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Judging by the
advertisements bombarding us on the television, it's
clear that sleep (or lack of it), is a major concern for
a large segment of the population. The sheer number and
variety of sleep medications on the market serves as a
staggering reminder that we all live in a hectic,
stress-filled world which contributes to our inability
to calm down and get a good night's rest. Of all the
natural sleep aides available, perhaps none are as
potentially helpful as kava kava.
Kava has been in use for thousands of years, and despite
rigorous modern-day testing, no solid evidence has
proved that there are any side effects from properly
prepared kava. On the other hand, there is ample
evidence that supports already established knowledge
that kava is a wonderful sleep supplement.
In Hawaii, restless and feverish children are given kava
root (pre-chewed by their mothers), twice a day to
soothe their fits of crying. Throughout the South
Pacific, Islanders employ kava as a calmative for
children and adults alike, and in many kava-consuming
regions it is used prior to important political and
tribal meetings to promote smooth waters for
negotiations and respectful observances.
Kava is a magical plant that produces calm without side
effects. Unlike many prescription sleep aides, which can
have all the subtlety of a freight train, kava kava's
effects are gradual in nature. Kava gives you a sleepy
feeling without knocking you out and without making you
"dull" and unfocused. You'll remain alert and focused,
able to think and remember clearly until you drift off
into gentle slumber.
Kava has long been known to have a relaxing effect on
the body, but more and more people are using kava to
ease the anxieties of modern-day life. It's no wonder
that kava is many people's preferred “night cap,” as it
can calm you down and prepare you for a night of restful
sleep. In fact, as long ago as 1979, modern science
proved that kava's active ingredient, kavalactones,
produced drowsiness in people.
More and more doctors are even recommending that their
patients take daily doses of kava as a mild sleep aid
and a natural anxiety reducer. One of the great things
about kava use is that it does not lose its potency over
time. This simply means that if you take kava on a
regular basis, you will never have to take larger doses
of kava to achieve the same result. This is quite
different than most sleep medications, most of which
have a “build-up effect” that makes them lose their
effectiveness over time. Even as they become more
addictive, users have to take more to achieve the same
results.
Kava has been used for centuries in traditional
homeopathic medicine to treat conditions such as
insomnia, extreme states of anxiety, stress, excitation
and exhaustion. Muscle relaxation, sleep inducing and
anti-anxiety properties have been pharmacologically
proven to be in the kava plant.
Kava can be used in a number of different forms as an
effective sleep aid. The most common way to take kava is
to prepare a kava-based drink. We have a number of
delicious kava instant drinks here at Kona Kava Farm,
all of which use our organically grown, highly potent
strain of kava. Try the tasty chai or a soothing
kava-infused cocoa! For the purist, we also offer
powdered root that can be used to make a traditional
kava drink. |
