it reduces anxiety less then benzo's but still has quite some effect. The upside and entire point is that it doesn't have the same issues with addiction and rebound.

thank fucking god for kava, if it wasnt for it i would be in a panic attack now. I took kava instead of a benzo and so far so good.
16g of instant from kava Europe.

will only use when i can feel an attack coming, try not to use in consecutive days

Just ordered my first thing of kava after trying a local bar, just wondering if anyone has some starter tips!

Got Pouni Ono and Loa Waka from Kalm, along with a KalmPouch cause it looked more convenient than a bag.

Just wanting something while I'm at work, I sit for long periods at work with nothing to do, and I get really stressed out just sitting and thinking, so I'm wanting something to drink throughout my shift.

Any advice or recommendations are appreciated :)

So, I recently started using kava. I love it! I have been using it twice pr week, six teaspoons of instant pr session, so that is 12 teaspoons pr week. I would really like to avoid any skin symptoms which I know heavier consumption can cause. But I am unsure what "heavier consumption" entails? Based on your experiences, would you think that my usage of kava is likely to cause skin side effects? How much do find that you need to take before you experience dry skin and dermopathy? Thanks so much in advance! <3

I'm new to kava and I can't seem to find an exact ratio they are all over the place. I want a strong batch I did 2tbs and then 4tbs and I don't even remember how much water each time I was experimenting but not keeping track... What's your golden ratio? I have a high tolerance to everything and I'm new (I have taken it 2 nights in a row and quite a bit and it helps me sleep tremendously)

I have taken kava in both instant and traditional forms and i tend to lean towards instant because its so much easier. When i take instant i guess its easy to overdo it. I have days that i take it and everything is fine and feels right. Then the next time i will throw up. Just wondering if anyone has insight or tips for how to make it consistently good. I usually get a nice buzz and relaxation but the physical sensation of throwing up every time is hard to deal with

I’m using kalm with kava micronized Loa Waka and Borogu. How much micronized kava do you guys typically take in a session? I usually do 1 to 2 tablespoons. The effects are nice but can taper off quite quick. Would it be safe to take more? I’m having trouble finding any info about this online.

Hello, I got my hands on kava powder, that smells like dirt (an aroma of an old wardrobe from my old grandmothers house), tastes like shit, is grinded very rough and it has these grey/black particles in it.

Is it possible to clean it up somehow? Or is it just wasted material? Check the photos and video. On the ceramic plate I have some regular kava (Light yellow) and then this dark rough brown "powder" with stems in it - that's the materiál I'm talking about.

This is my First time getting in contact to this quality of kava, so please, tell me frankly how nad it is. Thanks

Any tricks to feel it as much as i can for my first time? I know it has a reverse tolerance, but maybe yall know something to maybe make me feel it more? I already know about adding fat and drinking on an empty stomach.

I'm still fairly new to kava, and I've been drinking it regularly for a few months now. Before I started, I'd heard people talk about a certain feeling of closeness it can bring, and I was skeptical. Plenty of substances offer relaxation or take the edge off anxiety, but I'd never come across anything quite like kava in the way it seems to dissolve those invisible walls we build to keep other people from truly knowing us.

It makes me more patient, more compassionate, and more present with people. It seems to amplify the love I already feel for the people who matter most to me, in a way that feels less like being intoxicated and more like remembering something I'd let myself forget, if that makes sense.

I've had like 4 cups already while writing this, so I may read this tomorrow and feel it's too sappy, but I just really wanted to share my thoughts 😆.

So, I was drinking out of my AluBall and realized I hadn't washed it out—or the cup and everything else—in a few weeks. I was wondering why I was getting really tired, sick, and having headaches. Come to find out, it was because I didn't clean out my cup and AluBall after each use, or at least every couple of days. Hard lesson learned! I'm just wondering if that is truly the reason why, and if anyone else has had this experience as well. Please tell me I'm not crazy!

I really don't like depressants and I'm more of a stimulant fan. I tried "Instant Old Roots Kava" which is supposedly a heavy variety and I did not like it. It just feel like a weaker version of that famous sedative/anxiolytic but with more of a heavy feeling. I'm interested in trying a heady kava but I don't want to taste my money if you all think it's too similar to the heavy varieties.

I’m very interested in opening up my own kava lounge after being apart of the community for the last few years. I know this is a huge ask, but does anyone here own their own lounge, and would be willing to share advice and hopefully financials so that I could make my business plan more realistic and accurate? Appreciate all advice. Thanks!

I know they grow some kava now on the Cook islands, but had anyone tried it? I think it isnt sold internationally, so id be curious if there is anytging special about it, if any of yall have been over there and had some locally.

Well I am about to hit a 4 hour flight, it's not a red eye but its way earlier than I'd like to be awake these days. I go to get my trusted aluball for travel and my strongest Vanuatu and alas, I somehow packed it in my checked bag. So now I'm searching for something to strain before the flight leaves in 20.

So instead of what's the best way to strain, what's the whackiest thing you've used to try and get your kava fix on? I'm gonna use a hydroflask and shake it real good in this bag of chocolats that i might keep forever now. It seemed to have worked pretty well.

