Many individuals who are interested in consuming kava often ask, "how long does kava last?". The answer is not as simple as some may think. Anything you consume takes time to process through the body. Diverse types of kava compositions may stay in your body longer than others.
If you check out forums on kava, you will see this is true. Some people claim they can feel the effects for four or more hours and others claim they only feel it for one or two hours. Some claim it stays in the body for 12 hours and others claim it stays in the body for a week.
The length of time kava lasts depends on many factors. These include your metabolism, the dose of kava you consumed and even the type of kava you consumed.
Factors That Determine How Long Kava Lasts
Unfortunately, there is not just one answer to the question: "how long does kava last?". There are many variables that depends on how long kava lasts. Some of these factors include:
- Your metabolism
- The life of kava
- Your dosage of kava
- The amount of kavalactones
- Possible reverse tolerance
- The type of kava consumed
Below, we explain each of these factors and how it affects the amount of time that kava lasts.
Metabolism
Drugs enter the body and are changed from one chemical makeup into another. This is called metabolism. Your body mostly uses the liver to break down substances such as kava, so it can process through and be eliminated from the body.
Metabolism converts food and fuel to energy and eliminates nitrogenous wastes from the body. It is many chemical reactions that take place in the body, with the goal of giving us better ability to think, learn and move.
Kava and Metabolism
Kava is metabolized just as any other tea would be metabolized. This is based on individual body processes. Meaning, metabolism will be different for each person. It can vary based on the age, gender, and even weight of a person.
To determine how long does kava last, you also must take into consideration the half-life of kava.
The Life of Kava
The time it takes for a substance to lose half of its life or half of its effects is considered the half-life of that product. It is the amount of a drug and its concentration that is reduced by exactly one half.
Kava, and all other herbals, have a half-life.
Many reports state the half-life of kava is typically 9 hours. This means kava can linger in your system for up to 18 hours. Double the half-life to determine the full life of kava in your system.
Most users claim to feel the most effects of kava around the two-hour mark.
This may also depend on the dose of kava you take.
Kava Dosage
Some recommendations tell you to create a dose using one heaping tablespoon of kava for every half a cup of water.
The recommended dose of kava is no more than 300 mg a day. That means if you want to enjoy kava throughout the day, you can break the kava dosage down to meet your needs. If you drink it three times a day, each cup will have 100 mg of kava.
While there are no known overdoses connected to kava, if you consume a larger amount, you will feel more sedated than if you stick with the recommended dose of 300 mg a day. When you consume more, you are consuming more kavalactones.
Kavalactones are the reason for the affects you feel after drinking kava, it is important to determine the percentage in each serving.
Kavalactones
How long kava lasts also depends on the amount of kavalactones in the kava. It is good to purchase your kava based on the percentage of kavalactones you receive per serving. Good kava percentage can range from three to twenty percent kavalactone, with twenty percent producing the strongest affect.
For a light dose of kava, look for a kavalactone percentage of between fifty and seventy milligrams. The higher the dose you consume, the faster the affects appear. It can take between twenty and thirty minutes for you to begin seeing results.
Kava offers the desired effect of relaxation while remaining clear headed. Look for chemotypes of dihydrokavain, kavain and desmethoxyyangonin. These three chemotypes increase dopamine levels in the brain.
When dopamine levels are increased, your brain tells your body to feel good. Your muscles relax, and you have an overall sense of well-being. If you consume too much kava, you could feel affects for ten or more hours after consumption.
However, oddly enough, you may not feel anything the first time you drink kava.
Reverse Tolerance
Reverse tolerance with kava can mean a person drinking kava may not feel its effects at all when first using it.
You could even go weeks without feeling any effects of kava. Then one day, you drink your kava, and notice a difference, a good difference.
Reverse tolerance lengths will vary from person to person, just as kava’s effects will vary. It is based on how much kava you drink each day. It will also depend on your body metabolism, brain chemistry and much more.
Type of Kava
The kava you choose to take can make a significant difference in how long kava lasts and you experience its effects.
Know which type of kava you purchase: noble kava or non-noble kava. Some believe that non-noble kava effects last longer than the effects of noble varieties.
Understanding the effects of different types of kava will also be a factor in how long kava lasts.
So, how long does kava last? Like all other foods and drinks being consumed, results will vary per person, depending on many components. The longer you use a product, the longer it will stay in your system.
For instance, if you use kava only once a week, it will leave your system each week. However, if you are a daily consumer of kava, the herb will likely remain in your system and will not leave until you stop drinking it for a few days.
Working with a trusted kava supplier can help you in determining the right dose and brand for your desired effects.
And because they are experts on kava, they will be able to teach you even more about how long it will last. Next time you ask yourself "how long does kava last?", you will be able to understand the different variables that determine the answer.