Noble Kava Tablets

Piper methysticum, better known as kava or kava kava, is a very interesting plant that is found growing throughout Oceania on islands such as Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Samoa and the Solomon islands. Kava even grows on Hawaii, but does not appear to be endemic to the islands, and was likely brought over by ancient explorers from Oceania. The occurrence of Kava on Hawaii is quite fascinating as it gives us clues to ancient migration patterns but also to the importance of Kava. Even more interesting is the fact that Kava meant for consumption (Noble Kava) cannot reproduce, which means that its propagation is solely due to humans taking cuttings of Kava plants and propagating them. This also means that without constant human interference for thousands of years, we wouldn’t be enjoying the benefits of Kava today! This again goes to show just how important Kava was throughout Oceania, because why else would you go through the trouble of keeping Noble Kava alive for so long? This also brings up some additional interesting questions, such as where did Noble Kava originate and was it entirely due to human activity? This is still a big unknown, which further adds mystery and intrigue to the world of Kava!

All right, so we know where Kava originates from now and that it was very important to the inhabitants of Oceania, but why was it so important? For this, we need to look towards the effects of Kava! Kava has a very unique blend of effects, and more interestingly, this also changes drastically between different cultivars of kava. Specifically, the different cultivars appear to be unique to different islands. For example, many kava’s from Tonga are described as being ‘heady’ which means that these kava cultivars produce uplifting and almost slightly stimulating effects without too much relaxing effects throughout the body. On the flipside, Kavas from the Solomon islands, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu tend to be very relaxing and are referred to as ‘heavy’ because they make the body feel heavy and relaxed. Furthermore, various islands have many different cultivars, some more heady and some more heavy. For example, there are at least 14 different Hawaiian kava cultivars that can display both heavy and heady effects!

Due to the fact that there are so many different cultivars of kava that each have their own unique effects, it can be hard to determine exactly what kava does. The response to this was to develop a better understanding of kava’s chemotype and the following system was developed by Dr. Vincent Lebot:

These are the 6 main active compounds in Kava and they are collectively referred to as the Kavalactones. Varying proportions of the Kavalactones produce different effects, and to quantify these effects, we can write out the chemotype in order of decreasing proportion of Kavalactones. So for example, a Kava with a chemotype of 456231 will have the highest concentration of Kavain (4), followed by Dihydromethysticin (5) and Methysticin (6). Using this system, we can quickly determine the effects between different cultivars since we know relatively well which effects each Kavalactone produces. Click or tap the tabs below to learn more about each.

Now that we know what Kava chemotypes are possible and what effect each individual Kavalactone has, it is now time to look at our very own Kava extract! Our Kava extract is sourced from Fiji where a lot of the kava cultivars have chemotypes that start with 4 (kavain). Our Kava extract follows this perfectly, and has an average chemotype of 463251 and a minimum Kavalactone content of 10%. In order of highest to lowest concentration, our Kava extract contains:

At 10% total Kavalactones, and with this ideal chemotype we are seeing, it is no surprise that our Kava extract has a perfect blend of effects that gives a very good overall representation of the different effects that are possible with Kava. This chemotype produces balanced effects that are both “heady” and “heavy”, yet leaning towards the “heavy” side ever so slightly. What this allows for, is gentle relaxation, great pain management effects, and a wonderful positive mood!

Traditionally only the roots of the Kava plant are used. These roots are pounded into a powder and then vigorously kneaded with fresh water. For anybody who has prepared traditional Kava root powder in this manner, they know that this process is quite labor intensive and can take a while too! Furthermore, the resulting beverage has quite an acquired taste and a significant local numbing effect in the mouth and throat. While consuming Kava the traditional way is the best way to experience the full spectrum of Kava effects, the hard work to make it and taste can make it quite hard to regularly supplement with Kava. Unfortunately, it appears that high potency extracts of Kava that are made with ethanol or supercritical CO2 produce lackluster effects for those who are accustomed to consuming Kava the traditional way. During beta-testing we tested quite a few of these extracts and have to agree that they do not seem to be representative of the effects experienced with traditionally prepared Kava. It appears that the kneading process in water produces a microencapsulation effect of the Kavalactones, similar to what we see with a product like cyclodextrin ALA (which is ALA microencapsulated in a cyclodextrin which is a special type of starch). Kava root appears to contain similar types of starch compounds which may help solubilize the Kavalactones over the course of many minutes of kneading. While the evidence on this is still quite weak, it does appear like this may be the missing link between the effects experienced from traditional Kava and high potency solvent extracts of Kava. This is why we eventually ended up chasing down a high-tech water extract!

Our water extracted Kava feels nearly identical to traditionally prepared Kava, which is honestly not surprising since the extraction method employed for our extract closely mimics traditional preparation of Kava. When we first tried this extract we were blown away by just how close it came to our traditionally prepared Kava! Being able to obtain near traditional Kava effects with a simple tablet is quite the revelation, since the convenience factor makes it very easy to incorporate this into a daily routine!

Kava is clearly a very interesting and complex plant, and we could talk about it all day! However, to sum everything up, Kava benefits are:

• Kava may help promote relaxation
• Kava may help promote a positive mood
• Kava may help support pain management
• Kava may help promote cognitive function

Clearly, there is no shortage of Kava benefits! The benefits of Kava also have quite a wide range, which is part of why Kava is so popular.

As with any product in our extensive catalog, Kava also combines really well with some of our other products. Our current favorite stacks are the following:

Kava stack for relaxation: Kava + Sibelius Sage

While Kava is clearly already plenty calming by itself, we actually find that the effects combine very nicely with those of Sibelius sage. Sibelius sage provides a unique uplifting effect, similar to what you would find with ‘heady’ kavas. Thus, by combining the two, you can push the relaxing effects of Kava further into the ‘heady’ type of effects.

Kava stack for positive mood: Kava + Cistanche tubulosa

Cistanche tubulosa has a very unique effect on mood that is quite distinct from other mood promoters. The effects of Cistanche also appear to mesh very nicely with the mood promoting effects of Kava!

Kava stack for pain management: Kava + Rephyll

Rephyll is a patented formulation of the terpene beta-caryophylene and is one of our favorite supplements for pain management. We find that Rephyll also stacks particularly well with Kava, and the additive effect of both make for a great pain management stack!

Kava stack for cognitive function: Kava + Sabroxy

Kava already possesses dopamine promoting effects through selective and reversible MAO-B inhibition, and while Kava is only mildly stimulating, this effect seems to be quite nootropic nonetheless. We find however that it pairs quite nicely with a low dose of Sabroxy (50 mg) and the two together feel very smoothly stimulating!

As a dietary supplement, take one 1,000mg Kava tablet daily.

To gain more insight, see the Kava reviews and experiences below.

Nootropics Depot offers 30ct. and 90ct. jars of High Bioavailability Noble Kava tablets. Nootropics Depot’s Noble Kava has been lab-tested and verified for both product purity and identity.

Attention: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.