I love a good, strong cup of coffee. I have brands of coffee I prefer over others, and one brand in particular that I loathe. Have you heard about the kava coffee? It comes from the Kona Kava Farm (www.konakavafarm.com) in Hawaii. I have never had it before, nor heard of it prior to this week, but it sounds like something I would want to try. Rather than being brewed from traditional coffee beans, it comes from the Kava Root, grown on the volcanic slopes of Kona’s Hualalai Mountain; apparently there are four hundred twenty-six strains of Kava, and they have some mystical effects.

Hmmm… The website says:

The Hawaiian kava is very potent and suits the needs for long and pleasant ceremonies that are conducive to sociability and the telling of long stories.
Effects from Kava last about an hour, and more servings can be taken to expend the effects as long as one wishes, or to the maximum daily recommendation by the FDA.

So far, I have not discovered what the “effects” of Kava are. I’d be lying if I told you I am not intrigued. Oh, here we go: users commonly experience mild euphoria characterized by elevated mood, lively speech and an increased sensitivity to sound.

As a medicinal botanical, kava is reported to reduce anxiety, relax muscle tension, produce analgesic effects, act as a local anesthetic, and have a potential antibacterial benefit. kava kava has been used for more than a century as a treatment for gonorrhea, vaginitis, leucorrhoea, nocturnal incontinence and other aliments of the genitourinary tract. Kava kava also is said to be a diuretic, useful in the treatment of gout, bronchial congestion and rheumatism.

What is Kava kava used for? Its primary uses in the United States and Europe, however, are as an anti-depressant, stress reliever and muscle relaxant. Kava kava also is gaining popularity as a sleep aid. In Europe, Kava kava is being used as a natural alternative to Prozac, Valium and Xanax. Several European countries have approved kava kava for the treatment of anxiety, depression, insomnia and restlessness on the basis of extensive pharmacological data and positive results in clinical trials.

Not for nothing, but I’m the kind of girl who swallows regular doses of hot sauce because the capscasin works as an anti-depressant. Perhaps I should be replacing my morning cup o’joe with a morning cup of happy Kava coffee. Caffeine is a drug. Is Kava? They say Kava does not cause liver damage. That’s okay, I have vodka to cover that base for me!

Some people swear by taking daily doses of ginseng, for others it is ginko biloba. Perhaps they should be looking into Kava.

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