“GROG” vs. “FIRE WATER”
Aloha! I love reading, as I’m sure many of you have already discovered by now. Recently I stumbled across writer Joel Gibson’s very vivid and entertaining account of a trip he took to the South Pacific entitled “Just One More Cup of Kava” in the travel section of The Age, a news website out of Australia, where kava is a schedule IV drug, legal to possess and sell, but illegal to import without a special license. Gibson writes, “Three hours into our 16-hour odyssey on a government tub called Tovuto, I get my first taste of Fijian hospitality. Leaving the crowd...
Read MoreMore Evidence Against Liver Toxicity!
At the start of 2002, prospects were bright for Hawai’i’s kava (‘awa) producers. During the previous decade, the consumer base for kava had expanded beyond drinkers of the traditional water-based kava beverage to include the much larger nutritional supplement market. Kava capsules were prescribed in Europe to treat anxiety and insomnia. By year’s end, the kava industry had collapsed. At least 68 suspected cases of kava-linked liver toxicity had been reported, including nine liver failures that resulted in six liver transplants and three deaths. Countries in Europe,...
Read MoreCoffee Jitters and Traditional Kava Ceremonies
Aloha! So, this morning I woke up and had one too many cups of coffee. Oh, how I love my morning coffee! Usually I only have one cup, but occasionally I will have more than one. I admit that this morning I savored a total of three cups of coffee and within half an hour I felt jittery and on edge. It’s been awhile since I got the coffee jitters…maybe I need to switch to decaffeinated coffee in my old age! This reaction in me doesn’t always occur when I pour myself a second or third cup. Often times when I do, I feel fine – invigorated even. Yet today I felt very...
Read MoreTraditional Kava Ceremonies and Casual Kava Drinkers
Aloha! After tackling such a difficult topic in my last entry on the toxic part of the kava plant, it was refreshing to read about the opening ceremony of the Festival of Pacific Arts in Samoa last week. These ceremonial rituals include traditional kava ceremonies. In Pacific Magazine, they described how “both men and women, young and old, played their respective roles in the official welcome ceremony for delegates to the Tenth Festival of Pacific Arts in American Samoa. While the men were busy preparing for the ava ceremony (kava ceremony), the women were getting ready to display...
Read MoreDo I Need to Strain My Kava?
Catherine asked: Probably because I am always looking for a quick fix I decided not to blend and strain as recommended, instead I spooned 2 heaping tablespoons into a glass of water, mixed and drank quickly. Is this OK? Thank you for your time and your wonderful website. Makaira says: We always eat the root with our kava drinks; it is full of nutrients, and provides pure, essential fiber for the continued good health of the body. I don’t quite know what you’re referring to when you say a “quick fix”, but 2 heaping teaspoons of Kava into a glass of water sounds...
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