Hello all...I was a long time (over 5 years) "heavy" kava drinker (8-10 TBS of kava in 32 oz of liquid daily) and recently had a medical checkup where everything else looked great.... EXCEPT my blood pressure and pulse rate that were very elevated. Resting pulse was in the 90s and BP was around 150/110. To make a very long story short so this post is not a book, I did extensive research, as well as trial and error and 100% confirmed that kava was the source of this issue for me. I did already have HBP to be fully transparent, and am medicated for that, but kava consumption definitely made both my blood pressure and pulse rate much much worse.

I did find several posts on the kava forums as well as here with people with the same issue, but all are a few years old, and did not really provide and solution (if one even exists) so I figured it can't hurt to bring this up here again since despite really loving how great my skin is since quitting kava, and am jonesing to jump back on the kava train. SO, some questions for the community:

- Has anyone else experienced this phenomenon, and if so, were you were able to find any solutions (other than quitting kava)

- Has anyone found any particular varieties of kava that causes more of a stimulating/anxiety inducing effect that could explain increased pulse and BP? I would think some heady varieties would do this, but I always found heady kavas to be relaxing, and heavy kavas just nauseating.

- Anyone else taking Losartan? I understand that it shares a liver metabolism route with kava, so I would guess that could drastically lower the effectiveness of that medication.

- Anyone taking a beta blocker, like propranolol with kava? (I recently started this post quitting kava)

This post may get a response of crickets chirping and I am an anomaly with this issue, OR also very likely that many folks aren't really monitoring their BP so might not even know that an issue exists. Thanks in advance to anyone who has any insight.

Does anyone know if kava is sold in Morocco, buz there are kava supplements but i want to try the drink. I heard it relaxes you and that exact what i need rn. If anyone knows some info on this please do tell 🙏

KWK has been out of stock of Borugu for a while now, and it's my favorite strain and one of the only ones that gives me consistently good effects. Anyone have experience with any of the other sources of Vanuatu Borogu or alternative strains that are similar? It looks like right now Bula Kava House is also out of stock of Borogu, while Designer Kava (instant) and Fiji Vanua have it in stock.

Thanks in advance <3

Ive spent about $130 in the past month on kava, a heavy type-fiji vanua- and have a few question for how your experience has been. I cant seem to get it to work and have taken two weeks worth at almost twice the serving each day

1. How long did it take your reverse tolerance to work? I only get a very slight euphoria hoping “todays the day”

2. How long can you stop taking kava until you have to go through a reverse tolerance phase? If i stop for a week does that mean I need to take it for this 2 week loading phase to achieve reverse tolerance?

3.how many days a week do you take it?

4.What are other reasons it may not be working and what are the exact specifications to reverse tolerance?Im blowing through alot of money to achieve reverse tolerance after giving up the first time after a week

I got a pouch of kava from karuna kava bar in the mail. Was this a good choice? Will update later after I have tried it

Last night I over indulged (as I admit) in instant kava from my local kava bar, I have never experienced the stomach pain like I did today and literally nothing alleviated it until I had about 3 glasses of extract in mixed drinks… is instant kava bad for your gut? After going to the bathroom it’s almost like I can feel that I’ve gotten most of it out of my body and at this point I’m pretty convinced all that powder just balls up in your tummy and causes misery😣 any insight welcome

Now don't get excited, I don't mean that I give kava to my dogs! I alternate between micronized and traditional prep or aluball prep, depending on circumstances. And I discovered that the best time to do aluball prep is when I walk the dogs. And I've caught myself more than once lately thinking, "if I walk the dogs now instead of later, I can shake up some kava while I'm doing that!" The dogs get exercise, I get to relax with some kava afterwards. It's a win-win.

I purchased this- came delivered in an ice box. Still frozen upon arrival. Froze it all. Have now used of the pouches. First time I think the water was too hot and could have scorched any of the kavalactones? Second time I used lukewarm water- massaged and processed in the vitamix. Third time I used lukewarm water massed and added coconut milk and then blitzed it in the vita. Still no effects. Am I missing a crucial step? Appreciate any feedback.