I had bought a mexican pottery bowl too that was small but the flight started boarding.

Trying to decide which to try first (never had either.) would rather NOT get a rash if I can help it lol

What preparation process do folks like for getting maximum bang for buck?

Blending? Adding fats (milk, coconut cream)?

Hello all

Due to a number of factors, I've decided to step out of the kava world for the time being. I've been taking a pretty heavy dose 3x weekly since january, and did it about 1-2x weekly for a year before then. I cut down significantly around a month ago and took my last drink on June 24. Since cutting back, and especially since my final drink, I've been getting some very bad mood swings. At first they just happened before bed, but recently have spread throughout my day. Every few hours, I get an extremely lowered mood for about a half hour to an hour. It doesn't really correlate with a trigger, but if something does happen while I'm in a low mood, I can get pretty disproportionately anxious about it. Thankfully I haven't had any Kava cravings past the first couple days. The symptoms I am experiencing seem to be similar to the few reports I have read about Kava withdrawal, especially since they happen more frequently at night, but it is concerning that they've gone on for almost two weeks now.

There are ways to manage it of course but they aren't always available to me. Socializing, caffeine, and riding a bike have helped me the most, but I'm not always in a position to do these things.

I've found another reddit thread that suggests that, since Kava can mimic MAOIs, quitting it can induce some MAOI withdrawal symptoms. This doesn't sound too far off from what I'm experiencing, tho I'm ofc missing some of the more classical MAOI cessation symptoms (like sweating and pressured speech) though this might be expected since it's not technically an MAOI after all.

Whenever a post discussing the negative effects of Kava shows up, people are quick to be defensive about it. It's great that most people probably haven't had the same experience I'm having, but I just don't want to hear that "this never happened to me" in any of the comments. Like weed, Kava is a complex bundle of chemicals and it would be the least surprising thing in the world to observe that different people respond to it differently on a biochemical level. I'm not trying to attack this plant or scare anyone off of it. I'm just looking to see if anyone has had a similar experience to me, and if so, what can I expect in my recovery, and what can I do to make it easier for myself?

Thanks.

Edit: Some people have asked for a little more info. I take prescription methylphenidate which might influence it somehow. I have taken it for a long time before I started kava, so it's probably not solely its fault. I don't take much else, I occasionally drink and very rarely take psychedelics or weed. The latter two I haven't done for several months anyways.

I've also had multiple tests run recently. They were scanning for heart and lung issues, and found nothing. I had pretty extensive bloodwork with this, there were no liver, lung, heart, or thyroid abnormalities found, and I did mention Kava use to my doctor.

I have also had similar symptoms when I quit for around a month last year, periodic anhedonia and low mood. I don't recall if it got better or worse over that month.

As for dosage, I took 4 tbsp of powder in ~3 cups of warm-hot water, squeezed for 15min. I used Kavalink from Amazon. It's almost certainly not lead or other toxicity from the hot water, we live in Canada and have a brand new, top of the line water heater.

As for psychological factors, I started a new job in January when I started taking more heavily. It's a very unpleasant job that Kava helped a lot to cope with. If what I'm feeling isn't just a result of the Kava, my next best guess is that this is related to having to grapple with more stress than before. This doesn't seem right to me, but I dunno. The swings are too sudden and happen later in the day, it feels chemical, though I understand stress is complex and can hit you in unexpected, indirect ways. Anyways, worth considering

Completely unserious question here, I don't intend to try, but what would happen if I sat down and started eating instant kava powder with a spoon like some kind of demented breakfast cereal? I would imagine it would be absolutely miserable, but there's no root fibers or anything in it so I don't see why it wouldn't work to give you the effects. Does anyone have any experience here?

Hello everyone. For background I really hate the taste of kava, which I know is common but I guess I’m more sensitive than the avg person.

I like green kava powder more, still gross tho.

I’m wondering if it’d work to put it into gelatin capsules and swallow it like that. Would that affect the absorption?

I just recently got an AluBall but that water bottles that I currently have don't have a wide enough mouthpiece to fit the AluBall. What are you using that fits it?

In terms of constipation … but seems to have lost its ability to hasten the “golden moment” as I call it… anyone else?

Are there any physical places to buy kava in spain? I am going to a place near valencia and I wanted to know

Hi! So I’m trying to figure out the best strain to go with. My husband and I have quit drinking. It’s been manageable, but would also like a way to relax sometimes. Hearing positive things about Kava.
I want euphoria. A good time. A bit of energy. But not where I’m up all night. Just something to wind down and enjoy the weekends! Or after a stressful day.
Where do I begin? Thank you!

Hello people Palarasul, my favourite kava is out of stock and I would like to buy some kava similar to it.I like it heavily relaxing (not ones that gives me sleepiness) and some mood lifting. Available ones are : Mighty Roots, Melo Melo, Silesse, Pacific elixir, Nakamal nights, Borogoru. I liked a lot Kelai too in the past, so something similar to it will be appreciated too, thanks in advance.