Aloha Everyone!

I hope the new year has been going well for all of you so far. Here at the farm we’ve been incredibly busy, and there hasn’t been much time for rest or relaxation (though ‘awa has still been a constant and calming companion at the end of my work day).

I’d like to take a moment to share some great news, and a bit of Hawaiian history with all of you. You may remember my mentioning the Australian kava ban

in a few of my blog posts last year. Kava is treated as a prescription-only medicine in Australia, meaning that one has to have a license from a Western doctor to possess the medicine. This means that the drink cannot be consumed in its traditional fashion at cultural events, such as the National Multicultural Festival. Pacific Islanders have been fighting against this ban for some time, and last year, they convinced the government to allow traditional kava consumption at the event, and it was so successful that the Australian government has decided to lift the ban on kava at that festival permanently.

The Australian Kava Movement spokesman Siua Tofua’ipangai expressed happiness at the announcement, but believes that kava use should be permitted in all cultural and religious activities without a permit.

This is definitely a victory, though it is a small one. Unfortunately, indigenous kava users from many different Pacific nations have been struggling with the suppression of traditional kava use since Western governments first began to colonize our homes.

We’ve been relatively lucky in Hawaii, in that we haven’t been officially forbidden to use any of our sacred medicines. Nevertheless, Hawaii is still a colonized land. January 17th marked the anniversary of the overthrow of the Constitutional Monarchy of Hawaii, then led by Queen Lili’uokalani. The overthrow was primarily organized by American citizens who were looking to protect their business interests. From that time on, Hawaii was annexed by President William McKinley, and became a United States Territory.

The tale of the Hawaiian takeover and resulting liberation movement is long and complex, and I won’t get into it here – this is a blog about kava, after all. I simply want to bring this event to your attention, as its anniversary has just passed. In commemoration of the loss of our independence as a nation, my family took the time to have a formal ‘awa ceremony and to sit together in prayer for our nation and for the world. If we are to move forward together as a planet, the rights and medicines of all peoples must be recognized and respected. This shift in Australia is a positive one, but much more remains to be done so that we may all use the medicines we value and practice the traditions that ground us in our own native lands.

Aloha no,
Makaira

Aloha everyone!

Happy New Year! I hope that you enjoyed peaceful holidays, and a gentle transition into the New Year. I came down with a cold last week, so I’ve been enjoying a few peaceful, restful days at home, bundled up in my slippers and sweater and drinking lots of tea (and ‘awa!).

Many of my friends have mentioned that they feel that this will be a year of truth-telling and personal self expression, in which we can all come forth and discuss our experiences in order to benefit ourselves and others. In honor of this new year of honesty, I’d like to share the story of my very first ‘awa ceremony, and tell you about how it changed my life.

Now, I grew up in a family where ‘awa was very important. My parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles would gather together regularly to drink ‘awa, both ceremonially and socially. I was sometimes brought along to these ceremonies, and when the bowl was passed to my mother, she would usually give me a tiny sip, to get me used to the taste and the energy of the plant more than anything else. The sip was so small that I never noticed any effect. I would, however, notice a feeling of deep peace and calm during the ceremonies, and often fell into dreamless, restful sleep curled up next to my mother, calmed by the singing of traditional songs and the sacred energies generated by my clan’s communion with the earth through this sacred plant.

As I began to grow up, I started to find the ceremonies a little boring. I was entering that typical teenage rebellion stage, and wanting less and less to do with my family, our native culture and traditions, and our medicines. I was intrigued by American movies and advertising, and starting thinking about going to a big University to study Law or Medicine or something similar, so that I could grow up to be like one of the sexy doctors or lawyers on those television shows. Like most early teen girls, I was gullible, impressionable, and fairly ego driven. I thank all that is sacred that I never went down that path.

It was ‘awa that turned me towards the path I now follow. When I was 17, I was invited to a ‘awa ceremony, this time as an adult woman. I understand that this probably would have happened earlier in the pre-colonial times, probably in tune with the commencement of my moon time, but my parents wanted to ensure that I didn’t make any of the Western teachers or students at my school nervous by talking about the ceremonial consumption of a mind altering plant. Now, having a child of my own, I definitely appreciate why they made this choice.

For the first time, in that ceremony, I felt like an adult. I was no longer a confused child – I was asked to assist in preparing the beverage, in serving it, and was able to drink my own bowl of ‘awa and sing the traditional songs I remembered so long ago as part of my community – a fully functioning adult with the responsibility to treasure and carry down the tradition of our medicines and their uses. I had a sense of identity – knew who I was and what my purpose on this planet was. No longer did I want to run away to live in a big city and collect fancy shoes and handbags. I wanted to help my community, help the planet, and grow our medicine.

As I continued to drink kava, I learned to appreciate how grounding, calming, and relaxing it was, how wonderfully it facilitated communication in our little family, how it assisted us in making good decisions as a group, and how it helped us to heal old and new wounds and tensions before they caused damage and pain. By the age of 20, I knew that I wanted to bring this medicine to the world, to offer this healing sacrament to people all over the planet so that they too could experience this personal and interpersonal healing, and so that they too could learn to reconnect with out mother earth. I felt, and still feel, that by sharing our sacred medicine with people all over the world, we would be able to strengthen our own culture, and to create a movement of planetary healing for the benefit of all beings on this earth.

