Welcome to my Kava tek!

I want to first explain to everyone that:Kava is not one of those "alternative" drugs, so anyone in search of

an alternative to pot, or in search of a cheap easy high, this is not for you.

With that being said lets get moving onto the Kava info...

Kava (Piper Methysticum), is part of the pepper family, and is usualy spread by a cutting.A Fijian man told me: There are some wild varieties of kava, but they have been cut and stuck in the rich clayish soil of the pacific islands, propagating it this way through time bred out their need for seeds to survive, so they simply stopped producing them.

This is kava:

And here we find a small plantation:

most kava will be grown for at least 5 years, when top potency is reached, it is dug up, cut from the rest of the plant, washed up, and bundled for the sale.

There are pine tree's on the Fijian islands, but they aren't common to use for Christmas tree's, so

our Christmas in Fiji was spent with a Kava tree:

this weighed approximately 4.4 LBS (2kilos), and was comprised entirely of Kava root, minus the thin bark to bundle it and the decorations of course.

The plants effects will range from a numbing of the mouth, to full blown drunken euphoria, with very little if any loss to mental ability. The Fijian natives adopted the term "drunk" from tourists and the spread of alcohol, and often use this term to describe Kava intoxication. Kava is far from an alcoholic experience, yet when in combination with alcohol produces a synergistic effect. The Fijians, and usually those of the younger groups of men, will sip Fiji Bitter beer with their kava.

The three main Kavalactones in kava are Kawahin, Yangonin, and Methysticin. These three lactones also have iso- and dihydro- counterparts.

The 6 majoring lactones are produced in different combinations, and this is how different varieties are told apart.

Kava has many medicinal qualities too:Kava is a Diuretic, Stimulant, Anesthetic, Muscle and Mind relaxant, Antispasmodic, Antifungal, Analgesic, Anticonvulsant, and Painkiller.

Kava has been used to treat: - Sore tooth or gums, mouth pain- Anxiety- Trouble urinating- Insomnia- Impotence- Depression- Fungal infections of the skin- Bad mood

And is used as a beverage intoxicant among the men of the pacific islands everyday...

Kava is a very safe and very healthful plant, and to back up more is a quote from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kava

[quote]Medicinal kava

In the Western world, kava is used as a herbal remedy to ease the symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression.

On 15 February 2006, the Fiji Times and Fiji Live both reported that researchers at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, and the Laboratoire de Biologie Moleculaire du Cancer in Luxembourg had discovered kava was effective in the treatment of ovarian cancer and leukemia. Kava compounds inhibited the activation of a nuclear factor that led to the growth of cancer cells. Aberdeen University had published its findings in the journal, The South Pacific Journal of Natural Science, that Kava methanol extracts had been shown to kill leukemia and ovarian cancer cells in test tubes. The Kava compounds were shown to work selectively, passing healthy cells by and targeting only cancerous cells. [/quote]

It is common in the pacific islands to fast on a little tea of lime leafs, and maybe a little papaya slice. Rarely would one eat for up to 4 hours before

drinking Kava, but these few things which pass through the system quickly. Vitamin C is scarce in the smaller Fijian islands, so lime leaf tea is the major source, despite a ferry that comes once or twice a week to deliver food. It is well spoken there that the effects of Kava are best felt on an empty system. Once one is in a state of complete well-being, with a slight drunken feeling of euphoria, it is time to eat! Eating after drinking Kava is said and has proven to me to enhance the effects. For what reason, I am not sure and I encourage you to learn why.

Many Fijian men will stay up 'til 4 in the morning, drinking Kava, smoking Benson & Hedges cigarettes and their own crops of Nicotiana Rustica known as 'Suki' there, which they roll up in long tubes of newspaper (sometimes up to a foot long). This however is not a common thing, and usually happens when there's a great mourning over the loss of family, or a crop of Kava just came through.

Kawaiin and Yangonin , I have considered to account for the numbing sensation of the mouth, and some of the feelings in your chest when you feel euphoric.

Methysticin (safe non-toxic in Kava) being closely similar to that of Myristicin (a toxic psychoactive in nutmeg), is probably the culprit to cause the dreamier and more colorful euphoric state of Kava, and in my own experience it tends to be concentrated mostly in fresh roots. Some people in fiji will crush the fresh roots in water and drink it (I did, it tastes like unripe eggplant tea, with a hint of mud and tingle), and pass out an hour or two later in a dreamy daze, and yes I did do exactly that. While in the dreamy daze I imagined and felt myself as just a ball of light and thought drifting through space observing and collecting. Blotches of color and tracers that smear tend to appear in higher doses or with fresh root too.

