The Mind of Makaira

Kava the Health Food – A Banana Coconut Milk Kava Recipe

Posted by on Jun 11, 2012 in The Mind of Makaira | 2 comments

Kava the Health Food – A Banana Coconut Milk Kava Recipe

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...

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Herbal Kava Combinations

Posted by on Apr 4, 2012 in The Mind of Makaira | 5 comments

Herbal Kava Combinations

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...

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The Love of Nature – Herbal Aphrodisiacs

Posted by on Feb 6, 2012 in The Mind of Makaira | 0 comments

The Love of Nature – Herbal Aphrodisiacs

Aloha everyone! One of the many perks that comes along with running a kava farm on a beautiful, vibrant island paradise is that I never have to worry about what sorts of Valentine’s Day gifts I should give out. For whatever reason (perhaps because the warmth of the tropical environment promotes growth, connection and love in all things), most of the products that we provide at Kona Kava Farm are aphrodisiacs in some sense of the word. And what could be a better Valentine’s Day present than a selection of lovely and strong aphrodisiacs that will also help to make body and mind...

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A Family Kava Story

Posted by on Dec 1, 2011 in The Mind of Makaira | 2 comments

A Family Kava Story

Aloha everyone! I hope you are all having an enjoyable holiday season, and that those of you who live in colder climates are adapting to the chilly winter weather. Here in Hawaii, it’s been a bit rainy, but even in the cooler months I usually find that if you wait just a little bit, the sun will come out sooner or later, and more often than not it will bring a rainbow along with it! I know I’ve been writing a lot about news articles recently, so today I wanted to share a personal story with all of you. It’s about my nephew, Kai. Kai just recently turned 17 and started his...

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Kava For Sleep and Insomnia

Posted by on Sep 5, 2011 in The Mind of Makaira | 9 comments

Kava For Sleep and Insomnia

Aloha everyone! Fall is on its way, and even here in Hawaii we are starting to feel just a little bit of a refreshing crispness in the air. The intense amount of harvesting work that has to be done in the summer here at Kona Kava Farm is starting to calm down, and I’m looking forward to having a little bit more time to research and write and, of course, to curl up and read a good book with a hot (!) cup of kava cocoa! Recently, I have been asked several times about the efficacy of kava for helping to improve sleep, particularly for those individuals who are suffering from insomnia. I...

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Hot Kava Tea?

Posted by on Aug 2, 2011 in The Mind of Makaira | 15 comments

Hot Kava Tea?

Aloha everyone! Ever since I was a child, I have been drinking kava cold. Traditionally, as you may know, kava is prepared by soaking the fresh or dried root matter in cold water and straining out the plant matter when the water turns cloudy. As I got older, I began to experiment with many different ways of preparing kava – combining it with coconut milk, adding in honey and lime juice, even making kava smoothies with banana and cacao nibs, but I always thought I had to prepare these beverages cold to make them effective. It is widely published that kavalactones, the active alkaloids...

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