What's On This Page
I. Introduction
Kava is a beverage or extract made from the Piper methysticum plant. In the South Pacific, it is a popular drink used in ceremonies for relaxation. The name kava is a Polynesian word meaning bitter.
Kava is an alcohol alternative that elevates your mood without the brain fog, relieves stress, washes away worries, quiets an anxious mind, and eases muscle tension. It promotes relaxation, sleep, and social relaxation.
The calming effects of kava root drinks are a result of kavalactones. Each has a different composition of six kavalactones, providing different relaxation effects. Some are more uplifting than others for daytime drinking. Others are better for nighttime drinking and help you sleep.
One of the benefits of kava is that it will not dehydrate your body or fill it with the toxins that cause headaches and hangovers. Drinking kava takes away a hangover. It helps your mental clarity in the same way that alcohol does. Instead, it is for boosting your mood and keeping you sober. It does not contain any effects of alcohol that makes other users aggressive or depressed. That makes Kava popular amongst people looking to stop drinking alcohol.
Kava is non-addictive. The chances are slim that you will build up a tolerance to the effects causing you to need to drink more each time. Kava works in the traditional medicine of the South Pacific Islands for the central nervous system and peripheral effects.
It is a traditional Pacific medicine for urogenital conditions such as gonorrhea infections, chronic cystitis, difficulty urinating, and reproductive and women’s health. It also helps with asthma, coughs, tuberculosis, skin diseases, topical wounds, and analgesics.
Kava is part of a ceremonial atmosphere, in welcoming guests into a village and on occasions. It makes visitors feel calm. Village healers and medicine men on the Islands would use Kava tea as a remedy and cure. It is known to calm, relax and even sedate individuals struggling with stress, fretfulness, and troublesome thoughts or insomnia. It is also used as a muscle relaxant and as a diuretic.
II. Ingredients
Kava root
Kava is from the roots of the Piper methysticum with instant kava as another form of the kava root. You can find instant kava in your small shop. The main ingredients in kava root are called kavalactones. These contain kawain, dihydrokavain, and methysticum, which promote sleep and relax muscles.
Water
Use purified and chlorine-free water so you do not alter the Kava taste or favor (Theteaclub.com). Use any other soft drink/fruit juice mix you like.
III. Preparation
- Prepare Kava Kava by steeping the root in hot water, just like tea. Measure your Kava root. For a cup of tea, use about 2 to 4 tablespoons of Kava root, depending on the preferred strength. Mix 1-2 teaspoons of powder in one cup of water or prepare the whole amount in a jug. Three tablespoons of kava root use 8-12 ounces of water for a single serving. Place the Kava root inside your straining bag, and into the serving cup. Do not close the tea strainer.
- Prepare your water. Pour 8 to 12 ounces of water into a kettle or pot, and bring it to a boil. Pour the water over the Kava root, inside the strainer bag. Hold the tea strainer with one hand, and ensure that none of the root particles will escape the bag.
- With the bag’s ends over the cup/bowl like a tea bag, let the Kava root steep for 5 to 10 minutes.
- After the steeping time is over, grab the ends of the strainer bag, and twist the top part to lose the air from the bag. While holding the top half of the tea bag with one hand, start pressing the bottom part where the root is into the water, kneading and squeezing to strain and extract the Kava root for at least 5 minutes.
- The water takes on a milky color, but it will soon turn darker, like chocolate milk.
- Finish by wringing the bag to get rid of all the liquid the roots are covered with. If you are not satisfied with the result and your tea is too bright, leave the tea roots in the bag, and repeat the process.
- Serve as desired, and enjoy.
IV. Serving
You may add a teaspoon of coconut oil or lecithin, which might help to extract fat-soluble kavalactones (Medicalnewstoday.com). Drink Kava quickly to prevent the sediments from settling down because it is not pleasant to sip them slowly.
Use any flavor of your choice, from fresh fruit to coconut milk. These wash away the earthy kava taste. Kava works best on an empty stomach. Avoid food at least 3 or 4 hours before drinking kava.
Kava helps with anxiety, insomnia, and related nervous disorders.
They are pain-relieving properties, which is why chewing kava root tends to cause a temporary numbness and tingling sensation on the tongue. There are endless benefits, but there is a risk of liver damage. Avoid Kava tea in high dosage.
Do not take kava tea unless you are under a doctor’s supervision. Kava may cause liver damage. Do not take kava tea unless you are under a doctor’s supervision. It has side effects like indigestion, rash, headache, drowsiness, and visual disturbances. Long-term use may result in more complications.
Amongst the symptoms caused by kava tea is fatigue, nausea, jaundice, or yellowing of the skin and eye, abnormal enzyme levels, rash, and fever. If you have any of these symptoms, stop using the product immediately and seek medical attention. In high doses, the long-term use of kava could cause dry, scaly skin, yellow skin, heart problems, and eye problems.
V. Conclusion
In conclusion, Kava tea comes with multiple benefits. Complications with the long-term use of Kava tea have compromised its positive effects. If you have some complications, avoid using the tea unless you get approval from your doctor. Try new flavors and fruits of your choice to enjoy kava tea. When not certain about your steeping time, keep tasting it so it will not be more bitter than your preference.
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