Sleep Enough

You may have heard about the Kava herb. Scientific name – Piper methysticum. Also known as the Kava kava herb, it’s supposed to be a great sleep aid. Or is it?

Yours truly is an ex Kava herb user. And Kava herb never did work for me. Actually, Kava herb has never helped me to sleep. It made me a little drowsy, and that was about it. A little drowsiness is not enough to fall asleep, especially when you’re going through those insomnia patches. My last bottle was 6 years ago. If I recall, after popping those pills, kava did make my tongue feel a little dry, and it did make me feel a little drowsy. But, I can’t report back and say that it helped my sleep.

But Kava seems to have helped some folks get good sleep. Is it true, that Kava herb is a great help in treating insomnia? Let’s take a look at it.

Traditionally, kava was/is used by the native Pacific Islanders by grinding or pounding the roots and then consuming the powder once it is mixed with water. The extracts from the roots contain substances called kavalactones which supposedly have sedative and relaxant effects on the mind and body.

The natives use kava to enter a dreamy state, but only the most potent brews can bring this about. Most of the time, kava is drunk in the manner with which alcohol is also drunk in the West; as a social drink with increasingly intoxicating effects the more you consume it.

Overdosing on kava can result in liver damage, according to the FDA. A certain substance in kava called pipermethystine, has been called out as the culprit. Kava could also be toxic because the kavalactones are fatty substances that are not readily expelled from the body. Hence a build up in the liver could occur over time.

The controversy continues because it seems only pill forms of kava extract pose problems. The traditional method of preparing kava from only the roots seems to have no problems, and therefore, probably the only safe way to consume kava is just to consume extracts made only from the roots.

Will I take kava again? Possibly, in light that is seems kava is non addictive in nature – it doesn’t make you addicted to it, even if you consume it heavily. But my initial impression the last time I took it has not been encouraging, although I’ve since learned that only the root area of kava should be consumed, while the leaves and stems should be left alone. This is probably the only effective (and safe) method of consuming kava, rather than conventional pills or capsules. But if that’s the case, how can ordinary consumers living in foreign lands benefit from kava?