Benefits of Kava

As kids, most chocolate lovers enjoyed a good Reese’s Cup, Twix, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar, M&M’s, or  Snickers bar. Those little babies were a welcome addition to every Easter basket, Halloween bucket, and Christmas stocking. 

So much deliciously good milk chocolate. It’s the stuff s’mores, smiles … and a few cavities … are made of.

And then we grew up.

And we were told to stop eating chocolate because it causes your face to break out, it makes you fat, it has too much sugar, blah blah blah … We get it. Chocolate is the devil. 

Noooo. Milk chocolate is the devil. Dark chocolate, on the other hand, is quite the opposite. Yep. Dark chocolate is actually good for you. Wehoo!! Three cheers for dark chocolate!

Eating dark chocolate has been proven to improve brain function, protect your skin from the sun, reduce the risk of heart disease, protects LDL from oxidizing, raises HDL, lower blood pressure, improve blood flow, provide a great source of antioxidants, and provide the nutrients of copper, manganese, iron, magnesium, and iron. 

It’s pretty darn exciting when we find out something we like eating or drinking has benefits for us every time we indulge, right? It’s different from being told tofu or spinach is good for you. It’s more like when you find out red wine has benefits. 

Yesss. You can drink something that chills you out a bit and has a few benefits. And do you know what else brings you zen and has even more benefits? Kava. 

Kava has some really great benefits.

The Benefits of Kava

Relieves Symptoms of Anxiety

Studies have been done to determine whether or not kava could help those people suffering from various anxiety disorders, such as nonspecific anxiety, tension, agitation, agoraphobia, specific phobia, or general anxiety disorder. In a trial study done several years ago, scientists studied seventy-five people with diagnosed anxiety disorders.

The people were given a placebo or kava for six weeks. At the end of the six weeks, those scientists found out that kava truly did reduce their symptoms caused by anxiety. 

Additionally, a clinical trial was performed on 129 people with generalized anxiety disorder. The subjects were given 400 milligrams of kava extract. This study determined that taking kava was just as helpful as taking two anti-anxiety medications.

Kava flips the switch on for our GABA-A receptors. When the switch is flipped, it results in a feeling of calm. At the same time, kava prevents norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine from decreasing because it suppresses monoamine oxidase, and it relaxes our muscles by reducing beta adrenaline receptor activity.

Woah. That was quite a mouthful of really great news when it comes to the effect of kava on our anxiety level. And for those of us who don’t want to take one more pill to deal without anxiety, kava presents us with a natural alternative.

Natural Sleep Aid

Kava has natural anxiolytic properties. What the heck does anxiolytic mean? Well, we will tell you. Anxiolytic means it reduces anxiety. That makes it seem like we’re only talking about anxiety. We’re not.

So what does anxiety have to do with sleep? If you’ve ever struggled with anxiety, then you know it directly affects your sleep. It is a vicious cycle. Anxiety makes sleep feel like it is living in another galaxy and you just can’t quite get there. You want to. But you can’t.

Kava also has sedative properties that help you fall into a deeper sleep and relieve the detrimental effects of insomnia. One of the other bonuses to using kava as a means to help you sleep is that it does not have the negative side effects that come with many over-the-counter or prescription sleep aids.

Relief for Menopause and Perimenopause

Well, ladies if you’re over forty, this is probably music to your ears. Perimenopause and menopause symptoms are some of the most annoying and frustrating things about getting older as a woman.

The symptoms of perimenopause and menopause are night sweats, unpredictable hot flashes, increased irritability, insomnia, and increased anxiety. Yay, womanhood. 

Nooo … Yay, kava + womanhood. Kava has been shown to improve the symptoms of insomnia, depression, irritability, and anxiety due to the hormonal fluctuations that come with perimenopause and menopause. 

Using kava activates the GABA-A receptors, increases the brain’s dopamine levels, and inhibits monoamine oxidase-B.

