Oral use - Can you simply eat Kava-kava?

[computer34]

Grind it up into a powder and swallow...Does that sound like a good idea?

[Bajeda]

Sublingual ingestion would likely be of greater efficacy. Traditional preparation of Kava in indigenous settings typically involved mastication of the root before preparation of the beverage, although this practice has fallen out of favour in recent times. It has been reputed that some of the enzymes in saliva help to breakdown the root, thus facilitating absorption of its psychoactive constituents.

My camel is not enamoured with the idea of chewing up kava root, then spitting it in a bowl to prepare for consumption, but he does find that saliva breaks down the root better than any other substance. If my camel finds himself in urgent want of anxiolytic relief, or should he desire a serving of Kava yet find himself lacking in spare time, he will generally take a small spoonful of root powder and let it sit in his mouth. The texture is horribly dry and scratchy at first, almost like thickened sand, but my camel finds that his mouth quickly generates saliva to lubricate and break down the Kava, so any distaste is easily manageable. The anesthetizing quality of Kava root grows more pronounced as the powder dissipates, and it doesn't take long before my camel's sense of taste diminishes, which may be attractive for those not partial to Kava's unique flavour. After alternating between swishing the kava around his mouth and letting it sit/absorb for some time (up to several minutes at most), it is hard to feel any grains of root aside from an occasional 'splinter' piece that won't break down. My camel then takes a sip or two of milk, swishes it around his mouth, and swallows. That clears out any remaining traces of kava, leaving the mouth feeling cleansed and slightly (to very) numb.

At first, when my camel began experimentation with sublingual consumption of kava, he would imbibe milk right after putting the root powder in his mouth. This made for easy ingestion, but it felt lacking. After my camel got used to the initial texture of the powder, he started to hold off on drinking anything until after the root powder is liquefied by saliva. This produces rapid onset and heightened effects, making it a quick and useful alternative to preparing a full beverage.

Swiy could probably just ingest the powder, but I don't know how effective that would be as I am not sure how suited your stomach is for breaking down the root so the kavalactones are bioavailable. Perhaps you could eat powder and wash it down with milk to achieve the desired result, but I think sublingual ingestion is a far better alternative requiring equally minimal effort. My camel still consumes the majority of his kava in liquid form, but he feels that sublingual ingestion is the next best approach in most cases.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Great idea

[someguy200]

Swim would have to agree, he once tried mixing about a 1/2 cup of good ground kava root with apple sauce and eating it, the only effects he got were nausea from the kava destroying the taste of the apple sauce. He also used to always consume his kava drinks unfiltered, leaving all the root pieces in. Swims conclusion: it's an inefficient process and takes a while for the kavalactones to be extracted by the stomach, so it might extend the duration of lower level effects somewhat, but wont really affect the main experience which needs a higher concentration of kavalactones in a certain time frame.

[pjt]

SWIM has seen a website with whole root available for sale, which is intended for chewing. Do any SWIYs have experience of the effectiveness of this method? SWIM knows it is chewed during the traditional prepation process, but how about just as an end in itself?

Bajeda's post about sublingual use of powder is interesting, since SWIM doesn't mind holding foul tasting powders in his mouth if it will lead to rapid and thorough inebriation.

[psilocybley]

My lion usually encapsulates his kava, as he has grown tired of the veggie and earthy taste of his ethnobotanicals. From what this feline has told me, Kava tends to disappoint one by itself, but the synergy between kava and kratom, and maybe blue lotus, is remarkably pleasurable.

[Bluedrip]

Swim has purchased the whole kava "rootlets" in the past, and found them amusing but certainly not a replacement for a glass of quality kava.

Swim prefers high quality finely ground lateral root Mahakea strain or waka grade vanuatu root (intended for "instant" preparation rather than the traditional squeeze/strain routine). Swim has tried spooning kava into the mouth and swallowing with a beverage as one might do with kratom, and it does work. However, Swim has consistently noticed that this method is not as effective as mixing the same amount of powder into a big glass of water. Swim assumes their is more, and faster absorption of the 'tones when mixed in water.

He loves good kava and finds it an excellant tool for skipping days when he might otherwise be inclined to indulge in other substances that should be avoided on consecutive days in order to avoid tolerance/dependance, etc.

Swim has tried many kinds of kava. He doesn't like extracts, although they can be used for sleep. For recreation, swim likes the best ground root he can find.