Having a ritual, and a plant teacher to initiate me into adulthood meant that my adolescence was not just a time of rebellion and confusion about my identity – it was a time when I came to understand who I really was in the context of things. I believe strongly that these rituals are essential to raising healthy, integrated adults, and I hope that those people who do not have such rituals in their family will create them once more, as some of our customers have shared that they have done with kava!

‘Awa is the reason I am able to work tirelessly, both to grow this medicine and to bring it to people in as many parts of the world as I can! I am honored to be able to do this work for all of us, and I hope that you find it of benefit.

Aloha no,

Makaira

Aloha everyone!

Recently, I posted an article about our Kavalovetone product, which is a blend of kava and a number of other healing herbs. One of our readers left a comment expressing concern that it is blended herbal combinations, such our Kavalovetone, which are responsible for the cases of liver failure that have tarnished kava’s good name in the west for so many years now. I’d like to take a moment to address these concerns, and to discuss the safety of herbal combinations in general, particularly those that contain kava. I know I discuss safety a whole lot on my blog, but as kava becomes more and more popular, I find it is necessary to address everyone’s concerns to ensure that as many people as possible feel safe and comfortable working with this marvelous healer.

As our commenter pointed out, kava has been used for thousands of years by Pacific islanders with very few negative side effects recorded. It is only in more recent years that we have seen a very small number of cases of liver damage that have been associated with kava by the media. None of these cases, however, were related to kava that was blended with other herbs. As a matter of fact, kava is traditionally blended with many other plants and herbs to potentiate the activity of the root, similar to many other ceremonial plant medicines, including chile peppers and the leaves of other species of pepper.  Kava has been blended with all sorts of other traditional plants  for thousands of years!

So, why did the FDA issue an advisory about kava? Well, the most obvious reason is that kava that is not prepared properly can be very dangerous. All ancient kava-using cultures understand that the above-ground portions of the plant are toxic and should never be consumed – only the roots of the plant are safe. It can be difficult to know whether the kava you are purchasing online or in a shop are prepared in a safe fashion, especially if the kava is powdered or in pill form. Knowing whether or not it is blended with other herbs means nothing in this situation. Therefore, we recommend that you only purchase kava from companies who very clearly state that their kava is only produced using the below-ground portions of the plant.

This is not to say that kava is safe to mix with everything, or that all herbal combinations are safe. It is essential to have a basic knowledge of the herbs you are combining, as some can produce negative effects when combined. More important than that is being aware of any pharmaceutical medications you may be taking – some pharmaceuticals react in strange or unpredictable ways with herbs, so ALWAYS ask your doctor before combining a new herb with your prescription. And finally, alcohol is one of the most damaging substances to the liver available, so it is very important to be aware of potential liver toxicity in herbs you may be taking, and to avoid combining those herbs with alcohol – this can potentiate the damage caused by both substances.

At present, no definitive scientific proof has come forth confirming any detrimental effects of kava, and there’s no research at all on the effects of kava when combined with other synergistic herbs. In my opinion, given the traditional methods of blending kava with other herbs, it’s even possible that synergistic combinations of kava and other herbs may be more beneficial for the body than just kava alone!

Essentially, I am asking you to be careful and do some research when using herbal medicines (and pharmaceuticals, for that matter). The ingredients in our Kavalovetone are primarily non-reactive, but as I mentioned in my previous article, the St. John’s Wort may react with birth control pills and SSRIs. The valerian may also make you sleepy, so it’s important not to take these capsules and then drive a car, and I wouldn’t recommend drinking with these capsules either.

Before you start consuming a new substance, take a moment, do some research, and make sure that it will play well with any medications you are presently taking, as well as with any other herbs and supplements that you like to work with. We offer many pure forms of kava and kava alkaloids, so if you are concerned about the safety of using multiple herbs, you can always stick with those to keep things simple. It is our responsibility as healers and conscious beings to ensure that we care for and support our bodies with the medicines we can choose, the more we learn about our medicines, the more we will learn to heal ourselves safely and effectively. It is up to each and every one of us to know what is best for our own bodies. And, with the help of the internet and a bit of awareness, I believe you’ll find this task simple, and even enjoyable!

Aloha no,

Makaira

Aloha everyone!

I hope you are all enjoying a peaceful transition into winter! Things at the farm have been pretty hectic, but we are all working hard and are still able to relax in the evenings thanks to our wonderful ‘awa (thank goodness!)

One of our customers, Steve (another Hawaiian!) sent me a note asking about the levels of oxalates in ‘awa. He has a tendency to develop kidney stones, and has to avoid foods that are high in oxalates. He was wondering if kava contained this substance, and if perhaps it had something to do with kava liver damage cases in which above-ground portions of the plant were consumed.