Improved Brain Function

Although some find it questionable, kava has been shown to improve brain function. Taking one dose of quality kava can improve visual processing, working memory tasks, better accuracy and performance in attention, and improved performance in word recognition tasks.

Kavapyrones that are present in kava are shown to be active in the hippocampus, caudate nucleus, and amygdala. Those are the parts of the brain that deal with brain processes and emotions.

Possible Protection for the Brain

Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s are both brain disorders that result in oxidative stress. The kavalactones are able to activate one of the antioxidant response pathways and grow the concentration of the antioxidant enzymes. 

This is why it’s been proposed that kava fights the oxidative stress that results in brain damage.

Additional Health Benefit Possibilities 

It has also been proposed that kava may help to improve the following:

• Cancer
• Improved Immunity 
• Epilepsy and Seizures
• Decreased Inflammation

What Makes Kava Effective?

Kava contains unique compounds not found anywhere else in nature called kavalactones. There are eighteen kavalactones that we are currently aware of. 

Kavalactones are responsible for improving or lightening a person’s mood. That knowledge about kava is enough to make many people want to give it a try! Most of us get into a grumpy funk at some point. 

Chalcones and Kavapyrones are the main active compounds present in kava. 

Kavapyrones give us the wonderful feeling of calm while relaxing our muscles. Almost makes you wanna take a deep breath, doesn’t it? The names of those kavapyrones are as follows:

• Methysticin
• Dihydromethysticin
• Yangonin
• Dihydrokavain

Chalcones are another amazing component of kava. The chalcones have been said to have anticancer, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects on the body. Those chalcones are otherwise known by the following names:

• Flavokawain A
• Flavokawain B
• Flavokawain C

How Do These Kavalactones and Chalcones Work?

Methysticin and kavain work by blocking the sodium ion channels. By blocking those channels, it decreases the excitability of cells. The kavain in particular reduces an excitatory release by neurotransmitters. 

Basically, methysticin and kavain reduce the number of stimulatory pathways. When this happens, it supposedly results in an overall feeling of calm. Niiice. 

Do your best work kavain and methysticin!! We could all use some chill.

Moving on to the kava pyrones. Dihydromethysticin, kavain, yangonin, methysticin, and dihydrokavain increase the presence of GABA in our brains. GABA is a neurotransmitter that keeps the impulses from traveling from nerve cell to nerve cell within the hippocampus, medulla, and amygdala of the brain.

What happens when those GABA receptors are activated? Well, when the GABA-A receptors become activated, the neurons are basically blocked. That is said to result in anti-anxiety and sedative effects.

Guess what? We still need to talk about the beauty of kavalactones. 

Desmethoxyyangonin, methysticin, dihydromethysticin, dihydrokavain, kavain, and yangonin stop the enzyme MAOB from taking away the norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin from our brains.

Lastly, the kavalactones methysticin, desmethoxyyangonin, and kavain ramp up the production of those feel-good chemicals of dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin. When we have lower levels of those chemicals, we may end up being depressed, anxious, and struggling with ADHD. 

Let’s get a little more specific when it comes to drinking kava. Let’s talk about Ü Relax. 

What Are the Benefits of Drinking Ü Relax as Your Kava of Choice?

Alrighty, people. If you are not already well-versed in all the things about our amazing relaxation shot, you are about to be schooled! So, don’t go anywhere, and be sure to read on to learn about our amazing kava product. 

So, here we go.

First, you should know that we didn’t just run out and grab some ground-up kava. We did some serious research and planning to bring you the best version of a premade kava drink on the planet.

We hired a world-class Ph.D. who holds a doctorate in molecular cell biology from the University of Connecticut. He has written tons of articles, been published in countless journals, and speaks around the world.

Before we developed our blend, we studied people. We wanted to know what your days really look like and how we could improve them for you. Our bottom line? We want people to feel good.

