I Don’t Feel Any Effects! – What Gives?

Posted by on Sep 9, 2007 in Ask Makaira | 7 comments

Ceremonial Plant MedicinesEdward asked: I tried some Kava powdered root yesterday, and followed the instructions – 2 tablespoons with 8 oz of water. I put it in the blender for 5 minutes and then pressed it through a coffee filter. The end result was a tea-like liquid. After drinking it, I felt no noticeable effect. Should I have left the root to soak in the liquid for 30 minutes? Should I have thoroughly squeezed the juices out of the root? Should I have not filtered it and just drank the whole concoction? Any help would be appreciated.

Makaira says: Every person reacts differently to Kava root, and therefore, it’s up to you to do personal experimentation to find out what works best for you. We are only personally legally allowed to offer recipes based on the new FDA regulations, and 2 tablespoons of root is within the FDA recommendations. We have heard many reports of others taking 4 tablespoons or more per serving, but we cannot recommend, endorse, or verify those reports.

Just as some people are more sensitive and some are less sensitive to things they put into their bodies, it is no different for herbal supplements. You made your extraction correctly, and yes, most filter out the root (we don’t), but you didn’t say if you added any fats (such as coconut milk), which draws the kavalactones out of the root. We always add both a juice, such as pineapple or mango, as well as a fat, such as coconut milk or soy lecithin to help with the extraction process.

A number of our favorite recipes for you to try are on our site!

Hope this helps!

Aloha no,

Makaira

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7 Comments

  1. Just drink more. I find 80ml or 125 of something like an awa is a lot if prepared correctly. It not prepared correctly it won’t do too much.
    Also take it 20 mins before food and you may need to take it a few days to get the experience and process of making it down.
    It should get you high in an undeniable way if you do that kind of dose.
    You don’t need to do that much to benefit but if you’re looking for the kava krunk, there it is.

  2. I’ve had 2 tablespoons of kava root powder earlier today (about 2 oz). I felt not much – no numbing, bit woozy, eyelids feel bit heavy, slightly strange driving, bit like had a glass of wine maybe. Nothing much. This was my 1st time trying kava. I’m gonna have 2 more oz in a minute.
    DAVE

  3. Personally, I received my order of 8oz today. My first glass I tried was 2 tablespoons, follow by 3 the next glass. The last glass I made was 2 heaping tablespoons. Each time the first effect was numbing of the mouth, usually followed by slight nausea and euphoria as well as a sense of well-being.

    Defiantly worth its price though, will probably have a repeat order in the future. =)
    Cheers

  4. leslie, you need to read up on the reverse tolerance effects of kava, it takes small amount daily for a week before most people achieve good effects. i have been using kava for about 6 years and finally just ordered from kona kava farm and it is hands down the best plus it is so finely ground that it is practically instant in that you can just mix it and down the whole lot.

  5. I’ve found that adding some fat (oil, milk, whatever) is the way to go. I can squeeze and massage the bag for a long time, but I won’t get a drink as strong as using a blender with some oil added. My personal recipe is a packet of hot cocoa mix, 1 cup of water, and a few tablespoons kava root, blended for 3-4 minutes.

  6. First of all, we are very sorry to hear that you are unhappy with our “Pride and Joy” product; our Powdered Kava Root. We always take great pride in the strength of our Kava products, but our customers have always come first, and that is why we have always offered our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. If anyone is unhappy with their purchase, they simply have to return the unused portion for a full refund or exchange.

    But, you didn’t leave us any kava to return or exchange! If you would have left some kava to send back to us, we would have been happy to exchange it or refund your money, but we cannot do anything with an empty bag.

    All we can offer is this, in the form of a personal note: We have a very personal interest in our kava products because we are not only the growers who have a product we deeply believe in to only sell on the internet; we use the kava we grow on our farm every single day, throughout our immediate and extended family, as well as friends.

    This is why we have never sold our plants to anyone; these kava plants have been in our family for generations, and we want to keep it that way, without them having any chance of being turned into a commercial product sold by Snapple (yes, they have approached us asking to supply them with insane amounts of kava), or anyone else, for that matter

    It was also our farm that was chosen for the study to prove the claims that kava caused liver damage, partly because our special 426 chemo-type is renown for its strength.

    So, I again apologize for your unhappiness with our products. We always let our kava speak for itself, but sometimes there are those who still don’t react to kava or even our kava. For them, we have our guarantee and our apologies.

    If you are still displeased with this answer, feel free to write us an e-mail to see if there’s something we can’t do to. E-mail is a better place to work out things such as this to your satisfaction. Hope this helps! – Aloha no, Makaira

  7. Ya i ordered Kava powdered root 8oz bag i used the two tablespoons recipe in blender with 8 oz water, blended for 4 to five minutes then strained it, drank it well guess what? no numbing of tounge or lips, no effects at all, so next day i used 8 tablespoons, and guess what, nothing no numbing or anything, well my friend was with me and drank some to and he got no effects not even any numbing, so next day we used the whole bag that was left over minus the 10 tablespoons, and i even blended it, i even got a bowl and strained the heck out of the powder over and over, and we drank it, and it had no effect, i was told that you know when you have good kava cause of the numbing it has on your llps and tounge and it didnt have any numbing at all, i must of got a bad bag of your kava or something, it didnt have any effect on me at all or my friend, and he has drank kava kava before so you cant use the excuse everyone is more or less sensitive with kava!

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