So, what are oxalates? Well, according to The Herbalist’s Path, oxalates are naturally occurring acids found in certain foods, especially sorrels, rhubarb, spinach, black tea, and cocoa, among others. Higher concentrations are often found alongside higher amounts of calcium. Oxalates are something that the body can digest. Most are excreted without effecting the body seriously. In fact, when you take vitamin C capsules, your body converts the excess into oxalates, which are filtered through the kidneys and come out in urine. However, as Steve mentions, oxalic acid crystals CAN create kidney stones. Therefore, individuals who have a tendency to develop kidney stones are often advised to avoid high oxalate foods.

Now, I’m not sure if kava leaves have oxalates in them. I was not able to find any resources to confirm or deny this. I suppose it is possible that the leaves do contain these crystals, and that this is part of what makes them toxic. Fortunately, kava leaves are never eaten traditionally, and you can rest assured that our kava is made ONLY from the safe below-ground portions of the plant!

And here’s the good news! According to the World Health Organization Monograph on Selected Medicinal Plants, Calcium oxalate crystals are absent in powdered kava root material! Not only that, there are HUNDREDS of internet articles suggesting that kava is actually beneficial in relieving kidney stones. According to Dr. Sharol Tilgner, author of “Herbal Medicine from the Heart of the Earth”, kava has an antispasmodic action and an anti-inflammatory action, which means it can actually relieve the pain of kidney stones and help them to pass through the ureter.

Now, I’m not a doctor, and if you are actually experiencing kidney stones, the first thing you must do is go see one. Nevertheless, I found all of these internet sites interesting, because kava is used traditionally in Hawaii and the South Pacific to relieve…drum roll…urinary tract troubles! Yep! That’s right. It looks like modern medicine (at least on the internet) is finally catching up with traditional wisdom!

So you can drink your kava without concern over oxalates. And if you are struggling with kidney stones, why not ask your medical professional if kava might be of benefit? Perhaps she will already have heard of it, or perhaps she’ll be willing to do some research with you to find out more!

Aloha no,
Makaira

Aloha Everyone!

Makaira here! I hope all of you are enjoying the transition into fall. Here at Kona Kava Farm, our busy harvest season is finally slowing down, giving me some time to relax and update my blog!

We’ve been receiving many questions from customers about the worldwide legal status of kava recently, so I’ve taken the time to update my article on the topic. Please head on over and take a look. Please note that we’ve been having a tricky time getting our kava to Australia and Italy. If you live in one of these countries, we will ship to you, but be aware that you order at your own risk and that the products you order may be seized by customs, in which case they will never reach you.

We’ve also been receiving lots of inquiries about our kavalovetone capsules, so I’d like to take a moment to discuss these lovely products in more detail. Unlike the rest of our kava products, our Kavalovetone 84% capsules contain kava AND herbal extracts of a number of wonderful, relaxing herbs. As I discussed in my Herbal Kava Combinations article, kava often works very well with other calming herbs. These capsules contain a combination of our famous 84% kavalactone extract and the following herbs:

Chamomile, Hops, Lemon Balm, Gotu Kola, Ginko biloba, Ginseng, Passion Flower, Skullcap, St. John’s Wort, Valerian, Vitex (Chaste Berry), and a proprietary Ayurvedic herb blend.

Now, one thing that I want to be sure to note here is the inclusion of St. John’s Wort in the blend. As I mentioned in an early Ask Makaira article, there is no known interaction between St. John’s Wort and Kava, although I recommend that you ask your doctor before combining these two plants. However, St. John’s Wort is known to have not-so-beneficial effects when combined with certain pharmaceutical drugs. In particular, St. John’s Wort can reduce the effectiveness of birth control pills, and can increase the side effects of SSRI antidepressants and sedatives. For a comprehensive list of the medications with which St. John’s Wort interacts, please take a look at the excellent information on the University of Maryland Medical Center website.

So, if you’re interested in trying out our wonderful 84% Kavalovetone capsules, please be careful and make sure that you are not taking any medication which interacts negatively with St. John’s Wort. We want to be sure that all of our customers to have a safe and enjoyable kava experience!

Aloha no,
Makaira

Aloha everyone!

Makaira here! I hope you’re all enjoying some pleasant fall weather, and that those of you who have headed back for another year of school are settling in well after a relaxing summer vacation.

I’ve been noticing a rather disturbing trend in recent mentions of kava in the news, and decided that a blog post on the topic was in order. With the increasing popularity of kava across the globe, we are also seeing more and more cases of individuals getting pulled over for driving eraticaly while extremely intoxicated on kava.

There were a few court cases in California some ten years ago surrounding people who were pulled over after drinking large quantities of kava. In one such case, a man in San Mateo, California, was pulled over, failed a field sobriety test, and said that he had taken 23 (!) cups of kava before driving. The charges against him were dropped when it was determined that state DUI laws did not definitively include kava tea.