That’s why we developed plant-powered relaxation shots. Our relaxation shots taste much better than plain, old traditional ground-up kava root and they help you feel lighter, brighter and chilled out—without the fog or fuzz. 

Wow. The relaxation benefits of wine without the brain fog? Yeah, buddy. 

Ü Relax is our completely unique formula created with plant-based ingredients proven to relieve stress. Every single ingredient has been clinically tested in double-blind placebo-controlled trials and selected with purpose and intention to deliver the proper dosage for a calming shot that’s as potent as it is delicious.

And you know what? We didn’t test our drink on monkeys or bunnies. Nope. We put it to the test with real people.

Our research led us to develop a perfected recipe to remedy life’s everyday stressors. Our relaxation shot is made with the perfect balance of our fantastic ingredients to naturally chill you out for hours.

So, what’s in this super-duper relaxation shot otherwise known as Ü Relax?

Noble Kava is a dietary supplement derived straight from nature that contains seven kavalactones. They are known to act on the serotonin receptors in the amygdala region of the brain giving us a sense of euphoria, well-being, and calm. 

In clinical studies, Kava has been shown to provide a relaxed feeling and to bring its users a welcome sense of calm focus when enduring stressful experiences. We only use top-quality Noble Kava in our drinks which is the best strain of Kava you can find in the world.

L-Theanine is a naturally-occurring amino acid found in green tea that has been shown to foster focus and relaxation. L-Theanine is a GABA precursor or building block. That means it boosts GABA levels in the brain. GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter that permits a person to negate signals to the brain and focus. 

L-Theanine is absorbed in the gut, and numerous recent clinical studies show that L-Theanine encourages our minds and bodies to reach a state of zen. For many of us, a little more zen means a little more enjoyment of living in our daily lives.

Ashwagandha is a natural stress reliever. It has become a commonly-used dietary supplement and is part of the ayurvedic medical system because it has been shown to reduce levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. 

Do you know what excess cortisol does in our bodies? It leads to extra fluff around our middle, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, and mood swings. A reduction in cortisol is great news for those of us who need all the help we can get with our aging bodies.

Lemon Balm is a great little herb for reducing agitation. (Many of us parents would give our right arm to experience less agitation in our days, right?!) 

Lemon Balm is a GABAergic natural herb that stimulates the major inhibitory neurotransmitter pathway promoting relaxation while reducing agitation in recent clinical studies in humans.

Chamomile decreases the presence of stress in our bodies. Your grammies knew what they were doing when they told you to drink a bit of chamomile tea before bed to bring you calm.

Chamomile contains anti-inflammatory molecules, promotes gastrointestinal health, reduces body stress, and continues to be shown in clinical trials to boost GABA, the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in humans. Woah. Chamomile sounds amazing!!

Some people seem to have forgotten their grandmother’s wisdom. So, the value of chamomile tends to be overlooked by many of the new relaxation supplements and beverages trying to be trendy. That’s a mistake. The natural ability of this herb to support GABA relaxation in clinical studies is something we are wise enough to recognize and put to good use.

So, What?

As you can see, the natives of the islands in the South Pacific were onto something generations ago when they discovered the amazing benefits of chewing up the roots of their kava plants. 

While our ancestors were chawing and spitting out tobacco juice, the islanders were grinding kava with their teeth, spitting it out, making an earthy drink, and learning what it could do for their minds and bodies.

Kava by itself gives you some great benefits. If you can handle the dirt-like flavor and gritty texture, you may very well reap the rewards of the noble kava plant. But, we have a better idea.

Actually, we have a well-researched, clinically-proven idea that delivers trustworthy, reliable benefits straight to you. Ü Relax is the perfect, made-for-you pre-made kava blend. Plus, it doesn’t taste like bark or dirt! 

So, if you want to reap all the benefits of kava without worrying about making your kava the right way, taking too much, or taking too little, then just grab yourself some Ü Relax and experience the benefits of kava for yourself!