Is Kava Hangover a Real Thing?

Don’t you love it when you ask a question and somebody says, “It depends”?!

Your original question leads to more questions and more details than you ever knew you wanted or needed. You’ve opened the proverbial can of worms with one little question.

Not too sure about that? Try this question on for size.

Is Santa real?

Did that question strike a nerve? For some of you, it sure did. Parents have come to blows over this seemingly harmless question. It is a heated subject for elementary school parents.

The truth is that Saint Nicholas (a.k.a. Santa Claus) was absolutely real. He was a real person with a beautiful story. The story has evolved and changed quite a bit over the years thanks to television and radio. And now we have a magical Santa Claus who rides on a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer.

Santa was indeed a real person. And yet, he is no longer alive. Both things are true. (Sorry folks.)

Sometimes, questions really don’t come with a yes or no answer. It just depends.

Sooo, if we’re talking kava and somebody asks if kava is good for you, the answer is that it depends. Or, what if somebody asks about a kava hangover? They want to know if a kava hangover is a real thing. 

Is it? 

 

Is Kava Hangover a Real Thing? 

You bet it is. The kava hangover does exist. And no, this is not like saying elves exist. A kava hangover can be a real thing. 

But it depends.

There’s that word again, depends. The reality of a kava hangover depends on the type of kava you are enjoying. If you are shaking your head no right now, stop that. You are probably used to drinking high-quality noble kava. 

And that is just the thing. Not all kava is high-quality noble kava. Much of the kava available out there is mixed with tudei kava or even wild kava. (gasp!) That’s right. Not everybody is concerned for your welfare. 

What Do You Mean Certain Types of Kava Cause a Kava Hangover?

Well, it means that most of the time tudei kava is the culprit. There are two main types of kava: tudei and noble. Tudei is basically the black sheep, trouble-causing brother of the kava family. 

Tudei is pronounced “two day” kava and it lives up to that name. The effects of tudei kava can last for two days. Great … right? Not so much. These effects go beyond what most of us want from our kava. The reason these side-effects are stronger is because there is a much higher presence of two particular kavalactones, dihydrokavain and dihydromethysticin. Even though kavalactones are what make kava so magical, when they come in very high concentrations it is just a bit much for our bodies to process. 

Tudei kava is the cheaper variety of kava. It grows faster and is, therefore, easier to produce and sell. As you can imagine, that makes it more appealing to many people. Just remember, you get what you pay for!

How Do You Know If You Have Purchased Tudei Kava?

The effects of good kava should last for about four hours. Tudei will last much longer than this. Now, you may be confused because many people pursue kava as an alternative to alcohol. In light of that, it makes sense that kava could cause a hangover.

Alrighty. Let’s talk about hangovers. 

A typical hangover is induced by chucking back too many beers, downing the entire bottle of wine, or getting a little too overzealous with those Jello shots. If you’ve had a hangover, you know it can be pretty nasty.

They are made worse by dehydration, muscle tension, digestion issues, and headaches. The more dehydrated you are before and during alcohol consumption, the worse the hangover. 

This type of hangover might be preceded by vomiting and passing out. The following morning, you may feel like a drum section has taken over your head and decided to have percussion practice. Bright light hurts your eyes. You look a bit hideous, too.

Your genius friends may tell you to cure it with the “hair of the dog.” In other words, just drink this “concoction” and you’ll feel better. They are usually better within a few hours. 

That is not quite how a kava hangover works.

When you’ve had tudei kava, you can expect your drinking to be followed by nausea, fuzzy brain, lack of motivation, and a big, fat headache. It kinda feels like a regular hangover from alcohol. But, you didn’t drink alcohol. You drank tudei kava.

Remember tudei kava lasts for two days. So, your extra special kava hangover is not going away after a few hours and some hair of the dog. Nope, that tudei kava is going to hang on for a couple of days, not a couple of hours! Yuck!!

Why is it so bad? This is partly due to the fact that kava is a diuretic. So, if you’re already dehydrated before imbibing in a bunch of tudei kava, you’re headed down a bad road. 

That being said, there is a slight chance you could have a short-lived hangover with noble kava if you were already pretty dehydrated. It won’t last very long, the effects will be much weaker than with tudei, and it’s highly unlikely to happen if you’re drinking high-quality noble kava. 

 

Well, shoot. How can a person drink kava without getting a hangover?

Everything in moderation, right? Sort of. Kava works kind of like medications. You drink a certain dosage for your body size and your tolerance level. This means you’ll need to test it out to see how you react. You can’t trust that you’ll have the same reaction as your 5’2” cousin who weighs 115 pounds if you weigh 175. 