In most states (including here in Hawaii) the situation is similar – DUI laws do not usually indicate kava as an intoxicating substance under the influence of which citizens are forbidden to drive. And, fortunately, although I have been seeing at least one article a month regarding an individual being pulled over for driving erratically under the influence of kava, no one seems to have been killed or gotten into a serious accident as of yet.

However, as kava increases in popularity, and as it becomes more and more common for people to use it as a substitute for alcohol, cases of people trying to drive on high quantities of kava are going to increase. It is essential to remember that kava is sedating, and that it does slow down reaction time. Furthermore, those wonderful muscle relaxing effects of kava also tend to decrease physical coordination. I always drink kava after I’m done working and have come home for the night, and would never drive on anything but the smallest amount – I know that my awareness and coordination will not be sufficient to safely operate a motor vehicle. After all, once I’m wrapped in the warm embrace of this beautiful plant, the last thing I want to do is attempt something stressful and potentially dangerous like piloting several tons of metal moving at incredibly high speeds. Furthermore, I don’t know a single person in my family or circle of friends who would ever even consider driving on any significant quantity kava.

So, the reason I’m writing this article is to ask anyone who reads it to be very careful when it comes to kava and driving. I don’t want to hear about anyone coming to harm when working with this plant – kava is a healer, after all, and as long as it is treated with respect, it will only bring benefit to your life. Furthermore, as a community of kava users, we have a responsibility to ensure that this plant stays safe and legal for years to come. If kava becomes linked to automobile accidents, injuries, or, god forbid, deaths, there is a much greater chance that it will be regulated, and that the thousands of people who benefit daily from kava will no longer be able to access this medicine.

Next time you drink kava, take the same precautions that you would with alcohol – be sure that you don’t have to drive anytime too soon afterwards if you want to drink more than just a little, set up a designated driver system if necessary, and call a cab if you find yourself too intoxicated to drive home. Please be safe, and please respect this sacred plant that we may all continue to benefit from its healing powers for years to come!

Aloha no,
Makaira

Aloha everyone!

We’ve been getting a lot of questions from our customers recently concerning some of our more unusual products – our whole kava root and kava root chips. These products aren’t as popular as our ground Mahakea kava root, and for good reason – they are a great deal more difficult to work with and require quite a lot of effort to prepare. However, they do bring significant benefits along with all that extra work.

As I’m sure most of you know, here in Hawaii and in other parts of the Pacific, it is traditional to drink ‘awa that is prepared with the whole, fresh root. This produces the freshest and strongest possible beverage. However, for those of you who do not live on a Pacific island, it is almost impossible to obtain fresh kava root – the plant needs a tropical environment to thrive, and it is almost impossible to ship fresh. This is quite unfortunate, as the experience of drinking ‘awa prepared from fresh root is truly unlike any other.

This is where our whole kava root and kava root chips come in to the picture. You see, the smaller something is broken down, the more quickly it loses effectiveness over time. Think of parmesan cheese, for example. If you buy a big block of it at the store, it will stay fresh for quite some time in the refrigerator, and the flavor will still be fresh and lively when you grate it over your dinner a month or so after purchase. However, if you select already-grated parmesan cheese, you will find that the flavor rapidly degrades, leaving you with a much less tasty experience after a short time. Sure, pre-grated cheese is easier to use, but you lose quite a bit of flavor in the process.

Kava is the same way. When the root is left whole or processed into large pieces, there is significantly less surface area from which alkaloids and other beneficial components can be degraded, and much of this surface area is protected by the outer bark of the root. On the other hand, when the root is ground up, each tiny particle has significantly more surface area from which to lose effectiveness, and this surface area is no longer protected by the bark. Thus, you end up with a product that is much more convenient but that also loses its strength more rapidly.

Now, we ensure our Mahakea Kava root powder is always as fresh as possible, and are sure not to store it for any excessive period of time, so you will still find that the kava prepared with our root powder is quite effective. However, if you are looking for ‘awa that is more akin to the traditional experience, and you are willing to do a bit more work, we highly suggest trying out our whole dried root or our kava root chips.

The first thing to keep in mind is that whole dried kava is very tough. Please do not try to grind it in a coffee grinder, food processor, or blender -  you may destroy your appliance! Rather than trying to grind the root, you want to break the root down by pounding or pulverizing the quantity you wish to prepare. You only need to pound the root enough to break the fibers so that you can squeeze and strain the mixture in water in the traditional fashion.

First, soak the dried root in lukewarm water for at least a few hours (overnight is best). Next, you will pound the kava. In Hawaii, we use large wooden or stone mortars and pestles for this job much of the time. If you do not have access to anything like this, you may try putting the kava on a heavy wooden cutting board and pounding it with a heavy rolling pin, meat tenderizer, or even a small sledge hammer. You may want to add more water as you pound the root to assist in the process of breaking down the fibers. If you are still having trouble, freeze the root after soaking it overnight – ice crystals will form between the fibers, breaking down the root further – then thaw and pulverize.

Once the root has broken down and become soft, simply place in a bowl of cold water and squeeze and knead the root fibers for five to ten minutes until the water becomes cloudy and opaque. If you were able to pulverize the root for long enough, you will end up with a delicious, extra strong and very fresh kava beverage that will bring you as close to the fresh kava root experience as possible!

