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kava

What Is Kava? All About “Nature’s Relaxer”

June 25, 2019 by Phyto

With the return of natural dietary supplements and the rise of products like kratom and CBD, it can be hard to keep up with all of the different offerings that are available today. 

Here at Phytoextractum, we have a wide variety of these products available to our consumers: kratom, CBD, kombucha, mushrooms, and more. We believe that all of these products can have some positive effect on consumers’ lives, so we do our best to stock the best, highest quality versions of these products on the market. 

Additionally, we also aim to educate consumers that are curious about the history, power, and status of each of the items that we keep in stock. 

Many of our consumers don’t yet know much about kava kava. Have you heard of kava before? This natural root is a bit of a mystery to some, but it’s worth taking the time to learn a little bit more about it!

What Is Kava?

Let’s start with the basics!

Kava is an extract that is taken from the roots of a plant known as Piper methysticum. This plant is also known as “awa,” “ava pepper,” “intoxicating pepper,” or “long pepper.” While the plant has many names, the extracts that are taken from all of these plants have similar effects when used as a supplement.

The kava plant is a member of the pepper family, and that is why there are some names for this plant that include the word pepper. If you look at the leaves of the plant, you will see that they are similar in shape and size to a bell pepper plant. 

Where Does Kava Come From?

The plant that kava originates from typically grows in tropical regions. In particular, kava can be found in the Hawaiian islands, the South Pacific, and in other regions like Indonesia and Thailand. If it has tropical weather and a relatively long rainy season, there is a chance that kava grows in that region.

How Was Kava Traditionally Used?

Many believe that the original usage of kava originated in the South Pacific. The word Kava actually comes from a Polynesian word. This word, “awa,” can be translated to bitter. 

Traditionally, kava is brewed into a drink. This drink is mildly intoxicating, and it is usually consumed socially. In the same way that western societies drink alcohol, South Pacific Islanders drink kava!

What Benefits Does Kava Offer?

While kava cannot be treat any conditions, there are a number of anecdotal stories about how it can benefit a user. We’ve found that many consumers take kava in hopes of benefiting from its relaxing properties, often finding that it helps them deal with stress or get a better night’s sleep.

Beyond these issues, some people rub kava on their skin to improve skin conditions while others use it as a mouthwash when they are dealing with things like canker sores in their mouth.

Again, kava is not FDA approved to treat any of these conditions, and we do not sell kava as a way to treat these issues. Instead, we suggest you use it as a dietary supplement for your overall health at your own discretion.

Today, we simply aim to share how and why many consumers use this botanical.

How Is Kava Taken?

When kava is used, the parts of the plant that are mostly used are the root and the underground stem. Kava is often divided into noble and non-noble cultivars, with only noble cultivars being appropriate to consume. These are used to prepare drinks, especially for traditional use in South Pacific cultures. These parts of the plant can also be ground and made into capsules, tablets, or straight powder extracts.

Typically, kava is consumed in a beverage form, but it can also be taken more directly in powder or capsule form. For some benefits, there are users that report rubbing a kava paste on their skin to help deal with dry skin and other issues. Finally, some people use kava as a mouthwash.

How Does Kava Work?

Several studies have been done on kava and its active ingredients, called kavalactones. Scientists have discovered at least 18 kavalactones in kava plants and have studied their pharmacology (or how they act and react in the human body). Most studies indicate that kava has relaxing effects. Many kava users agree that kava affects the brain and central nervous system. Kavalatones are thought to bind with receptors in the nervous system to causing the observed effects.

Is Kava Legal?

While there have been health concerns raised by the FDA about kava in a few specific circumstances, kava remains legal in the USA. The substance has been banned in some European countries, and Canada also forbids its sale. 

Pacific Islands that export kava took a hit to their economies when this happened, but the US still permits the import and use of kava as a dietary supplement. Of course, it cannot be sold as a medicinal herb or remedy. 

The main concerns that have been cited over time about kava are similar to the problems caused by alcohol. In particular, there has been some concern that too much kava usage can lead to liver problems, but further studies are needed to understand this risk and incidences are generally rare.

Kava is quite popular in the United States and is marketed as an herbal supplement. In some cities, there are even kava bars where consumers can gather to socialize without alcohol.

Kava Kava!

Like kratom, kava is a very old botanical with a long history of being a beneficial body booster. And, as with all our other botanicals we do our best to only source highest quality product, and to handle that product in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practices. 

If you are looking for quality kava powder, you can trust that we here at Phytoextractum always strive to stock only superior products.

