1 (edited by Barefoot Doc 2005-05-21 02:17:55)

Topic: Kava Kava

I am sure many who take anti depressants would find this a much  safer and long term effective treatment without the side effects of prozac. In therapeutic doses no physical effects can be felt.

I have no doubt the UK ban is linked to the pharmaceuticals worried about how many people were using it as an alternative to the SSRIs.
The ban was based on about 7 people suffering liver failure who took kava but the study was deeply flawed and has been shown to be a farce by experts, it would be  like banning baked beans because 7 people who died of liver failure all consumed them sort of thing.
Also some suppliers were using the plant rather than just the roots which is the only part that should be used.
Anyway the welsh assembly overthrew the ban and most people just mail order it from Hawaii and other places who wish to use it.

I sometimes use about 6 grams to really relax on weekend evenings rather than drink wine or beer, it does produce mild euphoria and relaxation but amazingly leaves your mind crystal clear so i guess it would not have the same problems of disrupting your aura like cannabis or large doses of alcohol and does not have the addiction problems of the former.

Perhaps this is not ideal as you should just use be able to use your mind to relax but no ones perfect. smile

Its not like we are fractions of the whole but rather versions of the whole.

Re: Kava Kava

I've used Kava Kava occasionally. I've found some brands merely make one sleepy, while others really relax you. One of those things you have to shop around for.

3 (edited by Tom Paine 2005-05-22 08:44:51)

Re: Kava Kava

Barefoot Doc, thanks for your post.  I'm almost hesitant to further it since the
F_D_A has it in their sights for banning it in the states.  But I use it and it's the
only thing that I've found to quieten down my wife's agitation that she gets
sometime.  I mail ordered two pounds of the powdered root and currently
have a pound each marinating in one gallon jugs filled with 80 proof Smirnoff.
When you take the extract off the top and add a little vanilla extract (that you
make yourself) and add a bit of Splenda or Stevia extract or saccharine to it and put it in a
one ounce dropper bottle you've got a portable supply which you can put
a dropper full under the tongue and instantly calm down.  What's great about
Kava Kava is that it doesn't impair your thinking.  The reason I use non-sugar
sweetener is because I tried it with sugar and it blew the rubber bulb off the
dropper (something to do with fermintation, I'll bet!)
Anyway, thanks for the post, Doc.

As certain herbs are coming under the gun it might be a wise thing to buy a
supply of the herb and make your own extracts.  Alcohol extracts last
indefinitely and the water and the alcohol in most liquors prevent the growth
of bacteria, and they help dissolve and make available the constituents of
the herb by liberating the water soluble and the alcohol soluble parts.

On the subject of liver failure, all it takes is for a couple of idiots to overdo it
with any substance and the PTB will jump on that and use it as an excuse to
ban it so they can cram their pharmaceutical poisons down you at exorbitant
prices.  This happened with L-Tryptophan (they say it was a Japanese lab that
let impurities into the capsules, but I think it was sabotage by whoever makes
Ambien and those other sleeping pills).  It also happened with chaparral
because some fool (who probably already had liver damage) drank gallons
of the tea. 
Oh well,

Keep sending us your insights Barefoot Doc!

Regards,
TP