If you have any questions about using whole dried kava root or kava chips, or if you have any tips or recipes for using these unusual products, please leave a comment and let us know!

Aloha no,
Makaira

Aloha everyone!

Recently, one of our customers, Joel, asked me a very interesting question. He was curious which kava product I would recommend as an addition to a tradition that his family took part in several times a year. His family gathers at a specific spot on a river, where they sit around a campfire and tell stories about ancestors and local legends in order to create a strong connection to each other and to the past. The family had decided to include kava in this ritual, in order to enhance bonding and communication! Of course, I recommended our traditional powdered kava root, since it is the closest to the kava preparation that is traditionally used in kava ceremonies all over the world.

I was overjoyed to hear that kava was being included in such a ceremony, and, to be honest, I was even happier to know that there are people who are creating family bonding ceremonies in order to build unity and togetherness. In most indigenous cultures, including Hawaiian culture, it is traditional to hold regular ceremonial events in which family and tribe members gather together to build a strong feeling of group unity and to remember the blessings of the ancestors. Very often, these rituals include the consumption of one or more plant medicines, which create a shared experience, break down the boundaries of the individual ego, and allow all members of the ceremony to learn from each other and share wisdom easily and with openness. The addition of a plant medicine also recognizes our undeniable connection to nature, the earth, and plant life as our most ancient ancestors and valuable members of family and tribe.

Unfortunately, the modern Western society that has been spreading across the globe for the last few centuries does not innately contain any such rituals. Furthermore, with the demonization of many plant medicines by missionaries in places such as the Pacific Islands, indigenous peoples lost track of these essential unifying rituals. This often resulted the complete disintegration of the tribal and family group and the abandonment of traditional ways of life. So, nowadays people of all ancestries go through life without ever practicing rituals of unification and bonding in the family group or larger community. This has lead to a great societal feeling of loneliness, isolation, and alienation which can clearly be seen in modern literature, music, art, and consumer culture.

I am always incredibly grateful to be part of a family in which the traditional kava ceremony has been going strong for as long as anyone can remember. I have a feeling that is our tradition of building family unity through the kava ceremony that has allowed us to succeed so well while running a thriving family business and dealing with all of the challenges that such an operation brings. Every evening, after a long, hard day of work, we get together to share an informal bowl of kava and to laugh and talk about the experiences of the day. Every month or so, the whole extended family gathers, often with friends and their families, for a more formal, traditional kava ceremony. In this way, through ceremony and the bonding and warming social enhancement of kava, we reaffirm the importance of our connection as a family. We are able to deal with any conflicts that come up with compassion and love, and are constantly remembering and cultivating gratitude for the wisdom of our ancestors. I believe that it is the kava ceremony, more than anything else, that holds us together as a family.

So, as I said, I am overjoyed to learn that family bonding traditions are being revived in places all over the world, and am even happier to learn that kava and other plant medicines are being included in these rituals. Now, I’m a little biased, but I do feel that kava is an ideal plant for family ceremonies – after all, it creates a wonderful feeling of connection and closeness, allowing family members and partners to increase feelings of unity exponentially. However, depending on your family and the tradition you create, you may find that another plant is a more appropriate addition to your ritual. Whatever sort of plant you feel might be appropriate, and whatever form your ritual takes, I would strongly encourage all of you to consider creating a regular unification ritual – be it with blood relations, close friends, co-workers, or any other group in which you wish to cultivate unity. I think you will be surprised to learn just how valuable and powerful this connection is!

If you are already participating in group rituals of bonding and unification, regardless of whether they include plant medicines, please leave a comment and let me know what form your ritual takes. I’m very interested in learning about different forms of family bonding rituals!

Aloha no,
Makaira

Aloha everyone!

With all of the kava plants here on the farm coming in to their full glory, I am once again inspired to take to my kitchen and begin exploring exciting new kava drink creations! In the summer, there is always more than enough work to do on a kava farm – tending the plants, harvesting, drying kava root, preparing kava powder – the list is endless! Of course, kava farming is in my genes, so I don’t mind the work – I find it very grounding and healing – but it definitely requires tons of energy!

Now, as you all know, I drink kava most every day. It brings me calm, peace, and clarity in all that I do, after all. I usually drink kava after a hard day’s work, as that is when I’m usually most in need of relaxation, but I do find that lower doses of kava are very helpful when working on repetitive tasks, such as preparing kava root to send out to all of you. Still, kava can make me feel a bit sleepy and unmotivated, so I began exploring kava combinations that would still create a sense of peace, but that would also provide me with plenty of energy (and calories) to face my work with courage!

