What is considered a "high" dosage for micronized?

[KavaCurious]

Hi, everybody. I began my Kava journey about two weeks ago. I've read about the advantages of traditional prep, but started with micronized because of the ease of use. So far, I have been very impressed with Kava. To me, it provides the relaxing and social aspects of alcohol without being heavily impaired, which is just what I'm looking for.

However, for the last two days, I have had incredibly red and itchy skin. My arms and torso have red bumps, and my face is red and splotchy. I'm assuming that this is the Kava dermopathy I've read about.

What confuses me is that it seems like this happens to people after months of heavy use, not two weeks. So this leads to my question: what is considered a "heavy" dose of micronized Kava? I went through an 8oz bag of KWK Pouni Ono and and 8oz bag of KWK Borongoru in a week. That averages out to about 65g or so per day. So would this be considered "high", or am I just sensitive to the side effects? I tried to use the search engine, but peoples' described dosages often lacked specific details on the type of Kava used, and I wasn't sure whether it mattered.

Thanks for reading my long-winded newbie post, and I appreciate the feedback from you more experienced users.

 

[Nodsey]

Seems a lot of micronized to me, though I don't generally use it. Try straining it to remove at least some of the coarser particles - as it is you're consuming the root fibers, just powdered very finely. Traditional grind in a strainer means you don't consume the root fibers as such.

 

[Pzk]

wow... 65gr of micronized in the first two weeks of consumption...
Not really a wonder to me, that the body reacts drinking micronized.

when your body makes it... I guess you will be one of those drinking a lot...

Traditional grind in a strainer means you don't consume the root fibers as such.

I wonder if there are people that can take micronized for a longer period of time daily... I wouldn't even consider it anymore doing it once.

 

[Kava Mike]

Be careful with the micronized. I had too much once and I hit the floor so hard my wife thought I was dead. Knocked me out cold. I’ll stick with medium grind from now on. Much easier to regulate in my opinion.

 

[KavaCurious]

Be careful with the micronized. I had too much once and I hit the floor so hard my wife thought I was dead. Knocked me out cold. I’ll stick with medium grind from now on. Much easier to regulate in my opinion.

Yikes, that's wild. Thanks for the warning.

 

[KavaCurious]

wow... 65gr of micronized in the first two weeks of consumption...
Not really a wonder to me, that the body reacts drinking micronized.

when your body makes it... I guess you will be one of those drinking a lot...






I wonder if there are people that can take micronized for a longer period of time daily... I wouldn't even consider it anymore doing it once.

Seems a lot of micronized to me, though I don't generally use it. Try straining it to remove at least some of the coarser particles - as it is you're consuming the root fibers, just powdered very finely. Traditional grind in a strainer means you don't consume the root fibers as such.

Thanks for the feedback. The rash has subsided, but ended up evolving into hives first. Kind of like an allergic reaction. It was a bit scary for a few days. So I backed off for a bit and recently started again. I no longer have hives, but I'm beginning to get a little bit of the classic dermopathy I've seen in pictures. I guess this is just the feeling out process where I figure out what's an appropriate amount to consume.

 

[Pzk]

@KavaCurious : No one mentioned it yet, so let me add: Real instant, and not micronized, would be an alternative if the whole traditional preparation would be too much stress for you, but you pay almost double the price.

I don't know how much you did your research, I guess you already know it, but you can reuse your kava after squeezing. How often, depends on your extraction method and effectiveness. I do 3 washes every time. And use less water from wash to wash, because it gets weaker.

 

[KavaCurious]

@KavaCurious : No one mentioned it yet, so let me add: Real instant, and not micronized, would be an alternative if the whole traditional preparation would be too much stress for you, but you pay almost double the price.

I don't know how much you did your research, I guess you already know it, but you can reuse your kava after squeezing. How often, depends on your extraction method and effectiveness. I do 3 washes every time. And use less water from wash to wash, because it gets weaker.

Yeah, I think the correct answer here is for me to stop being lazy and do traditional prep. From reading other people's experiences, it seems like a lot of the negative side effects are reduced with traditional prep. And as you mention, it's significantly cheaper. At the current rate I'm going, instant and micronized are costing me a few hundred dollars a month. Fortunately I'm OK enough that it won't make or break me, but why pay double the price and have an increased possibility of negative side effects?

On an unrelated side note, I'm really starting to believe in the potential anti-inflammatory properties of Kava. I have an autoimmune disorder that tends to make my joints inflamed and painful, and since I've started Kava, the pain and inflammation has dramatically decreased. I don't know if it's just a coincidence, but I'll take it.