Kava Tea

[roboto212]

Cold Extraction of the the kavalactones, as heat destroys the active ingredient in Kava leaves.


I purchased these kava leaves from my local co-op BTW so they are usually available at health food stores.


I just drank the tea and have a nice numbing effect in my mouth and am already on a raw high, so the tea is extra energizing and relaxing at the same time. The tea is very relaxing and warming on the raw diet, something I never truly felt on SAD food.

Im just wondering if there are any others that like to enjoy various tea's on raw diet? I have noticed a nice stimulant, energetic floaty effect from the theobromine and caffeine in raw cacao (purchased fresh cacao from my co-op, absolutely divine in moderation).

[Tsurugi_Oni]

Woah, your co-op distributes kava kava? Not a very standard tea....... haha.

I particularly enjoy acidic fruit teas, they're very refreshing and tart. Cocoa tea is lovely in the morning if you want something more stimulating, but green tea by far is my tea of choice.

If you're a tea lover, teavana.com is the one stop shop. Very expensive mind you, but if you want ideas for making custom tea-blends it will be inspirational to say the least.

[roboto212]

wow thank you for that link tsurugi, I jsut recently acquired an interest for teas, basically since I went raw. I do love green tea for its antioxidants, but I will have to check that website out. Thank you

[Tsurugi_Oni]

I've visited there stores, and it's like the herbalist version of a " kid in a candy store". They have a wall stacked with like 40 different kinds of teas, and there's at least 4 different samples of various genres of tea beckoning for attention.

You can smell all the teas, inspect their quality, and see the subtle differences why certain green teas are 10x more expensive than others.

[T-Bird]

from the wikipedia:



Effects

Kava has a potential for addiction, as it produces mild euphoria and relaxation in the user [12]

A moderately potent kava drink causes effects within 20–30 minutes that last for about two and a half hours, but can be felt for up to eight hours. Because of this, it is recommended to space out servings about fifteen minutes apart. Some report longer term effects up to two days after ingestion, including a feeling of mental clarity, patience, and an ease of acceptance. The effects of kava are most often compared to alcohol, or a large dose of diazepam.[13]

The sensations, in order of appearance, are slight tongue and lip numbing (the lips and skin surrounding may appear unusually pale); mildly talkative and sociable behavior; clear thinking; calmness; relaxed muscles; and a sense of well-being. As with other drugs that affect the GABA receptors, there can also be paradoxical dysphoria. The numbing of the mouth is caused by the two kavalactones kavain and dihydrokavain which cause the contraction of the blood vessels in these areas acting as a local topical anesthetic. These anesthetics can also make one's stomach feel numb. Sometimes this feeling has been mistaken for nausea. Some report that caffeine, consumed moderately in conjunction with kava can significantly increase mental alertness.

A potent drink results in a faster onset with a lack of stimulation; the user's eyes become sensitive to light, they soon become somnolent and then have deep, dreamless sleep within 30 minutes. Sleep is often restful and there are pronounced periods of sleepiness correlating to the amount and potency of kava consumed. Unlike with alcohol-induced sleep, after wakening the drinker does not experience any mental or physical after effects. However, this sleep has been reported as extremely restful and the user often wakes up more stimulated than he or she normally would (though excessive consumption of exceptionally potent brew has been known to cause pronounced sleepiness into the next day). Although heavy doses can cause deep dreamless sleep, it is reported that many people experience lighter sleep and rather vivid dreams after drinking moderate amounts of kava.[13]
[edit] Adverse Effects

In one study, heavy kava use in an Aboriginal community in Arnhem Land was associated with overall poor health, a puffy face, scaly rash, and a slight increase in patellar reflexes.[14] In Fiji, wives of heavy Kava drinkers expressed in interviews that they felt deprived of basic needs due to the amount that their husbands spent on Kava.[15]

Kava is hepatotoxic, and three pathways of hepatotoxicity are known. The direct toxicity of Kava is small, but the potential for drug interactions and toxic interactions with other compounds is large and not well understood.

[DopeRawAbundance]

Sounds like my cup of tea. http://www.futureproducers.com/assets/smilies/cheers.gif

[T-Bird]

kava tea - the choice of raw food