I tried blending kava with cold tea and coffee first – not bad, actually, but I felt as if the caffeine stimulation was at odds with the kavalactone relaxation. Then, one day as I was working on our website, I had a revelation – Maca!! This delicious South American root tastes great – like dark, nearly burnt caramel – and it’s a true superfood! Maca is rich in dietary minerals, trace elements, fatty acids and amino acids, and contains long chain polysaccharides that break down slowly, providing long term energy. Maca definitely makes me feel awake and alert, but doesn’t have the stimulating jitteriness of caffeinated beverages. As soon as I considered the facts, I knew it – kava and maca are a match made in heaven!

I spent a few days experimenting with different combinations of kava and maca – we’ve got quite a few varieties of both around the farm, so it took me a moment to come up with the perfect combination. I wanted to create a beverage that showcased both the spicy earthiness of kava and the caramel sweetness of maca, and that would provide me with plenty of energy for a long day of work in the fields. Finally, I created this simple, delicious recipe that will really get you going – in a calm, balanced, kava sort of way, of course!

KavaMaca Cinnamon Coconut Smoothie

Ingredients

1/2 cup Coconut Milk

1 cup Soy Milk/Nut Milk/Rice Milk

1 Banana

1 Tbsp Kava Chai (I like Cinnamon best, but the Spicy Clove flavor works wonderfully, too!)

1 Tbsp Maca Root Powder

Crushed Cacao Nibs

A few drops of Stevia extract, if you like

Instructions

Place coconut milk, soy/nut/rice milk, and Kava chai powder together in a blender. You can just use coconut milk if you like, but if the coconut milk you purchase is super thick (as with the kind I usually buy) it helps to add another liquid to dilute. Blend on high for 5 minutes.

Strain the mixture through a cheesecloth or muslim bag, being sure to squeeze any excess kavalactone-rich liquid out at the end.

Put the liquid back into the blender and add the banana, maca powder, and stevia. You can add anything else you like at this point. Blend until smooth and pour into cups.

Sprinkle crushed cacao nibs on top for an attractive presentation and a healthy energy boost!

This recipe makes enough for two people, each of whom will receive about half of a typical dose of kava – I find this amount ideal for drinking kava and still feeling motivated, but you may adjust the amount as desired.

If you try this recipe, let me know how you like it! And if you have any amazing kava beverage ideas, please do stop by and let me know – I’m always curious about the delicious new ways that all of you are coming up with to enjoy our beloved ‘awa!

Aloha no,
Makaira

Aloha Everyone!

The weather here in Hawaii has been wonderful lately. Things got a little crazy back in March with tons of rain, hail, flooding, and even a waterspout! But now we’re back to normal with lovely weather, lots of sun, and just enough sweet island rain here and there to make the ‘awa plants sing. Of course, I’ve been super busy on the farm, but I’ve still had time to gather some of the most recent kava news, and I’m happy to report that everything is looking great for global awareness of this magnificent healer! The influx of articles about the ‘terrible dangers’ of kava to the liver have stopped, and are being replaced with plenty of pieces highlighting the excellent benefits to health and local economies that kava has to offer!

First, on an individual health level, we have a brief article from Natural Standard, a database that provides news on integrative medicinal techniques. They highlight a new study that analyzed 10 human trials to determine the effects that kava has on the brain. The review determined that kava “significantly improved both memory and visual attention”, although it reduced visual attention for “high-pressure cognitive tasks.” The report states that there is no evidence that kava has a significantly negative effect on the brain, and that it is neither sedating nor tolerance-forming in the right doses. You can view the abstract for the study on PubMed.

Now, all of this information is obvious to anyone who has been respectfully using kava for any amount of time – kava makes us feel more relaxed, which makes it easier to focus and remember important information. However, it’s not the best thing in the world for doing really high pressure work – it’s much better for relaxing and focusing on enjoyable social experiences and meditative practice. And, when used in the appropriate doses, it’s perfectly safe and does not damage the liver or the mind. The article also mentions that the quality of reports stating that kava damages the liver has been variable. “Several are vague, describe use of products that do not actually list kava as an ingredient, or include patients who also ingest large quantities of alcohol.”

I’m glad there are folks out there paying as much attention as we are!

Another article from The Fiji Times Online discusses the benefits that kava has for the economy of the country.  The Fiji Kava Council has reported that the increased demand for kava in Western countries has led to a great deal of economic benefit in Fiji. The article does mention that the lack of quality consideration from many growers who jumped on the kava bandwagon in the 90′s did lead to some damage to the reputation of the industry in the country. However, the kava trade also provides very poor farmers with the ability to care for their families and to educate their children. As Fiji is presently in talks with countries in Europe that have banned kava imports, it is hoped that these benefits will increase as more markets open up. Hopefully, those unscrupulous farmers have learned a lessons about quality, and will be able to enter the world market with high quality kava, thus benefiting their villages and the country as a whole. If all goes well, people in Fiji may experience a much higher quality of life thanks to this wonderful plant! I certainly wish them the best!

This final article isn’t about kava directly but it really spoke to my heart as a Hawaiian native, and I wanted to share it with all of you. The Dalai Lama recently came to visit Hawaii and gave several talks at Universities and schools on the big island. The theme of one of his talks was “Advancing Peace through the Power of Aloha”. In it, he spoke to the importance of keeping our indigenous Hawaiian culture and language alive, and discussed the concept of Aloha. If you didn’t know, this word has a much broader meaning than hello – it indicates the breath of life – peace, love, compassion, and wisdom. Understanding this, you can understand the true power of the Aloha Spirit!

