Kava has enjoyed the reputation as a powerful natural sleep remedy used for insomnia for centuries. In the early 1990s, Kava peaked in popularity as a Botanical Sleep Aide and cut into the sales of popular pharmaceuticals by up to 10 percent. The Germans put a damper on that by banning it and claiming it was toxic and Kava's reputation was damaged. In 2014, The German Kava Ban was finally reversed and Kava was vindicated because there were no direct evidence that Kava by itself caused liver damage. But to this day, people selling sleep aides always mention Kava Toxicity in the hopes of selling their pharmaceutical products. Kava is a healthy competitor to them because it is legal, it is a natural botanical, and it imparts potent psychoactive effects. I read a story the other day where the parents of a female Marijuana Smoker in her 20s was blaming Marijuana for her bad liver results. And oh by the way, she also drank alcohol everyday. This is the same hatchet job that Kava got and it is a never ending fight against those who compete against Kava. Both Kava, Marijuana, Alcohol, and Tylenol all are metabolized by the liver, so don’t bombard your liver with all these products at once. Don’t mix Kava with Alcohol or other drugs! But doesn't the FDA say that about all sedatives? Yes it does ... and it's good advice.

Why Kava Works

I can personally tell you that I sleep like a log when I drink kava. After a hard day’s work, many of us come home stressed out and there can be many unresolved issues whirring around in our brain like a noisy blender. In the past, I drank alcohol to calm the turmoil but alcohol causes “fitful sleep”. When I drink Kava, it slows down the chatter in my mind and allows me to relax. When I finally hit the sack, my mind is quiet and my body is relaxed. The sleep is deep and peaceful and I bounce out of bed in the morning feeling energetic, refreshed, and calm. I’m calm because Kava has a residual effect the next day. You wake up feeling relaxed, but unlike Benzos, you don’t feel the need to have more Kava. Kava is not addictive like drugs and alcohol and is a natural sleep supplement.

Scientific Research

In an article published by the NCBI, they stated that Kava as a sleep supplement not only has a hypnotic effect, but also sleep quality-enhancement effects. At the Naturally Healing Center Web site, that state that short term clinical studies provide evidence that this natural sleep remedy is effective in treating insomnia and anxiety. Another article at the NCBI stated a clinical study of 61 patients and concluded that sleep disturbances associated with anxiety were effective in tje treatment of sleep disturbances. They stated that safety and tolerability were good with no drug-related adverse effects. Once again kava is proven to be a safe natural sleep medication. On the other side of the coin, The Huffington Post posted an article on the disburbing side effects of a very popular sleep aide, Ambien.

How to Start With Kava

First off, be sure to select Nobel kava. The other kava, Tudei or kava blended with Tudei, can cause side effects like nausea and can give you a mild hangover the next day. My favorite Kava for sleep is the Hawaiian Nene strain because it is ranked by the kava lab at TrueKava as the safest and the Islanders used it on their children when they were ill. Start with one shell of kava and see how you feel. That would be the equivalent of one tablespoon of Micronized or one tablespoon of Instant Kava. You might have to overcome reverse tolerance. This means you may not feel heavy effects the first day but you should still sleep well. It may take a week to overcome the tolerance. You can increase the dose as you go forward but it is always best to go slowly when trying out a new botanical or medicine. Kava is a beneficial botanical and a natural sleep remedy but you need to follow the rules of Kava Safety and don’t overdo it. Stop dosing when you feel good effects. That could happen after one “shell” or three “shells”. Read our section on Kava Preparation and Kava Recipes to learn about Kava preparation techniques.

Kava - A Natural Sleep Remedy

Disclaimer:

The FDA has not approved Kava for any particular purpose. The statements on this Website have not been evaluated or approved by the FDA. This product has not been approved by the FDA to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.