You may not experience effects of kava on your first time trying it, so I would suggest taking some preparation first. (Very important for first time users of kava, and those who cant seem to get effects!)

First of all, DRINK WATER! Alot of it, regularly. A full grown Adult should drink slightly over a gallon a day, spaced between meals. This is key to keeping your system in a constant healthy rhythm.

Second of all, I, My girlfriend, and many friends along the way, have all shared one thought in common about first timers drinking Kava, and that being the thought that there's some sort of reverse tolerance, in a sense that if one were hoping to get intoxicated, they would have to be exposed to

large amounts of the drink over a few days length in order to sort of "break them in". Also we came to the conclusion, that the more Kava you drink on a regular basis, the less you will need to get drunk.

Because Kava availability in the U.S., and Canada, is quite poor, and usually of the very poor quality of the Kava that is imported, it could be quite expensive to take this approach.

To get past this, I have considered one option that would work based on basic knowledge of Kava dosage. If one were to get in their car and drive down to their health-food store, and pick up a bottle of some form of Kava supplement, and take this on a regular basis, one could build up this tolerance enough so that they could get it right on their first or second attempt instead of their fourth or fifth, and around 12$ in expenses instead of a possible 40$+.

Most Kava supplements are 150mg of Kavalactones, and I would suggest 300mg of Kavalactones a day for at least two weeks, to build up this tolerance. One could even take them at night to fall asleep, so that it may not affect their day with euphoria if it does arise.

Kava is usualy brewed in a Tanoa, and they usualy look like this little guy (only bigger):

They are usually carved out of Vesi, a VERY hard wood. They are then soaked in mangrove mud to stain it with a black protective finish. A normal sized Tanoa holds 3-5 gallons. Some villages have 10 gallon Tanoas, as sometimes there may be an 80 person Kava circle. People will travel through many villages for Kava, and Kava ceremonies.

here was a Kava setup I used while in Fiji:

Some Kava ceremonies:

and some Kava kickbacks:

The plant resides mainly in the pacific islands, such as Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Samoa. Though Hawaii has some Kava, its nowhere near the quality of Fiji or Samoan Kava. Melanesian folk of Vanuatu tend to ship out some good Kava, ill explain later in the sources.

Much of the US supply of kava comes from Hawaii or Fiji, though its a pale commercial kind (we will discuss color in a second), and can be bought in most health-food stores. This Kava is very poor in quality and although it does its job, a lot needs to be consumed for effects.

Q: I hear Kava is toxic to the liver, is this true?A: It depends on which part of the plant, let me explain

The whole pepper plant from leafs to roots are numbingly intense with the desired lactones, however everything above the surface of the soil contains pipermethystine, which is a hepatoxin.

Leafs and stems of leafs are also chewed or crushed on the end closest to the stem, and placed on sore gums or areas of the mouth, as it numbs it within a few seconds, and keeps it numb for a good 20 minutes. While the whole plant contains the lactones, the roots are going to be the only thing you want to consume. If you have access to fresh leafs as I mentioned, and are using it to cure mouth pain, it should be used only when needed, and not over-used.

Q: What other kinds of kava are out there?A: Lets discuss that now!

Kava can be found through most sources, as defined by three main colors:- Pale: common commercial, usually from Fiji, or Hawaii- Yellow: decent commercial, usually from Vanuatu or Hawaii- Brown: excellent, usually from Fiji, Vanuatu or Samoa

I like to call this part of potency identification as "Quality with color".

Heres some pictures of the three for visual comparison:

Pale/CommercialFijian harvest from the main island, usually premature and low in quality, an attempt to keep up with the demands and earn some money.

Hawaii also ships out some commercial Pales.

As you can see its quite pale in color, this is the commercial stuff you will find in most health-food stores. It's only good for a sleep aid, and a lot is needed to get the desired effect. This kind of kava is usually avoided unless you find two kilos of it for 30$.

YellowVanuatu and Hawaiin Kava

The Vanuatu Kava is especially decent both potency and taste-wise, and can be yellow or yellowish-brown. Some decent kava also comes from Hawaii, but its rarely seen or heard of in the states, and usually stays on the island.