There are quite a few videos of the Dalai Lama’s talks in Hawaii online. I really enjoyed this one, and you can find many others on Youtube as well!

Although I was too busy to attend the Dalai Lama’s talks in person, I was thrilled to read about his visit and watch these videos, and am excited to see where we as a community can go with such wonderful inspiration. The Hawaiian people have experienced much suffering since encountering Westerners – it is encouraging that now contact with the outside world is assisting us in waking up to our own true nature. We are once again learning to appreciate and love our indigenous culture and our islands, and to nourish the love and compassion that we have inside our souls!

I feel that ‘awa is a big part of our powerful aloha spirit here on the islands – it provides us with inner peace and the ability to see clearly with love and compassion, even when things become very difficult.

The beautiful ‘awa plant truly embodies the Aloha Spirit, and helps us to cultivate that spirit in our own hearts through good times and bad. As these news articles show, it is truly a powerful healer, and can even help to improve the lives of whole communities and countries. I feel blessed to be able to work with and spread the message of this plant, and am excited to see what healing benefits ‘awa will have for the Hawaiian people and the planet in the near future!

Aloha no,
Makaira

Aloha Everyone,

Warm breezes are finally shifting the relative dim of the rainy season here in Hawaii. I find that this time of year always brings me a great deal more energy, inspiration, and excitement for the future. With this inspiration I often find myself trying to discover interesting new ways to do those things that I do every day, breathing new life in to old rituals to create a sense of shift, change, and growth in my experience.

As I’m sure you can guess, one ritual that I love to perform every day is the preparation and sharing of a delicious cup of ‘awa with friends and family. I never get bored of kava prepared in the traditional style – ground or pounded and extracted in to cold water, then served in a half coconut shell – but at this time of year I always find myself considering new methods of kava preparation.

A few months ago, one of our contributors asked me about other natural, traditional healing herbs that might be combined with kava in order to produce stronger or slightly different effects. Although I have come up with hundreds of different recipes and techniques for preparing kava over the years, I must admit that I had never before considered the potential of combining kava with other herbs.  However, with all of the recent news about the relative safety and/or danger of natural remedies, I have taken a new interest in traditional medicines other than kava, and so I became inspired to research and try out a few different kava-herb combinations!

Chili: I began my experiments after doing some research in to traditional kava combinations.  I discovered that in Polynesia, kava is often combined with chili pods to create a stronger beverage.

The chili idea seemed interesting, so I tried adding a dash of cayenne to my evening cup of kava in coconut water, and found it to be very pleasant indeed – the numbing sensation of the kava was increased somewhat and I experienced a heightened sense of relaxation, as well. Cayenne also has many beneficial health effects, so this combination is quite good for increasing overall health.

Valerian Root: Next, I decided to try combining my kava with a few other herbal preparations that I have been enjoying recently. I have some very nice valerian root tincture, which I added in to my kava beverage one night – this increased the calming effects of the kava tremendously, and I ended up sleeping better than I have in years, for a good ten hours straight! This combo makes a great solution for anyone suffering from insomnia – just try to stay awake after drinking this beverage.

St. John’s Wort: This popular herb is well known for lifting the mood and assisting with depression.  I took several capsules of a St. John’s Wort preparation along with my kava one day and found the combination to be very pleasant – the feeling was very relaxing, yet I was still stimulated and able to enjoy conversation and spending time walking around the farm with friends. I would highly recommend this combination for stress relief.

Damiana: I started taking this Mexican herb as a supplement a few months ago to help with hormone balancing, but had never combined it with kava. I prepared some damiana tea from dried plant material, let the liquid cool, and steeped my ground kava root in it. This combination was surprisingly effective and pleasant! When I drink damiana tea by itself I don’t usually feel much – perhaps a bit of relaxation and a slight mood elevation – but in combination with kava, a wonderful, confident, mildly cheerful and elevated feeling was created.  I felt a great sense of well-being but was also fully capable of functioning, focusing, working and socializing.  This is definitely a combination I would try again.

Passion Fruit: Finally, I decided to see what would happen if I combined kava and passion fruit. I recently learned that passion fruit and passion flower act as MAOIs, meaning that they can enhance the effects of many other substances. Here in Hawaii, fresh passion fruit is everywhere, and its one of my favorite fruits, so I was eager to give the combination a try. I picked up some fresh passion fruit juice and blended it with some of our delicious Banana Vanilla kava drink mix and some soy lecithin in the blender.  This created a delicious beverage that I must say felt a good deal more effective than the same amount of kava normally would.  Even better than that, though, the flavor of the passion fruit seemed to almost completely cover the bitter, spicy flavor of the kava that many of our customers report disliking.

