DOSE: T+ 0:00	20 oz	oral	Kava	(tea)
T+ 0:20	12 oz	oral	Kava	(tea)
T+ 0:55	10 oz	oral	Kava	(tea)
T+ 1:15	10 oz	oral	Kava	(tea)
T+ 1:45	8 oz	oral	Kava	(tea)
T+ 2:20	6 oz	oral	Kava	(tea)
T+ 3:00	6 oz	oral	Kava	(tea)

BODY WEIGHT:

165 lb

I have been drinking kava for several years now. A tongan girl taught me the traditional way of preparing and taking kava. Kava is usually prepared and drunk around 7-9PM in the evening and a kava session usually ends many hours later and not too unusually it will end the next morning. Kava can be made either strong (squeezing and kneading straining bag for a long time) or weak (not squeezing for very long). On the islands a typical kava drinker will consume at least 3 liters plus in a nighttime drinking session. As islanders will tell you, any bright lights or loud noises can take away the “whispering of the spirits,” or the kava “high.”

Islanders will tell you that their native kava strain is the best kava, but in my experience Tongan kava is the most potent and has the best blend of the six main kavalactones. There are many traditional rules and steps to kava drinking that true islanders still follow. The rules are too many and varied (among islands) to elaborate here. If you are interested in reading details I suggest picking up Kava: The Pacific Elixir by Lebot, Merlin and Lindstrom. I would like to detail a kava experience that I had recently.

My kava experience:

10:50 ingested ~20oz. of thick and moderately potent fijian kava beverage (prepared the native polynesian way with kava powder infused into cold water with a strainer [I used nylon])

11:05 marked relaxation, elevated mood, more loving of the world around me.

11:10 consumed ~12oz. more of the same concentration kava. (You are probably noticing that I am drinking a lot rather quickly. First of all, I am used to drinking large amounts of kava. Second, I have found through literally years of experience that the best way to drink kava is to ingest very large amounts for the first hour and then have about a cup every half hour or so to maintain the “warmth.”)

11:20 mental calm, thoughts come easily and are easy to sort out, mental acuity is sharpened, slightly euphoric, a small tingling of the hands, forearms and thighs. NOTE: Under normal circumstances the best situation to drink kava is around a large community bowl with several friends. Kava is a very social drug, half the experience is how your feelings change towards other people. I decided to ingest kava alone to relieve some stress, which it does to perfection, and the fact that all close friends with whom I would normally choose to drink kava are at work.

11:30 a little more euphoria, a hint of an energy burst, but still very calm and contemplative. I’m probably going to pop in the movie “The legend of drunken master” in a minute. Just chill.

11:45 consumed ~10oz. kava - feeling very social, but no one to talk to. very content, happy. a slight decrease in euphoria and overall strength of the kava feeling. (this usually happens after the initial rush of the first feelings) I just want to have a deep conversation with some close friends. complete analgesia.

11:55 the more still i hold the more the buzzing in the hands and legs can be felt, I am completely content to just sit in my chair and ponder anything and everything.

12:05 consumed ~10oz. kava - more spacey, euphoria is picking up again. I might add that if kava is used no more and up to three times weekly (which is overkill I think) it is almost completely safe. there is a threshold dosage of kavalactones which is usually around 3 times a week for most people. If this amount of kava is exceeded you will get what the tongans call kani kani. This is a drying and scaling of the skin that occurs and actually does you no harm. Native chronic kava abusers are known by their skin. If you immediately stop drinking kava, the kani kani goes away with no residual effects.

12:15 eat a very small amount of food - about a handful - I have noticed through experience that eating a little food tricks your stomach into digesting the foul liquid faster. a constant state of well-being, clear thought, slight euphoria and very slight body high.

12:35 consumed ~8oz. kava - euphoria increased by 80%, slight tiredness, when holding still body high increases several fold.

1:10 consumed ~6oz. kava - euphoria increased another 30-40% over last increase. My head feels like it’s floating, like it is mounted to my body by a super-greased ball joint. a little loss of motor control.

1:50 consumed ~6oz. kava - all mental and physical feelings have held steady since last entry. Be advised that kava is a diuretic and you should drink lots of water after drinking kava. If you go to bed directly after you finish your session then you should wake up at interavals through the night to drink water. This was the last of the kava consumption.

2:20 all feelings still holding strong. a little upset stomach, to be expected (an antacid and some food and drink will cure this) Planning on surfing the net for another hour then going to bed. I know I will sleep well tonight. I expect the feelings to hold for about 45 mins. and then slowly taper down over the next few hours after that.

Exp Year: 2001	ExpID: 6655
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Jun 6, 2001	Views: 19,375
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Kava (30) : Alone (16), General (1)