BrownFijian, Vanuatu or Samoan farmers harvest

The stuff on the left is basic homegrown Fijian Kava, same quality as the stuff on the right, but the stuff on the right smells and tastes like vanilla and cinnamon, a beautiful aromatic flavor that reminds me of the holidays.

The bags they are in are of course not specific Kava packages, these were gifts from family of my girlfriend, who live in the Fijian islands.

and closer look at the good stuff:

a closeup for you, and as u can see its very chunky, very freshly pounded(last two weeks at least).You WILL NOT, find this quality in the states, you must know someone who lives in Fiji or Samoa, and they must risk their ass getting it to you as customs wont allow it across usually for fear of nematodes.This is I and my girlfriends last package from Fiji, so we will treasure this Kava and enjoy it like we did when we were there. But for reference, thats what the best kind will look like.

Now that your drooling, lets move on to brewing so you can quench your thirst!

first of all, your going to need:

- A bowl big enough to play around in with your hands, preferably deep and wide, that wont tip if u mix around in it. Mine would tip over, but I have a cool stand for it.

- A clean bandana.

- A bucket of clean drinkable water nearby (plenty, a couple gallons is nice).

- A 1 cup sized measuring cup or coconut bowl, something with which to stir, scoop, and drink with.

^ carved this myself ^

- Kava powder of choice.

- Friends to join!

If you buy your Kava root whole, it will need to be pounded in some sort of pounder, and it requires a lot of strength and a ton of endurance!

The Kava must be turned into a chunky powder, like is seen in the closeup picture of the Brown quality. To do this, the Kava is placed into this welded drum with a flat base(which is also on something for support), and pounded repeatedly with the flat end of this large and VERY heavy metal pole.

You can see in this photo, the shape of the bottom of the drum, how it curves inward to the center. Hitting the material directly in the middle will shoot the kava around the pole and up the sides, mixing it for easy crushing. Hitting it against the side is also a good method and will still mix whats inside. Near a lot of Kava bowls, you will sometimes see a club-like piece of wood thats used for breaking up the stuff in the bottom. If the root is too moist (it usually is), it will clump in the bottom and need to be pulled apart to continue pounding efficiently. The Fijians have mastered the art of pounding it to little pieces, in a very intense display of muscle and endurance, without the need to untangle the clogs in the bottom.

be sure to take turns so you have energy for kava!

It Begins!Place your bowl on the ground with your bandana spread over it like so

Take a scoop of Kava powder with your drinking cup, and dump it into the center of the cloth in the bottom of the bowl. Any amount is fine, but a good dose would be a ball about the size of your fist.

The amount above is an example, and is actually about half the amount that the native Fijians use on average.

Now fold all four corners up, and grab your dose into a ball like so

Place your ball of Kava into the bottom, and leave the four end pieces to the bandana hanging out over the edge of the bowl, as you pour an inch or two of water to start with

Soak your dose

Make sure your Kava is nice and saturated, and start pressing and squeezing your Kava against the sides of the bowl, forcing the smaller particles through the banadana into the water

A good "twist and squeeze" method as displayed by me below

Try and be sure to keep a tight grip between where your dose is in the bag, and the opening, as u dont want big chunks to escape into your brew! one hand to clamp it shut, the other to knead with.

After a minute or two your brew should look khaki colored like so

Mix it 'til it can't take anymore khaki color to it

Proceed to add water 2-3 inches at a time, continuing to brew and knead after each addition, until you have a full or near-full Tanoa. (Tanoa is the name of the brewing bowl)

Take your cup and stir your kava around, being sure to ruff up the stuff on the bottom. Kava powder will pile up in the bottom if you don't stir every time u serve a bowl.

A serving bowl thats half-full of Kava, in Fiji, is known as a low tide, while a big one like this, is called a high tide.I am in favor of high tides all around.

Drink up!

Special thanks to everyone on Waisalima beach and everyone at the Waisalima compound, on the island of Kadavu, in Fiji.

Special thanks to my girlfriend and her family for bringing me there and introducing me to these people and their traditions, and for their care, support, and friendship. Without them, none of this would of happened.

Special thanks to a special few on the Shroomery.org message boards for keeping me motivated and spiritual!

Signed, Kid Botany.