# Kava kava potency? Extact vs. Powder vs. ? Making your own..



## saint liebowitz (Apr 17, 2004)

I have been trying kava for a while now as an anti-anxiety/general relaxing thing.

But I have noticed a serious issue with potency, it seems very hard to know which brands of extracts/capsule/power/root are the most potent, as some seem not to work at all even if they are more expensive.

I've definately seen good quality when you order it from fiji or haiwaii like fresh. But that is the most expensive root and then that also leads to my second question...

Does anyone have a good way of making your own extracts of kava? I mean I just see so many variations, even people who claim blending it with olive oil and lecithin capsules somehow makes it super potent.

I just have no idea.

Any help is much appreciated!

-Colin


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## Insane1 (Jul 25, 2011)

I'm interested aswell.. xD Someone answer please.


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## sleepytime (Feb 18, 2011)

Capsules and pastes etc are mostly useless, you have to go with root powder. Root powders themselves have different potencies from place to place. I bought my kava root powder from kona kava farm and I wish I had sone more research before doing so as this brand is very week and has little or no noticable effect. Next time I will buy from [email protected] who seem to get good reviews for a lot of their products. Have a look at these sites to get an idea for the potency and effects of various root powders.

http://kavalounge.yuku.com/
http://kavasseur.blogspot.com/


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## nikkidarlin (Mar 12, 2012)

*kava*

I have experimented with a few different kinds of "kava delivery methods" the most effective is the old-school Fijian/Polynesian method of taking good quality kava root (powdered) put about two tablespoons into a muslin sack or clean nylon. Prepare a cool to warm mugful of water, milk or milk substitute (i use coconut because it is delicious). You dunk the little bag of root powder into the beverage, kneading and squeezing as you go along (about 5-10 minutes). The color will be like milky coffee and you will be able to taste/feel the kavalactones because they will make your mouth kind of numb.

Studies on detrimental effects of kava on the liver have shown the it is the stems and leaves that are harmful. Like anything that produces a relaxed state with some psychoactive qualities, it can become addictive. Use it in moderation (it's results are short-term) and approach with the same caution as you would alcohol. As always, check in with your doc. Also it's not a substitute for prescribed medicine like anti-depressents.


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