So, you want to try smaller amounts at first and see how you react. An example is to try four tablespoons of kava powder with twenty ounces of water. See how you react and go from there. 

 

How Can You Be Sure to Avoid a Kava Hangover?

Stay hydrated before and during your kava drinking session. Do not drink your kava in conjunction with alcohol. Just don’t do it. That is a bad idea. Drink plain water or coconut water while enjoying your kava. 

If you choose to drink coconut water, they have the added bonus of electrolytes. Electrolytes just add another level of hydration. That just ensures that you are being even safer during your kava session. 

And frankly, if you don’t want a hangover, just don’t drink too much! If you go all gangbusters the first time you try kava, that’s probably not wise. Try it out first to see how your body tolerates it and go from there to achieve your desired effect. 

Lastly, don’t drink tudei kava if you don’t want to be stuck with a lingering two-day kava hangover. Just be smart and stick with noble kava. It is the best kava for your body and mind!

 

But How Do You Know If You Have a Bad Batch of Kava That Isn’t Pure Noble Kava?!

It can be a challenge to know if you have pure noble kava. But there is an easy experiment you can do at home. It’s actually kinda cool. It’s called the acetone test. Don’t worry. You won’t be drinking any acetone. You just need to have test tubes, rubber gloves, and 100% pure acetone from the store. (Think nail polish remover.)

Be sure to wear those gloves when you do this because acetone is strong and can burn your skin and eyes. Now, put about 10 grams of your kava powder into a test tube. Next, add 30 grams of acetone to the test tube. 

Make like Taylor Swift and shake, shake, shake. Continue your little test tube dance for about two minutes and then let it sit on the counter overnight. Don’t touch it. 

The next morning, run to the kitchen and take a gander at your experiment! If it’s brown, there is no telling what was mixed in with your kava. Don’t drink any more of that stuff! If it turned red, surprise! Somebody snuck tudei kava into your “pure” noble kava.

But if it’s yellow? Yellow is good. Yellow means you have noble kava. 

Okay, so this test is not completely 100% accurate. It just points you in the right direction to ask more questions and find out if your retailer is scamming you. One of the best things you can do is to read reviews of the types of kava before you purchase anything. 

Why Noble Kava is Best

Noble kava is the go-to kava for most people because our bodies just like how it works. You can drink noble kava every single day without experiencing headaches, nausea, or fatigue.

Noble kava brings you to a nice state of zen, reduces feelings of stress and anxiety, and allows you to mentally focus, while also helping many people sleep more soundly. 

Growing noble kava is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It’s a labor of love, a five-year labor of love! Noble kavas are even more special because their rootstocks are smaller than the tudei kavas. One more reason why noble kava is more expensive. 

To get the most desirable effects from your noble kava, you will want to choose those with high levels of kavain and lower levels of DHM. 

Do You Want the Best Kava?

The answer to that question is yes. Of course, you want the best kava without all the guesswork! No problem. Calming Co. has done all of the research for you. And we put all that love and passion into a 3.75-ounce bottle of our Calming Tonic. 

First, we considered our audience and your needs. We asked questions and contemplated what people in today’s world really need. You don’t need to be drunk and you don’t need more medications, right?! You need an all-natural answer to your incredibly busy life!

And you need it in a product you can trust. That’s why we formulated our Calming Tonic with the genius of Benjamin S. Weeks, Ph.D. He has a doctorate in molecular cell biology and has published oodles of manuscripts over the last thirty years. He also presents his research in lectures all over the world. 

We did that for you. We want you to have a product you can trust. We want to give you a product we are proud of. So we used the magical power of kava and turned it up with a few other amazing ingredients. 

We combined the purest noble kava with calming chamomile to diminish body stress, lemon balm for reducing agitation, L-theanine to bring natural calm and focus, and ashwagandha for natural stress relief.

And guess what? We did it all with clinically-tested double-blind placebo-controlled trials for each ingredient. Nothing was left to chance. We want the best for your mind, body, and spirit. 

So What?

So, here’s the deal. Sometimes an answer to a question is not black and white. It’s not yes or no. Sometimes those answers require more research, more leaning in and learning.

Is Santa real? Yes … and no. 

Does kava cause a hangover? Yes … and no. 

But it most certainly doesn’t need to do that! Especially if you choose the right type of kava. Just be sure to choose wisely before you drink. 

You can trust Ü Relax. Give us a try and see what’s possible!