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Felt Calm and Adventuresome
Kava
by O
Citation:   O. "Felt Calm and Adventuresome: An Experience with Kava (exp106553)". Erowid.org. Jun 4, 2017. erowid.org/exp/106553

 
DOSE:
  oral Kava (extract)
BODY WEIGHT: 115 lb
One night, two friends and I decided to try a Kava extract I'd purchased from a natural foods store. They were roommates, Stes (female) and Eli (male). We all felt quite comfortable around each other and I had been Eli's tripsitter on his first psychedelic, which went terrifically, so they trusted that I knew what I was doing with psychoactives and they were very curious.

Eli had researched kava before I arrived, but Stes didn't know anything about it. My Fijian friend had described to me how she enjoyed relaxing with family and chewing kava, so I was excited to try.

We all had a dropperful of the extract in a cup of hot tea with honey. When the extract went in it made a beautiful cloud of white that dissolved when it was stirred, like vanilla extract in milk.
The taste was very distinct, strongly herbal. It was unpleasant for Stes and I, but not Eli, until he drank the very last of it and said 'Eeugh! It all settles to the bottom!'

As we drank we all noticed our tongues getting numb. It was very noticeable but not unpleasant. Eli noted he felt 'definitely lightheaded'.

We all started telling stories and laughing around the kitchen table. I didn't notice any particular time that the kava came on, and it could have been my expectation, but I was able to let go a little more and enjoy talking. I didn't second-guess myself, as I usually did, when I suggested an activity that we could do: go for a night walk to the university campus nearby, and climb on the roof of an engineering laboratory.

Roof-climbing is common even among the sober on this campus, so this wasn't kava-induced, but everyone agreed right away, which might have been the kava. Eli decided to grab a hundred feet of rope, although I said it probably wouldn't be necessary, and we set off.

Eli commented on how relaxed and happy he felt. He works a stressful research job day-to-day and the kava's relaxing effects might have been especially noticeable to him.

The building we chose to climb wasn't terribly challenging, but we did have to scale a wall about fifteen feet tall. We managed this without any more issue than would be expected, and we were all very cooperative. There is no physical impairment with this substance at this level.

We successfully reached a roof and enjoyed ourselves there for a bit, sneaking peeks into the labs and the poor lone grad student still working there. It was about 11:30 at night, and school wasn't in session. Save the grad student, the campus was mostly ours.

We climbed back down, intending on continuing to another building, but noticing it was midnight, headed back home for a good nights' rest. I felt no indecision about wanting to go home as I usually did.

Eli continued to say how at ease the kava made him feel, while Stes didn't feel any different. I only really noticed any difference reflecting back on it later.

Strangely, I slept poorly that night and overslept the morning. But there were no aftereffects during the day.

I am told we took a very light dose. Overall, there were positive, socially-lubricating effects, though mild, and not much negative to speak of.

Exp Year: 2015ExpID: 106553
Gender: Female 
Age at time of experience: 25
Published: Jun 4, 2017Views: 5,413
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Kava (30) : First Times (2), Small Group (2-9) (17)

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