Kava Kava and ua?

[lowrider1978]

Hello all, a newbie here with a question. Does anyone know if taking kava kava will cause a positive ua? I know it's legal but I have heard it's a "narcotic". Thanks.

[BrugmansiaBrujo]

Not a chance. No worries with kava. It has narcotic like effects, but
it's active principals are not anything similar to anything tested for.



I know for a fact, I used kava a lot when in the military. They piss test you to death in there.



If you have to worry about UA, definitely don't play around with poppy
head tea though. And definitely don't drink any of that coca tea
or trimate tea (usually has yerba mate, coca leaf, and ephedra in it)
they sell online from Peru, you'll pop for cocaine. Also stay
away from ephedra sticks tea, that can show up as amphetamines.



Coca leaf, poppy heads, and ephedra are the herbs to watch out for with
UA testing on the horizon for you. And of course weed. Yet at the
same time, if you are SURE you won't get tested for at least a week,
it's probably safe to play with any of the above herbs EXCEPT
weed. That one hangs in there too long.

[lowrider1978]

Just what I needed to hear! Thanks a bunch.

[Unsolved]

I did hear however, I think it was erowid that prolonged use of Kava Kava can result in liver damage. Yes I've got it right here at the bottom. For this reason I have stop using kava kava. Just be careful man.

http://www.erowid.org/plants/kava/ka...th_liver.shtml

[BrugmansiaBrujo]

Yes, there we go with the liver scare again. So how do you explain
traditional South Pacific cultures who have used kava for 1,000's of
years, and still do today, and they have been studied and found to have
no liver problems.



What happened, that was seen in the news, is certain greedy
pharmaceutical companies, especialy
and specifically in Germany, used the whole kava plant - roots, stems,
leaves, and all - to make their extracts for their kava pills. People
who took them got liver problems. Also the news fails to mention
that the people who got liver problems were polydrug users, they were
taking the kava pills combined with alcohol, benzodiazepams, and other
drugs all at the same time.



The natives have known this for a very long time, that the stems and leaves are toxic, and only use the
roots of the plant. If you stick to using pure natural whole root
powder, and preparing a beverage (that don't taste good mind you) from
water like they do in the islands, you'll have no liver problems.
That, and also do not combine kava and alcohol at the same time for an
"extra kick", that is not too healthy. And stay away from those
extract pills, they don't work worth a shit anyway. Waste of
money, and potentially dangerous. Suck it up and drink the nasty
beverage, you'll be happy, mellow, and healthy. Most Americans
don't want to do things the hard way, they like the idea of just
popping a pill.



The only universally recognized health effect of kava is a yellow scabby dermatitis
on the skin, that manifests itself in heavy daily users. One would have
to consume around one pound of kava root powder per week, over a period
of a few weeks, to get this problem. And the dermatitis has been shown
to resolve itself quickly upon ceasing heavy use of kava.



There is really no danger to enjoying a beverage made from the natural
whole root every once in a while, like 2-3 times a month. And
there is also no danger in binging on the kava beverage 2-4 days in a
row, so long as you give it a rest after that for 2-3 weeks.



Alcohol is far more dangerous to the liver than kava, yet few people thing about that when they drink to excess.


Edited by: BrugmansiaBrujo