According to the DEA, Kava (aka: Kava Kava, Ava, Kawa, etc.) is a member of the pepper plant and botanically known as “Piper Methysticum” or “Intoxicating Pepper” is a perennial shrub native to the South Pacific Islands including Hawaii. Pacific Island societies have long consumed kava beverages made from the rootstock for social, ceremonial, and medicinal purposes.
In the U.S. kava is sold and promoted as dietary supplements as natural alternatives to anti-anxiety drugs and sleeping pills. The reinforcing effects include mild euphoria, muscle relaxation, sedation, and analgesia including a numbing or tingling of the mouth. The active elements in kava are called kavalactones and there are 18 different kavalactones that have been isolated and identified; each of varying concentrations and effects. High doses of kavalactones can produce transient CNS depressant effects including sedation and muscle weakness.
In layperson terms, most people find kava to have pleasant relaxing and/or euphoric effects. Many kava enthusiasts use kava as a social elixir when in groups or when attending an event, and some just enjoy the experience in general. If consumed in it’s traditional dried ground-root form, it is considered fat-soluble so that in that form, it’s oftentimes added to a liquid which contains fat as well to assist with faster absorption. Either way, kava’s effects tend to be most pronounced when consumed on an empty stomach.
Although some people truly enjoy kava in it’s traditional ground-root form, it is available in many other forms which tend to be more palatable. Kava can now be found in a variety of prepackaged and branded beverages, tonics, extracts, and even snacks! So if you’ve been looking for something different and healthier to assist with relaxation, socializing, or even just for the sheer enjoyment of taking a temporary break from the stresses of everyday life, then kava may just be what you’re looking for!
As with any alternatives in life, there are proven facts as well as misunderstandings. We are not here to make any decisions for anyone personally, so we recommend that if you have any concerns that you do your own research. However, we do recommend that if you go down the research path that you dig deep and sift past the basic and shallow one-liners that many people and entities have to say about kava. Go to sources who have spent their professional lives researching the detailed facts about kava.
Recently, after extensive research regarding the 2,000+ years of historical kava consumption, the Deparments of Health of Michigan as well as Hawaii have debunked the modern misconception(s) surrounding kava. They have both respectively determined and declared that the consumption of the NOBLE VARIETY of kava (the only kind that is typically found in the United States) does NOT cause the adverse side effects typically - without evidential studies - associated with kava and is therefore considered to be Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS). This is not yet the case in other states in the U.S. but these findings are slowly moving in the direction of kava being appreciated for the true healthful benefits of anti-anxiety and mood elevation which Pacific Islanders have known of and experienced for centuries. In the meantime, you are always allowed to purchase and prepare your own as well as to enjoy the many other kava products that manufactures have created.
If you have the desire to research for yourself, we highly recommend starting with our vendor Kalm With Kava. where you will find a highly informative article addressing Michigan’s and Hawaii’s determinations as well as an endless fountain of other facts and information regarding kava. And if you love what you hear, then join us in making Swamp Cow Kava Bar Seattle’s healthiest and best third space; A Dry Gathering Place!