If you can’t find fresh passion fruit juice, you can also combine kava with a small amount of passion flower extract or tea for a similar effect. Passion flower supplements are easy to find at most health food stores. The yummy flavor won’t be there, but the enhanced experience should still be just as present!

These are all the combinations I’ve come across so far – I’ll let you know if I discover any more! One of my recent favorite herb-related sites is called Dream Herbs, and it contains a number of articles on interesting herbs that assist in dreaming. They don’t have kava on there (yet) but I’m interested to see how the other herbs discussed on the site combine with kava!

If you have tried any kava combinations that you love, please leave a comment and let me know about them! Remember to always be careful when combining kava with anything that has a negative effect on the liver (such as alcohol). Kava may increase the damaging effect of any such substance. Do your research before trying any combination, and start at a low dose to be safe. And, as always, have fun, relax, and enjoy the blissful experience that my beloved ‘awa and these other traditional herbal medicines have to offer!

Aloha no,
Makaira

Aloha Everyone!

It certainly seems that things are getting more and more chaotic all over the world these past few months.  Although there have been some negative things that have occurred as of late, I have been witnessing more and more signs that movements toward rational, reasonable, compassionate behavior are growing, gaining strength and momentum, and creating very real change.

I am extremely happy to report that this movement towards rationality can be seen more and more clearly in the recent news surrounding kava! Maybe it’s a bit much to say there’s a kava liberation movement – things aren’t quite so organized – but there is definitely a shift happening in the way that people view kava and herbal medicine in general.

To begin with, a few months ago I wrote an article about the Australian Kava Ban and the controversy surrounding it. At the time, a number of indigenous Pacific islanders who live in Australia were getting ready to campaign to have the ban lifted.  Well, things are getting even more exciting! According to ABC News Australia, a group of Pacific Islanders requested that they be allowed to prepare and serve Kava  in a traditional ceremonial manner during the National Multicultural Festival that took place in February.  However, this request was denied, and police threatened to have anyone caught with kava at the festival arrested and put in jail for up to five years! Unbelievable!

Fortunately, Radio New Zealand tells us that the participants in the movement are considering  legal action in the High Court.  A spokesperson for the movement, Siousiua Lafitani Tofua’ipangai says that many Pacific people still drink kava in the traditional way in Australia, despite the risk. This is a very clear case of discrimination against an indigenous group of people, their freedom of religion, and their freedom to practice traditional ritual and use traditional medicines.  My heart goes out to them, and I hope that they bring their lawsuit to the highest possible authorities and win! That would be a tremendous move towards kava regaining proper legal status in Australia!

In other great news, Australian Network News reports that within the next month, scientists from the Pacific will gather at a Kava Symposium in Vanuatu in order to overturn the European Union ban on exporting kava to the region.  This is going to be the biggest gathering since the EU ban took place ten years ago. The Pacific scientists are planning to prove once and for all that Pacific nations are capable of establishing good quality control systems for kava production.  If they are able to do this, new kava markets will open up in the South Pacific, and many people will be able to create a better life for themselves and their families!  Again, this is great news, and a sign that we may be moving towards a better, more rational future when it comes to kava legislation world-wide!

Finally, I stumbled across one more article recently on Natural Standard, a database for medical professionals working with integrative medicine, about the treatment of anxiety. The article is primarily about treating General Anxiety Disorder with exercise, which studies have found to be quite effective (obviously).  The article then goes on to say that kava “may be as effective as benzodiazepine drugs such as diazepam (Valium). Kava’s effects were reported to be similar to the prescription drug buspirone (Buspar) used for GAD in one study.  However, there is a concern regarding the potential danger from taking kava based on multiple reports from Europe and the United States that include hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver failure.”

Now, this is very interesting. First of all, it looks as if some medical professionals are finally admitting that kava is as effective as Valium (which is very dangerous, extremely addictive, and can cause seizures and death)! They’re also comparing kava to buspirone, which is a substance that is becoming more popular in the treatment of anxiety these days. Now, we’ve already talked about this kava health concern a million times – properly prepared kava is no worse for the liver than grapefruit juice, and it’s much safer for the liver than over the counter pain killers. We know kava is definitely safer than Valium, and it’s not addictive, either. Now, let’s look at buspirone!  Side effects apparently include severe allergic reaction, fainting, fever, new worsening mental, mood, or personality changes, seizures, suicidal thoughts or actions, and unusual restlessness, among others. These all sound like pretty serious side effects, especially for someone suffering from anxiety. And I’ve certainly never heard of anyone experiencing anything like this when taking kava.

This article isn’t the most glowing endorsement of kava, but this is one of the first times I’ve seen my favorite plant compared in such a favorable way to pharmaceutical anti-anxiety medications. With a little extrapolation, it’s quite clear that kava is just as effective AND much safer than these substances.  It’s exciting to see kava being described in this way by an organization that is clearly intended for medical professional use!

So, despite all the chaos of the past months, I feel overwhelmingly hopeful for the future of kava, and for our future as a planet.  It seems as if more and more people are starting to behave in a reasonable and sensible manner.  May this trend continue!

Aloha no,

Makaira