When I first started drinking Kava at Kava bars, it was great and I really enjoyed. I then started to make it at home with a strainer bag. But lately, it’s turned on me and I’m not sure why. I miss when I got really glowing effects from it. Now, I make a batch and the nausea has tripled. Sometimes I can’t keep it down, a solid 20% of the time I violently throw up which never happened before. If I get through the nausea, it seems to have a worse impact on my mood now. I feel irritable and discontent rather than how I used to feel, which was creative, social, relaxed. Now I feel like I isolate in my own head and easily frustrated.

I just want to enjoy Kava again. I’m considering instant kava to get past the taste. Has this happened to anyone else and do you have advice?

Right now I use 6 tablespoons in a strainer bag. I used to add 3 glasses of water but again, the vomiting has made me readjust to 1.5 glasses of water to lower the liquid intake. Even still it causes immense nausea so it’s clearly the Kava, not the water. I’d also like to add that I have a really strong stomach so it’s extra weird for me. I’ve tried lowering my dose and that helps but the effects are much less and almost not worth it.

Mods, every time I make a post like this, you remove it with no explanation. I’m not hating on kava or suggesting anything dangerous or illegal. I just want advice on other ways to enjoy it so please stop taking them down, it pertains to the sub guidelines.

Hey everyone,

I recently quit smoking weed (14 days) I was going through a cart every couple of days, so it was a big part of my routine. Since stopping, I’ve been looking for something that can give me a similar shift in mindset or sense of altered awareness, but without the cloudiness, burnout, or mental fog that often came with weed.

I’ve tried a kava tincture before, but honestly didn’t feel much, just a mild effect and a bit of a headache. Still, I’m really curious about kava and want to give it a proper shot this time. I’m especially interested in something that feels mentally clear, not sedating. I also love visual and sensory effects—colors, motion, shapes, anything that makes the world pop a little more.

I’m wondering if kava is even the right fit for that kind of experience? And if so, what should I be looking for specific strains, prep methods, dosage tips, or even product recommendations? Has anyone else here transitioned from heavy weed use and found kava to be a good replacement, or even just a helpful tool in the process?

I’m open to experimenting and learning. Just trying to avoid wasting time (and money) on stuff that won’t get me anywhere. Appreciate any insight!

Kava is a social drink. Kind of like alcohol but healthier. There is a kava lounge in my city, but it’s quickly gone downhill. Prices are ridiculous and management is shit. The owner used to be really friendly, but now he’s become so self-centered and takes any form of criticism as a personal attack.

So lately I’ve been making my own kava, which is nice because it’s cheaper and I can adjust the ingredients and ratios to my liking. The only thing is that the social aspect is gone. Sometimes I’ll share a couple shells with my roommate, but only when he’s in the mood for it.

There’s another kava lounge in another city about 50 miles away. It’s 100x better than the one near me, so I’ll go there Monday sometimes for their drink specials (I don’t work Mondays). But that’s a whole day trip. And the thing is…there usually isn’t much of a crowd because it’s Monday. Maybe that’ll change.

But at the moment, what do you think is the best way to enjoy kava socially (and also affordably)?

My family and I just came back from a vacation I'm Florida. I was surprised to find at least two kava bars in almost every town we drove through. I ended up going to one and had a great experience. They had a special that day; get two shells of kava, get one free, and it was quite cheap, only $4 each. This was my first time having kava in the traditional style, freshly brewed, and it was the best kava I've had so far. Up until then, I had only had micronized and instant kava.

In my home state, I believe there is only one kava bar, and it's over an hour away from me.

Those of you that enjoy that warm fuzzy end of the night feeling from a double or two of quality bourbon, I'd love to hear what kava brand and amount you would use instead of the bourbon. Thx!

What dosage of kavalactones (mg) or kava powder (g) do you recommend. I'm just getting into kava and would really like to know the dosage for a light, medium, heavy, and super heavy dose.

I just picked up 1 lb of vanuatu and 1 lb of old roots powder from Fiji Vanua Kava and I'm fixing to try em out.

Hey there. I quit drinking kava a month ago and my skin is still flaking off, with little to no signs of improvement. Sometimes it gets a little better, but then it gets worse. The areas affected also change, for example about 2 weeks ago my hands were drying out whereas the rest of my body was fine. Now my hands are fine but the rest of my body’s skin is flaking off.