Filed Under: Kava Tagged With: characteristics, kava, kava kava, kavalactones, south pacific, uses

How to Prepare Kava Tea: 5 Methods To Try At Home

February 19, 2019 by Phyto

Kava is one of those fascinating substances that has been around for a very long time. Once used medicinally and for ceremonies in Polynesian, Micronesian, and Melanesian countries, kava has grown in popularity as a type of supplement in recent years.

With a 3,00 year long history, there are sure to be a lot of different ways that this substance can be prepared! The tradition methods can still be used, but there are also more efficient and effective ways to prep kava as technology has improved.

Today, we’ll introduce the various ways of making kava tea and help you understand how to prepare the tea properly.

Method #1: Traditional Kava Tea Preparation

The first way that you should learn how to prepare kava tea is via the traditional method. This is how the tea was brewed in many areas for hundreds of years. While it may be a less practical brewing method in today’s world, the rich history of this brewing method makes it a great choice.

This method might sound a bit wild at first, but this is really how the tea was prepared!

Kava root would be gathered. Then, female virgins were to chew this root into a pulp. Because the root is so tough to chew, it would be very difficult to do this, and it caused a lot of damage to the teeth.

Once the root was broken into a pulp, this was spit into a leaf. Water would be strained through the pulp in order to brew the tea.

As you can imagine, many young women did not want to have to keep doing this. Once they got married, they were no longer required to do this duty as it was something that only unmarried women were meant to do.

Method #2: Brewing Modern Kava Tea in Traditional Areas

If you visit areas where kava tea is still very popular due to its history in the area, you are not likely to see a team of virgin women chewing up the root. In addition to this not being very practical, it would be nearly impossible to make enough kava pulp for bars and visitors.

Today, fresh kava root is ground up using a manual grinder. Once the pulp is made, it is mixed with water and then strained through a fine, mesh strainer. This method, which is much more sanitary than the previous method, is much more manageable on a large scale.

Method #3: Kava Tea At Home with Strainer Bags

This is what you’ve been waiting for, right? How to make your own kava tea at home; coming right up!

Here’s what you should do:

  1. Put one part kava into a strainer bag.
  2. Put three parts warm water (not hot!) into a large bowl, and then put the strainer bag into the water.
  3. Reach your hands into the bowl and begin to knead and squeeze the strainer bag for at least 10 minutes. Be sure to use a lot of pressure.
  4. After the time is up, squeeze the bag as dry as possible.
  5. Consume it as quickly as possible!

As you can see, this method of brewing at home can be a bit labor intensive. Still, kneading the dry root with warm water in this way helps to break it down and release the beneficial antioxidants of kava more effectively than a short soaking.

Method #4: No-Kneading At Home Method

If you want to make kava tea at home but aren’t keen on the idea of kneading a strainer bag for 10 minutes, this is the method for you.

Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Get a fine mesh strainer for dry pressed root or a muslin tea bag for powdered kava.
  2. Add this strainer to your beverage of choice which should be cold or room temperature. Brewing in a hot liquid will ruin the beneficial properties of kava!
  3. Let it brew for at least 10 minutes; the longer, the better.
  4. Once brewing is complete, squeeze any remaining liquid out of the kava grounds before discarding them.
  5. Enjoy your drink!

If this still sounds like too much work for you, you may want to invest in instant kava. Instant kava mixes are made from pre-extracted kava. You can simply mix these into a beverage and be on your way to feeling better!

Method #5: Bulk Brewing Kava Tea

When you make kava in this way, you can make it in nearly any drink that you would like. While many people just use water, adding some type of fat can improve the extraction process. Try using all milk or mixing in one part milk to two parts water before brewing. You can even brew in a juice like a pineapple or a papaya juice!

Some companies that brew kava tea to sell it in bulk use a different method. In this method, the root is never ground up. Instead, the dry root is put into huge strainer bags with a lot of water. After it soaks for a designated about of time, big press machines press the liquid out of the bag to complete the delicious and efficient tea brewing.

This, of course, isn’t a method that you’ll be able to do at home. You can replicate something similar with a french press at home. Add kava and water to the press and let it soak for up to 10 hours. Press the kava tea, strain it, and then restrain the kava until it is not gritty. That’s it!

Explore Kava Tea Preparations!

Most kava tea preparations will have similar results as long as you do not accidentally deactivate the kava by using water that is too hot. Keep the water cold and explore different brewing methods until you find the one that is the easiest for you to do at home.

Remember, no matter how you brew it, kava tea doesn’t have the best taste on its own! Most people follow the tea with a chaser of fruit juice or another acidic and potent flavor that can cut away the earthy flavor of kava tea. Enjoy!

Filed Under: Kava Tagged With: DIY, kava, preparations, tea

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