Kava-kava is extremely difficult to find

[Orchid_Suspiria]

SWIM has been having a hard time lately and looking for new ways to calm down and atleast get a little tranquillity.Kava sounded interesting but unfortunately SWIM can find it no where and may have to order online.Is eveyrone having this trouble?

[Nagognog2]

Bongo ONLY orders online. Most local stores only have expensive pills in small jars that do squat regards a real Kava~Kava experience. Bongo remembers it being widely available years ago, but those days are gone.

Get the credit-card, SWIM. Use common-sense. And beware of Missionaries with chainsaws.

[enquirewithin]

If you use Google, you will find it. There are some farms which produce it in Vanatu and other places.

[Bajeda]

Originally Posted by Nagognog2

Bongo ONLY orders online. Most local stores only have expensive pills in small jars that do squat regards a real Kava~Kava experience.

I think thats a large part of the problem of people complaining that Kava doesn't do anything for them, as we've seen in numerous places online. The store stuff may do a little for anxiety, especially in higher doses, but if you want anything in terms of actual felt effects you need the real deal!

[Orchid_Suspiria]

SWIM most certainly wants the real deal when it comes to any experience.SWIM hears the kava experience is very tranquil,a little like being drunk and a little like smoking weed.That doesn't sound bad at all.

[snapper]

A search engine will yield a number of quality sources. Not a whole bunch, but enough to choose from. Most if not all the store bought stuff is weak or inactive unless you live in an area with Pacific islanders or other cultures that use it shop. On-line ordering is easy and legal most places.

[Bajeda]

If you just spend up to 15 minutes searching online you should find a good range of sources with a nice breadth of possible selections. Swim would recommend looking at the places that specialize in Kava specifically. Could be beneficial to try several of them.

Anyways, thats as close to source discussion as I'd like to venture outside those forums, so I'm going to leave it at that.

[PoolShark1184]

SWIM finds liquid extract to be moderately effective but not nearly as effective as raw material. The pills work but are a quite different feeling and SWIM doesn't trust them. By it online, its cheap, fast, and easy. SWIM has been buying from all different vendors for about a year and doesn't find much difference in quality. It's basically trial and error, but you can tell by how professional looking the website is.

[Nagognog2]

Let's try to get something straight and clear about Kava~Kava: It won't get you "stoned." It won't make you drunk. It does what it does. A person used to/looking for stoned/drunk will be wildly disappointed. It is as gentle as the leaves of a coconut palm tree blowing in a gentle breeze. It is the calmness and love of Polynesia. Period.

If you read an ad trying to sell it claiming their extract is the best to get wasted on - dude - whoever wrote the ad knows nothing. Gentle. Peaceful. Period.

[PoolShark1184]

SWIM will have to disagree as he is "drunk" on kava at the moment. Drinking a lot of kava brew will definitely make you feel as if you have had a few, however the difference is your mind stays clear and focused. Also, if you abuse it, eventually it will become uncomfortable and make you sick to your stomach. If you want to get "fucked up" on kava, you have to find the very fine line between these two states of mind. SWIMS advice is to only drink small amounts, which does do what is described above. It is, however, entirely possibly to get extremely inebriated on kava, it just stops being fun after a certain level. At the point of inebriation Swim was talking about the following effects can be observed:
increased talkativeness (however some stutter may occur due to the lack of muscle control)
euphoria
pain relief
muscle relaxation
feeling sleepy
increased appreciation/sensitivity to sound, touch, and sight (though not at the level of marijuana)
increased feeling of connection with others
mood enhancement
also some stomach discomfort and at very high levels parkinson-like tics.
and Swim knows this for a fact because he is experiencing them now )
Please see Bajeda's numerous posts on side-effects of kava and always remember to respect this sacred plant!

[snapper]

For a while SWIM had about 8oz of this powdered yellow extract that was really strong. Made from Vanatu root only, it was more than peaceful. It also induced some dopamine rebound like effects after continuous use for about a week at high doses (yes, SWIM blew through that 1/2 lb fast). No root has matched it yet even when lots of root is used. No consequences from overuse other than that rebound effect and being lethargic..
However, most of the time Kava is as Nag said - peaceful. A bottle of booze will get you plenty waysted if that's what your after ...