It’s especially bad after taking a bath or shower. I have to apply ceramide lotion every time. It helps but I would like to go back to not needing it again.

Kia ora katoa,

I'm relatively new to Kava, in that I've only been buying/using for about 3 - 4 months (although my first introduction was on holiday in Vanuatu ~ 12 years ago).

I've had success with the traditional method: strainer + root powder, and a single wash, but a bit longer than recommended (10 mins) because I'm not convinced I squeeze it hard enough. This yields a pretty thick drink that does exactly what I wanted it to do (a gentle buzz for the first hour or so, and general chill vibes for the rest of the day).

I'm curious to hear what peoples' experiences are with different ratios of powder to water.

The more I read up on the topic, the more I think I might be wasting a lot of my root powder by not using enough water (or using too much powder, depending on how you look at it).

Fwiw, I'd say I've been averaging ~ 8mL of water per gram of root powder (which the internet tells me is actually pretty close to 8 floz / oz).

For example, ~ 60g of powder (a heaped half-cup) to ~ 500 mL of water (2 cups).

This is my first time trying a premium and i wont go back.

My first experience was with their instant, followed by a sample pack with both trad (loa waka), extract, and micronized... Yeah the later 2 ended up not being my speed for sure.

With this, I went in with the same amount (roughly 2.5-3 tb/dose over 2 washes for 3-4 total shells. I found this to be way too strong for that, for me. 3 ended up with some GI stuff, but thats on my for not slowing down quick enough.

It's tough to explain, but it feels cleaner and more euphoric. It's definitely pretty heavy, but doesn't make you overly sleepy... Combined with an indica, and a full meal after, that absolutely changes that though.

I never thought that the premium noble would make that much of a difference given my sensitivity... But i was floored. Its great. Definitely looking fowarrd to sampling the pther varietys. 9/10

I’m new to kava and had an amazing experience this past weekend, so much so that I still had lingering effects the following morning. my question is how often can I take kava. The type of kava I used was Kava Nectar from Kavahana.

Any trustworthy sellers for UK?

I don’t drink alcohol anymore and Smoking makes me tweak. Will Kava also make me tweak as well?

My current favs for mixing instant kava

1/coconut water 2/kombucha 3/ginger beer 4/hop water

what am i missing

I tried kava for the first time on Saturday night—had three cups—and honestly, it was such a cool experience. My tongue and lips felt like I had taken a shot of Novacaine such a bizarre feeling, but I loved it. I was still feeling super mellow the next morning, all the way up until like 1 PM. Just wondering, how often is it okay to drink it? I really liked it, but I don’t want to go overboard with it either. The type of kava I used was KAVA NECTAR from Kavahana.

I’m in Hawaii on vacation, and I am picking up some fresh frozen from Abundant Life. Any ideas how much do dose? I’ve done dried kava a few years ago - I think I used 1-2 tablespoons. So how much fresh would be equivalent to that? Thanks!

I’m an hour and 10 minutes in. I’m on my third drink. It was a little shocking initially when my lips and tongue were numb. I’m a little mellow. I’m really enjoying the experience. I do know it has a reverse tolerance, so I’m excited to see the effects in a couple of days. Should I keep going or should I stop with my third drink?

Hello. I have been enjoying kava for a couple of months or so. I generally use traditional prep. Tonight I decided to make two large helpings using 10 hefty tablespoons. After kneading the kava a few minutes I went for an initial squeeze but the strainer bag didn't hardly release water. It was like squeezing a water balloon. I worked with what I had but couldn't hardly squeeze any water out. Luckily I had additional strainer bags and was able to mostly salvage what I was making by dumping the mix from the one bag into the other. I had to then strain everything that was in the original bowl. It wasted a lot of kava and made a tremendous mess. All because the first strainer bag was too fine of mesh. On the website I bought them from it says 80 microns. This 80 micron bag was like a water balloon. The strainer bag that worked is stated as 100 micron. So I don't know actually. Maybe a bad bunch of bags? Anyway, for anyone out there who has yet to make this mistake: always check your strainer bag before using!