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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by LOOPS on April 28, 2004, at 8:28:46
Hi all -
I prefer to take the whole kava root ground up. I have some good Polynesian stuff in my cupboard. They advise (the website) mixing 1 1/2 tablespoons of the powder with 1 1/2 cups of water and a little vegetable oil and honey in the blender. This makes one serving.
Can anyone help me? I want to take kava spread out over the day (3 times) - how much whole root is equivalent to say a capsule which contains 70mg kavalactones??
Right now I'm splitting the 'one serving' into two, which means I'm ingesting almost one tablespoon of whole root 3 times a day. Is this too much?? I have read it is better to do the whole herb, as the extracts can be dangerous not containing all the compounds from the plant?
Thanks
Loops
Posted by Chuckie on May 24, 2004, at 17:18:36
In reply to Talking about Kava, posted by LOOPS on April 28, 2004, at 8:28:46
Hey Loops,
I probably don't have the answer you're looking for. What are you using the kava for?
I learned the kava routine from my Fijian brother-in-law. In general, you take a good handful of it, put it in a porous scarf, and run cold water over it slowly, kneading it until you feel it get all gritty so you know the powder has been disolved and emulsified. Then throw away the gritty stuff. A bowlful (like a medium sized mixing bowl) between two people is therapeutic.
At weddings and funerals, you take several pounds of the stuff and conduct the same ritual with buckets of water and a tub. Then you sit around drinking kava until you feel like you *are* kava.
Most important, before drinking the kava, you must say "bula" and clap your hands. Then drink, and clap three times. This ensures efficacy. Optionally, if you're not drinking it alone, your friends can do the hand-clapping and the bula-saying. Who does what, and when, depends on how much kava has been consumed already.
>>how much whole root is equivalent to say a capsule which contains 70mg kavalactones??<<
This is why i don't think i have the right answer, because i think capsules are useless. I can't imagine what 1.5 tbsp would do for anyone. And of course the potency will vary with origin, preparation, and storage.
So the only thing i can say with any authority is no, you're not taking too much. You're taking too much when you do the above ritual all day for weeks on end, and your hands get dried out and get scales on your shins.
Bula!
-Chuckie
Posted by LOOPS on May 24, 2004, at 19:52:02
In reply to Re: Talking about Kava » LOOPS, posted by Chuckie on May 24, 2004, at 17:18:36
Hiya -
I'll have to remember about the 'bula' thang - that's maybe where I've been going wrong all along!
No, seriously, I do have quite a large stash of high quality kava root (some from Kona, some of the stuff also beginning with a 'v' - which is stronger I think).
I got some capsules as well, and the last stash has been absolutely useless. 30% kavalactones my arse! This stuff wouldn't put a baby to sleep!
I tend to shove a load in the blender with water, oil and honey and press go. This is still pretty foul, but the effects are worth it. As I tend to suffer from insomnia, kava is just what I need.
I am definitely going to repurchase the kona batch.
Do you drink this often??
Loops
Posted by Chuckie on May 25, 2004, at 0:27:32
In reply to Re: Talking about Kava » Chuckie, posted by LOOPS on May 24, 2004, at 19:52:02
I haven't used kava in a long time. When i did, it was mostly socially. Or recreationally. Or religiously. Or whatever reasoning some Fijians use to justify drinking way more kava than i reckon God intended. Come to think on it, i never saw any reason to ask. ;)
I find kava stimulating; it helps keep me focused and alert. So i did use it sometimes when i needed to work all night, and stuff like that. I've heard of people using for insomnia but that isn't how it works on me.
Again, it might have something to do with dosages. The first time i saw capsules it made me laugh. My portions are "handfulls" not tablespoons. I guess if your body is naive to the substance and you're pretty clean otherwise, then it could have a noticable effect. Just because i can't imagine it doesn't make it not so.
I have no idea how your preparation method effects things. Believe it or not, i LIKE the taste of kava so i stick with tradition.
Anyway sometimes the more posts a topic has, the more attention it gets, so maybe i'm being helpful by attracting people?
-Chuckie
This is the end of the thread.
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