Kava, Oxalates, and Kidney Stones
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...
Read MoreKavalovetone – A Pleasant Herbal Blend
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...
Read MoreDriving Under the Influence of Kava
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 erratically while extremely intoxicated on kava. There were a few court cases in California...
Read MoreKava for…Pets?
Aloha everyone! Makaira here. The rainy season is beginning in Hawaii, which means that I’ve been spending less time outside working with my beautiful ‘awa plants, and more time researching, reading, and looking for mentions of kava in the news. Just the other day, I happened to stumble across a completely bizarre article regarding kava and pets. I’ve honestly never even considered this to be an issue, so I thought I would share it with all of you in case anyone was wondering whether kava was good to give to pets. This article in the Telegraph UK is entitled If your pet is...
Read MoreA Resurgence of Fear: Is Kava Dangerous?
Aloha everyone, About ten years ago, it seemed that everyone was terrified of kava. Several reports had come out of individuals who were taking kava experiencing liver failure. The medicine was banned in a number of countries, including the E.U. and Canada, and it was considered by many to be fact that kava was dangerous and damaging to the liver. Of course, it was later discovered that the individuals who had been experiencing the liver troubles were taking kava that had been made from stems and leaves of the plant, rather than just from the rhizome, and that this was the cause of the...
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