DOSE: T+ 0:00	2 Tbsp	oral	Kava	(ground / crushed)
T+ 1:00	1 Tbsp	oral	Kava	(ground / crushed)
T+ 2:30	1 Tbsp	oral	Kava	(ground / crushed)

BODY WEIGHT:

130 lb

After researching various substances and searching for an adequate, safer alternative to opiates, I heard many positive experiences coming from Kava Kava. It also interested me that it's herbal, and healthier than taking synthesized drugs.

I'm not too well versed when it comes to psychoactives, and only recently have I been experimenting. Past positive experiences include cannabis, MDMA, hydromorphone, and codeine, and negative experiences include datura, effexor, dimenhydrinate, and diphenhydramine. I'm leaning more toward the mind-expanding experiences lately that can help from a spiritual and self-analytical perspective. MDMA provides this for me, but due to the threat of e-tardation, and the potential harsh comedown, I limit my use.

They sell Kava in bulk at a local head shop, so I picked up 25g (roughly 5tbsp) of kava powdered root, costing $7.50, and headed back to my apartment to try it out. I had been quite stressed during the day due to a large influx of work, and I'm managing many web-related projects at once, so I felt trying Kava would be appropriate.

7:00 (2 tbsp)
I mixed 2tbsp with milk and a bit of coffee and stirred. It turned into a thicker beige-looking liquid after stirring, and I gulped it. As popularly stated, it made my mouth mildly numb and a strong bitter aftertaste. It wasn't as difficult to consume as I believed it would be, but still caused me to want to rid the taste. I lit a cigarette right after, but put it out quickly because the taste combination wasn't too great.

7:30 (+0:30)
Started working on a website design for a client. I feel slightly relaxed, but can't tell whether it's a placebo effect or not. I have a dizzy sensation, and a mild headache. My arms feel a little heavier than usual. I turned on some DJ Rupture.

8:00 (+1:00, +1 tbsp)
Photoshop crashes, so I give up on working and paused the music. My mouth feels dry, not too different from the dry mouth feeling from marijuana. I also feel a little numb, and the headache increased a little bit, but still hard to distinguish if it was from prolonged computer use or from the Kava. I decided to go into the kitchen and have another tablespoon. As I walked to the kitchen, my body was definitely more relaxed, it was similar to having two glasses of beer. I boiled a small amount of water, and mixed it with cocoa, sugar, and milk. The bitterness still overrode any potential sweetness, but the cocoa definitely helped. This time I drank it over a period of time.

8:30 (+1:30)
I had a Skype conversation with my mom for the past 1/2 hour, which in normal cases I feel anxiety when talking to the authoritative figures, but the kava seemed to eradicate the anxiety. My legs especially feel heavier, similar to marijuana.

In a sober state, I have a 'monkey mind' characteristic of breaking the direction of conversation by moving to different thought tangents. With the kava, things seem to process at a slower speed, which allowed me to make more concrete answers with increased focus when in conversation.

A 'comfortable' and relaxed state prevails, and my body temperature seems to have risen. I still feel a little dizzy, and my face feels more numb than usual. By 8:40, I take the last mouthful of the cocoa kava mix I made at 8.

9:30 (+2:30, +1tbsp)
I grab another cocoa kava mixture and swallowed it. The sensation of 'feeling' is similar to MDMA, but more mild. I attempted pranayama for 10 minutes, though my mind couldn't grab control of my breath to activate a meditative state, especially compared to a fulfilling Vedantic satsang session the previous night.

9:45 (+2:45)
The feeling definitely resembles a small dose of hydromorphone at this point. The top and back of my head are tingling a little bit, and my eyelids are heavy. My vision was less focused. Part of me wants to slip into bed and have my arm around someone I feel close to, and another part of me wanted to head outside and enjoy the feeling of fresh air and lie down on my balcony and gaze at stars. One of my favorite DJ Rupture tracks came on, and I was more involved with it. I wanted to be dancing to it at a party.

11:00 (+4:00, +1 tbsp)
Over the past hour, I went to the corner store with my brother to pick up dish soap. Conversation was slowed down and I was more well-spoken than usual. I was thinking how fast-paced this society is and that everyone always have to be engaged in activity, and don't appreciate the moment, causing a diminished appreciation for reality. Kava didn't match the degree that MDMA makes me more comfortable, but is certainly up there. I enjoyed the walk more than usual. The peak was diminishing, and I took another tablespoon. I also had a slight nauseous feeling, but it went away after a while.

Retrospective:
Overall, I have a very positive attitude toward Kava Kava. It isn't something I would see as spiritual and mind expanding, but more enjoyable than alcohol since it doesn't impair the mind as much and provides a comforting feeling. I see it as something that would be enjoyable to take in the morning and carry out the day with a slight Kava buzz. I can also relate to how it's commonly seen as a herbal replacement to SSRI's, and having taken effexor for a while and having an array of side effects, I can conclude that this takes the cake. I plan on buying more for occasional use in the future.

Pros:
-Calmed my mind and body
-Healthier than opiates and SSRI's
-More compassionate to others
-Inexpensive
-I can still function on it

Neutral Effects:
-Drowsiness

Cons:
-Tasted pretty bad, especially by the time I got to the 5th tablespoon
-Slight nausea, though it went away quickly

Exp Year: 2010	ExpID: 87994
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: 22
Published: Mar 1, 2011	Views: 72,864
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