If you take the herbal supplement Kava, please read

[swayinOtis]

It's apparently very dangerous to your liver.

Read here

 

[apoppin]

<< It's apparently very dangerous to your liver. >>



Not to my liver. Where did you get your conclusions? Not from the article which stated:



<< kava may be linked to serious liver injury >>

"may be linked" is NOT "apparently very dangerous".

 

[pyonir]

but it is much more common than a lot of "warnings" that come out about herbal drugs and perscription drugs. according to Dr. Drew on Loveline last night, this is worse than some drugs that have been pulled off the perscription market. just what i heard. base your own conclusions.

 

[apoppin]

Kava is subject to abuse. One of the problems is the kava "effect" is intensified by taking "more" (read: overdosing) or mixing it with alcohol (whick may be a dangerous combo).

However, when you consider millions of people take Kava with no apparant harm, it puts its danger rating about as high as aspirin (read: medium danger, use caution).

 

[WA261]

so what does it do to you?

 

[bunker]

I was in Fiji back in December where a lot of the kava comes from. There the locals grind up the root in to a powder, mix it with water and drink it like a big shot from a coconut shell.

I participated in a few kava ceremonies myself . For me, it made my lips and tongue tingle and that was about it. I've never slept so well in my life, when I actually got around to sleeping that is.

As far as medical side effects, there are several natives that frequently abuse it. No one in Fiji mentioned anything about liver damage. What seems to happen to the abusers is their skin gets hard and scaley. When I say scaley, I mean exactly like a fish, with overlapping pieces of hard, tough skin.

I can't speak for the pills sold here in the states as I have never taken them and never would. As long as this stuff isn't regulated you never know what the companies are mixing in with the pills.

Edit - spelling

 

[Jfur]

I buy the freshly ground powder. I have been using it for years. I know Pacific Islanders who take it far more frequently and have seen no ill side effects.

 

[WA261]

i have heard it is like a mild narcotic....do people use it to feel good, like get high or something?

 

[WA261]

well..i went and purchased some....i got a bottle of 400mg pills and a bag of ground roots (you make a tea out of it) i took 1600mg of the pills about 30min ago.......havent felt anything yet...