Aloha Everyone!
Makaira here! I hope all of you are enjoying the transition into fall. Here at Kona Kava Farm, our busy harvest season is finally slowing down, giving me some time to relax and update my blog!
We’ve been receiving many questions from customers about the worldwide legal status of kava recently, so I’ve taken the time to update my article on the topic. Please head on over and take a look. Please note that we’ve been having a tricky time getting our kava to Australia and Italy. If you live in one of these countries, we will ship to you, but be aware that you order at your own risk and that the products you order may be seized by customs, in which case they will never reach you.
We’ve also been receiving lots of inquiries about our kavalovetone capsules, so I’d like to take a moment to discuss these lovely products in more detail. Unlike the rest of our kava products, our Kavalovetone 84% capsules contain kava AND herbal extracts of a number of wonderful, relaxing herbs. As I discussed in my Herbal Kava Combinations article, kava often works very well with other calming herbs. These capsules contain a combination of our famous 84% kavalactone extract and the following herbs:
Chamomile, Hops, Lemon Balm, Gotu Kola, Ginko biloba, Ginseng, Passion Flower, Skullcap, St. John’s Wort, Valerian, Vitex (Chaste Berry), and a proprietary Ayurvedic herb blend.
Now, one thing that I want to be sure to note here is the inclusion of St. John’s Wort in the blend. As I mentioned in an early Ask Makaira article, there is no known interaction between St. John’s Wort and Kava, although I recommend that you ask your doctor before combining these two plants. However, St. John’s Wort is known to have not-so-beneficial effects when combined with certain pharmaceutical drugs. In particular, St. John’s Wort can reduce the effectiveness of birth control pills, and can increase the side effects of SSRI antidepressants and sedatives. For a comprehensive list of the medications with which St. John’s Wort interacts, please take a look at the excellent information on the University of Maryland Medical Center website.
So, if you’re interested in trying out our wonderful 84% Kavalovetone capsules, please be careful and make sure that you are not taking any medication which interacts negatively with St. John’s Wort. We want to be sure that all of our customers to have a safe and enjoyable kava experience!
Aloha no,
Makaira