderbar! I learn new things every day.
Thank you.

 

[Redrider]

I have been usibg an electronic scale for a few years now. It really is the only way to guarantee consistent results and to get meaningful comparisons between cultivars. I dobt know the tsp weight of specific kavas but I know how much of specific kavas I need to use to get the effects I enjoy

If you have it on a spreadsheet or anything sorry of record, I would be most grateful if you'd share .

 

[Edward]

If you have it on a spreadsheet or anything sorry of record, I would be most grateful if you'd share .

Trial and error for yourself would be the best way as you're undoubtedly going to get different levels.

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

Yup, kava dosage by weight or by volume are somewhat meaningless until you find out how your personal biochemistry responds to it. The difference between peoples reaction to a specified dose or cultivar can be fairly drastic.

Even then, different kavas and different batches will all have different weights. The same exact kava from the same farm you had last year won't necessarily be the same this year, no matter how you measure it. So there is no good way of making a permanent chart. Even if the weights were the same, it doesn't necessarily mean the same ratio of constituents, psychoactive or otherwise, are identical.

On top of that, kava is so relatively mild & safe compared to more common hardcore chemical drugs, that it doesn't really require precise dosing measurements, because you're never in any real danger of accidentally overdosing. Rough guidelines are suitable with kava and even then, it's much more likely that you will 'under-dose' ...but then again, that all depends on what you're looking for. --and getting nauseous is always a possibility.

Kava and it's dosage is personal journey, for each individual consumer and each individual batch.

TL;DR = YMMV

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

Yup, kava dosage by weight or by volume are somewhat meaningless until you find out how your personal biochemistry responds to it. The difference between peoples reaction to a specified dose or cultivar can be fairly drastic.

Even then, different kavas and different batches will all have different weights. The same exact kava from the same farm you had last year won't necessarily be the same this year, no matter how you measure it. So there is no good way of making a permanent chart. Even if the weights were the same, it doesn't necessarily mean the same ratio of constituents, psychoactive or otherwise, are identical.

On top of that, kava is so relatively mild & safe compared to more common hardcore chemical drugs, that it doesn't really require precise dosing measurements, because you're never in any real danger of accidentally overdosing. Rough guidelines are suitable with kava and even then, it's much more likely that you will 'under-dose' ...but then again, that all depends on what you're looking for. --and getting nauseous is always a possibility.

Kava and it's dosage is personal journey, for each individual consumer and each individual batch.

TL;DR = YMMV

I think when people are starting out there is a very real danger of accidentally overdosing the kava, but thankfully in general if you accidentally overdose there is almost no real danger, other than falling and hurting yourself. It does very little damage, on its own anyway, and it wears off relatively quickly, as "substances" go. It feels worse than it is and the best protection is to be aware of what could happen so if it does you don't overreact, that's the real danger, IMO. Just relax, don't worry, sit or lie in a comfortable place, rehydrate and wait it out.

 

[Edward]

I think when people are starting out there is a very real danger of accidentally overdosing the kava, but thankfully in general if you accidentally overdose there is almost no real danger, other than falling and hurting yourself. It does very little damage, on its own anyway, and it wears off relatively quickly, as "substances" go. It feels worse than it is and the best protection is to be aware of what could happen so if it does you don't overreact, that's the real danger, IMO. Just relax, don't worry, sit or lie in a comfortable place, rehydrate and wait it out.

I think making yourself fee pretty ill a few times is necessary to explore the boundaries. If you learn from those experiences then it won't take long to be able to go up to your happy level without regularly going beyond.

 

[Redrider]

I think when people are starting out there is a very real danger of accidentally overdosing the kava, but thankfully in general if you accidentally overdose there is almost no real danger, other than falling and hurting yourself. It does very little damage, on its own anyway, and it wears off relatively quickly, as "substances" go. It feels worse than it is and the best protection is to be aware of what could happen so if it does you don't overreact, that's the real danger, IMO. Just relax, don't worry, sit or lie in a comfortable place, rehydrate and wait it out.

I understand. I have a relatively severe anxiety disorder, so despite the fact that it would seem emminently logical and reasonable for someone to explore the way you and Edward describe, I'm still reluctant to do it. I think I'll stay the course and see if I can get some effects from 2 to 2 and 1/2 shells. If not, I'll increase.
I truly hope I'm not one of the few people that doesn't feel the effects. Here's hoping.

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

I understand. I have a relatively severe anxiety disorder, so despite the fact that it would seem emminently logical and reasonable for someone to explore the way you and Edward describe, I'm still reluctant to do it. I think I'll stay the course and see if I can get some effects from 2 to 2 and 1/2 shells. If not, I'll increase.
I truly hope I'm not one of the few people that doesn't feel the effects. Here's hoping.

Entirely depends on what you need. A little kava can be perfect. So can a lot. Too much kinda sucks. I tried that and don't recommend it.

 

[HeadHodge]

Am I embarrassing myself if I ask who Henry is ?

I think his full name is Henry Who?
Dunno, might be asian.