DOSE: T+ 0:00	1 glass	oral	Kava	(tea)
T+ 2:30	1 glass	oral	Kava	(tea)

BODY WEIGHT:

135 lb

[erowid note: this is an idiosyncratically strong reaction to kava, most people do not get this level of effects from the dosages described here.]

Having used Nature's Resource Kava Kava pills (45 mg kavalactones) off-and-on for a week before the experience and being impressed by the sedating effects, I decided to buy a 24-bag package of Harvest of Nature kava tea from the GNC (which, unfortunately, did not tell the root's strength). I first prepared the tea after having a good dinner of sushi, which I had bought after visiting the GNC, and home-cooked turkey casserole with herbs (roughly 7:00 PM).

To make the tea, I poured about a cup of steaming-hot water over the bag into the mug and let it sit for a good 4 to 5 minutes. The yellow-brown color and mild, spicy odor was slow coming, so I hastened the process by jiggling the bag and poking it with a fork gently. Strangely, the root frothed a white, bubbly secretion that was visible upon inspection of the soaking bag (the froth was inside the bag). The water became clouded with a fluffy solid that floated within the tea and tended to settle at the bottom; this probably accounts for the water-based tea's psychoactivity despite kavalactones' oily nature. Whether this solid was the froth is uncertain.

Finally feeling content with the tea's strength (deep yellow-brown, cloudy, pleasant aroma), I removed the tea bag and preceded to sip-down the beverage. It had a fairly nice, earthy lilac flavor that was not nauseating or very strong. The tea numbed my tongue slightly, though not enough to eliminate taste, and may have increased saliva or mucuous secretion. After a few minutes of contemplating the sensations, I decided that I liked it (note that I'm a notorious drinker of quality black coffee and unmilked tea, so little phases me). As the package said, no sugar was required.

The basic effects were identical to those of the pills, but the onset seemed pretty fast (beginning within a few minutes of taking several gulps worth). A feeling of calmness creeped in and grew for a short while before 'plateauing' at a level that felt serene. My eyes became more sensitive to light and after-glow from my vision floated in the darkness when they closed. My muscles gradually relaxed and bodily movement felt a little heavier than normal, though not overbearingly so. Stationary objects seemed to take on life as I stared at them, for they would shift, waver, tremble, or pulsate ever-so-slightly in my sight (visual distortions similar to those of sleep deprivation or feverish delerium).

Indeed, the effects are comparable to an ideal incident of sleep deprivation-induced trance, under which sleep or activity feel equally good. Note that kava's sedating effect has consistently overridden my caffeine buzzes; kavalactones must work at a more fundamental level than caffeine (I had drank coffee at work on the day of the experience, though the stimulation had worn off by 7).

I then read the newspaper for awhile before taking a nice dusk walk around my suburban neighborhood, feeling mellow and unhurried. I stopped by a friend's house to chat about getting tickets for the upcoming OzzFest and then returned home. Around 9:00 to 9:30, I brewed another cup of kava tea as previously and drank it, which seemed to prolong the experience, though not necessarily strengthening it. I sat around the living room and listened to Enigma, Smashing Pumpkins, and Dream Theater for a good hour and a half while disinterestedly browsing the paper again. The music was engrossing and I noticed that my body was unusually sensitive to the percussion and bass rippling through it.

A little restless, I picked up my CD player at 11:15 and went out for another walk around the block, listening to The World of Rave vol. 2. The night was pleasant, cool, and the cloudless sky was partially lit by a half-moon (itself evidently in a half-wake, half-sleep state). My Zodiac planet Mars hovered like a fire opal to the south, and the minor visual distortions of the kava made Mars and the stars waver playfully in the sky as the fireflies pulsed below in the dark away from the streetlights. I walked to the north down a main street past the local elementary school, then back while enjoying the view.

I realized two cool finds in doing so: (1) the wavering of supposedly inanimate objects is the Truth that all objects are in motion on one or more levels, as revealed to human sight, and (2) the flowery and vegetative smell of the summer night's air tasted of kava tea. Add to this the fact that I found a group of fireflies flickering to the beat of Lois Lane's 'Unity', thus I felt a gratifying oneness between my personal experience and that of the world around me.

Deciding to give the fireflies a more respectful viewing in a more natural habitat, I trod to the common grounds that followed the local creek and ignored the sign warning against nocturnal trespassing as I walked through. I passed the playground and a centuries-old oak that loomed like the World Tree itself, then stopped in a clearing to gaze at the impressive light display amongst the trees. The mosquitos had taken it upon themselves to claim a blood tax from me, though I paid them little attention.

Not yet content, I continued to follow the treeline. Suddenly, a police helicopter appeared off in the distance before me to the west, taking a curved diagonal course to the south (they tend to search nightly around here). I was a little startled, but the kava seemed to have lessened my anxiety and I silently challenged the 'flying pigs' to fetch me, though I went unnoticed and the chopper passed. By then I had reached a clearing with two trees spaced apart at the center like a pair of guard-posts, behind which a shadowed path into the woods tunneled like the entrance to Hades.

I walked by the trees and continued 15 feet into the darkness, then paused and stopped my music. Little light shone, fireflies were not seen, and the only sounds were the trickling of the creek and tiny insect noises. I would have continued down the dark path, but the threat of tripping and getting cut on sharp branches was unappealing even when kava-entranced. I then turned back lazily and headed home to sleep around midnight(kava's a great sleeping aid).

(*note: kava is relaxing and anxiety-reducing, yet doesn't appear to impare practical, common-sense reasoning. I've been able to go to work and complete household chores while on kava, even on 3 pills while at work [135 mg kavalactones])

Exp Year: 2001	ExpID: 7731
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Jul 1, 2001	Views: 35,303
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