7 Things You Need to Know Before Trying Kava

Can I just say: I am so excited for you! Trying something new can be a scary thing, and it seems you're thinking about doing that scary thing...

To better prepare you, let's hop right into it.

Kava has been proven to give you the same euphoria other substances give you yet there are no negative side effects such as *drum roll please* hangovers. It has been called "nature's xanax" before. This is why you'll notice people often use kava to relieve anxiety, stress, or help them sleep.

I'm a strong believer in understanding the culture of something before indulging in it. As with anything you try, you want to know the history behind it, right? Where it came from, how it was used, what it’s significance was, etc.

Kava came from the Pacific Islands and is still used throughout Fiji, Hawaii, Tonga, and more places to this day. We have blogs on the mythology of kava, ancient stories told through the Southern Pacific regions, and the culture/history of kava that goes into more depth if you feel so inclined as to check it out. *nudge nudge*

Unlike alcohol, you need to start off drinking more than normal amounts of kava so your body can get used to the feeling, then you can start drinking less and less amounts as your body becomes accustomed to the root.

Also, there’s a difference in the way different bodies feel these effects. We've received emails with concerns about not feeling kava's effects after taking large amounts. Here’s the thing: there are an abundant amount of factors that go into the way your body reacts. It’s not just about the amount of kava - it’s about your sleep schedule, what time you consume the drink, how much screen time you allow yourself, food consumption, exterior stressors. These can all affect your kava experience and should be taken in account if you aren’t feeling the effects kava the way you expected to. I've experienced heavy crashes after carb heavy meals sometimes even when drinking a caffeinated beverage like coffee. You can't expect kava to always knock you out, you have to be ready for it. And when you're ready for it, it will definitely be ready for you.

We aren't going to kid you here. The taste is kind of....gross at first. Personally, I didn't mind it too much - I would describe it as trying mother nature (mmmm). But beware, this beverage isn't made to give you that delicious factor.

That doesn't mean you can't make it taste good though!

Many people experiment with mixing it in different things and experimenting with recipes: kava chocolate shake, kava and cranberry juice, kava cocktails, the list goes on (we have some kava recipes you can try out here). You can also try biting a lemon and drinking if you don’t want to go the full mile with recipes.

Regardless of the initial flavor, your tongue may go numb like you got a shot of novocaine.

Here at drinkroot, we have 2 different blends. It's important that you're aware of where you're at on your kava journey to know which blend is best suited to you. We have the Instant Connoisseur blend which is a good balance between heady and light and body sedating. We recommend this blend for those just getting into the kava world. Whereas the Raw Epicure blend is more heady so those who have been in the kava scene for a while can get a little extra euphoria kick and aren't looking for the big sedativeness.

If you're unsure of what blend is best for you, don’t hesitate to email us with information about your kava journey and what you’re looking for so we can recommend a blend to you!

Although there are many ways to try kava, beware there are forms to avoid as well. Kava extracts are a dangerous form of kava we don't recommend taking. Short reason? The information provided for it is murky: there is no transparency on it's chemotype and it's origin. There has been a lot of tiptoeing around it's basic information which makes the substance extremely questionable. The long reason? Read our article on the Dangers of Kava Extracts here.

I can't force you to try kava but I highly recommend it to be your next step if you haven't.

We have a much more in depth look at kava for first timers. The experience you should look out for, how to prepare for it, how to prepare the drink, and any questions you may have. You can read about that here.

The most important thing to remember is that we have only scratched the surface in order to give you a general consensus on each must-know. We have other blogs that discuss some of these topics in depth. In saying that, if you're trying to do your research before trying the root, feel free to read up to understand all there is to understand about our beautiful root, kava.

From our family to yours, Mahalo! 🤙