Great...something else to add to my supplement arsenal. The Pouni Ono strain by Kalm with Kava sounds like it would be quite useful. I have only used Kava a few times from one source and it was likely ten years ago or more. I can’t even remember what the source was, but it was definitely sedating and not overly thrilling. It was likely poor quality though...
I will check out the website, and thanks for the recommendation from both of you! It sounds like another perfect Kratom alternative as well as being extremely helpful in wearing off Kratom..
The best kavas,
BY FAR, are whole ground roots. I GREATLY prefer mironized versions because they have all the fibers and course ingestible material removed, whereas with non-micronized versions you need to make a tea out of it and then filter out all the indigestible parts (fibers, etc.). This takes time and is rather inconvenient. Buying micronized versions makes it way easier. You just mix it with water or juice and drink it. That's it.
Micronized versions are also more potent per mg because they don't contain any fibers or other indigestible root parts. So, micronized versions contain a greater amount of active ingredient by weight.
Do not, I repeat DO NOT buy kava extracts. This includes those products claiming to be CO2 extracts. There are currently NO CO2 extracts on the market today that are noble certified...and of those that have been tested, they were found to contain Tudei strains (which are harmful and can make you feel sick). There used to be some good CO2 extracts a few years ago, but at this point there are not.
Also, stay away from all encapsulated Kava products, as they are all extremely weak, if not completely ineffective. This includes virtually all the the kava pills you will find on store shelves claiming to be extracts. NONE of these products contain a high enough dose of kavalactones to produce good effects, regardless what the label says. Trust me on this. Of course, you can always try it yourself...and then compare it to what I've recommended. You will find out very quickly why my recommendation is what it is.
If you want to consume kava...and receive the effects it is SUPPOSED to provide (drug-like), you MUST consume kava in its ground root form (preferably micronized). There is simply NO WAY you can fit enough Kava into caps to provide any meaningful effect. Even with very strong micronized kavas (old plants harvested at peak potency that come from the best strains) require a MINIMUM of one tbsp of actual powder to receive meaningful benefit...and MANY people routinely consume 2-3 tbsp at a time. Some people consume more than that; some much more.
Ask yourself, how can a company fit 2-3 tbsp of powder in a capsule? They can't. They can only fit a fraction of a gram in those caps--usually about 500 mg (that's nothing). Even worse, as stated above, the companies that do make encapsulated products almost always use low potency strains (roots harvested after one year that come from weak strains). Why do they do this? Because even though Kava root takes about 5 years to reach maximum potency, the roots themselves grow to full size in about a year. So, in order to maximize profits, these companies will harvest their kava after just one year...providing a product that is 1/20th the potency. In the end, not only do you end up with a product that is 1/20th the potency by weight, but it only contains a fraction of a gram of actual kava. 2-3 tbsp of a high quality micronized kava root (like Loa Waka) provides literally 50-100X as much actual active ingredient as the caps. This may sound excessive, but it's not. The reality is that kava needs to be consumed in that quanity to provide good results. The capsules don't contain anywhere near enough actual kava, let alone fully matured root, to produce a powerful effect.
There is a a reason that every kava connoisseur consumes whole ground root...NEVER capsules from bottles. Kava is a VERY diverse market with some really great products, but there is even more garbage that doesn't do anything. You really need to know what you're doing when you buy kava, but even more so if you plan on selling high quality kava. Good Kava sellers travel the world, meeting with farmers and only buying the most potent, certified noble strains. These roots are WAY more expensive than the cheap crap so many unethical companies use in their products. You will not find ANY good Kava from the big name supplement companies. NONE. You need to go to specialized kava shops that know what they're doing and take pride in their products. This is why the best kava sellers sell ONLY kava...or a very limited number of products...because selling several strains of high quality kava--consistently--is an ongoing labor intensive process. Even when you do look for specialized kava shops, you need to know which ones are actually honest and not selling you cheap, poisonous tudei crap or low potency strains.
Go with
Kalm with Kava. I recommend trying the two strains I mentioned above (Loa Waka and Pouni Ono). You can buy small sample sized bottles of each to see what you like, before spending $50 on an 8 ounce tub. The Pouni Ono is nowhere near as strong as the Loa Waka (the Loa Waka has a much greater total kavalactone content), but, as mentioned earlier, the kavalactone profile (there are 6 different primary kavalactones and the ratios of these kavalactones will determine the type of effect it provides) of the Pouni Ono is less sedating. Still, the Loa Waka, if taken at a lower dosage than the Pouni Ono, provides awesome effects and isn't sedating. Higher doses will make it sedating, though.
Just to give you an idea of what to expect, most people experience very mild effects from 1 tbsp of the Pouni Ono. 2-3 tbsp is much more common. On the other hand, 2-3 tbsp of the Loa Waka is quite strong, especially at the 3 tbsp dose. So, while you might feel moderate effects from the Loa Waka at 1 tbsp, you will feel very minor effects from the Pouni Ono at 1 tbsp. I usually take 2 tbs of Pouni Ono in the morning or early afternoon...and 2 tbsp of the Loa Waka at night. I used to take 3-4 tbsp...but I have toned it down a bit because I was getting quite intoxicated.
***IMPORTANT NOTE***: You MUST take Kava on an empty stomach or it will not work. Kava absorption is SEVERELY impaired by food. So, I recommend waiting at LEAST 3 hours after a meal to take it; preferably 4 hours. It kicks in fast, so you can eat 20 minutes after taking it if you want to. But...having an empty stomach when taking it is CRITICAL if you want to exprience its effects.
Writing this article made me want some kava, so I am going to take some right now...
Note: While the extracts used in some of the clinical studies are good, they are not readily available for purchase and are expensive. Whole micronzed root is still the best way to go. Not only does to contain a full spectrum of kavalactones, but the total kavalactone content is very high (it is as high as you want it to be; it all depends on how much you want to take). High quality Noble certified CO2 extracts can be super potent by weight, but as stated previously, there doesn't appear to be any reliable/trustworthy versions on the market today, so consume at your own risk.
. I say this based on my 2 capsule experience yesterday. Also, if you are a heavy stim user, back those off a bit. Especially if you intend to use this pre-workout and you normally take a stimulant heavy PWO product.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
