Kava, in its lengthy history, has been studied and found to be very beneficial to people all over the world. Drinking kava is associated with improving attitude, relaxing the body, and increasing mental clarity. Kava health benefits ranges from everyday improvement of mood, to easing stress and pain.
These are a few of the more common known effects of drinking kava tea. Below are nine other unexpected kava health benefits that may surprise you.
Overview of Kava Health Benefits
There are many benefits of kava; this natural herb has a history of relieving tension and everyday stress. There are not many side effects, and helps to promote relaxation naturally. However, there are many unexpected kava health benefits as well that are less known. Here are 9 health benefits that you may not have known:
- Helps with addiction
- Can boost the immune system
- Helps promote sleep
- Flavokavains can help fight negative cells
- Increases awareness
- Boosts dopamine and GABA chemicals
- Reduces inflammation
- Acts as a diuretic
- Relieves aches
1. Recover from Addiction
Kava is a non-addictive substitute that offers the euphoric, mellowing effect those who abuse drugs are seeking. This may be why many are using kava as a replacement for alcohol and drugs.
They can get a high, but without all the disorientation, altered thoughts and bodily harm that drugs and alcohol can bring. Long-term use of drugs and alcohol can lead to liver and kidney damage, as well as heart disease, stroke and even death.
Kava has not been linked to any damages to either mental or physical health.
2. Fight Off Illnesses
When you catch the flu or other viruses that seem to go around and affect everyone you know, you feel miserable. And it seems like it takes weeks to truly heal. Kava can help.
One of the least well-known kava health benefits is the fact that it boosts the immune system. The immune system is what helps your body stave off the common cold and other illnesses that are contagious.
Kava helps build the immune system so that when you encounter bacteria or viruses, your body can do its job in destroying them rather than letting them attack your body.
3. No More Jet Lag
When you travel, especially across time zones, your body struggles to stay on a steady pattern of sleep. A lack of good, proper sleep can be damaging to mental and physical health.
Jet lag makes it hard to adjust back into a normal routine and this can make ordinary tasks seem impossible to complete.
Kava can be used to avoid the effects of jet lag and keep you on a regular sleep schedule. So, no matter where you are in the world, you can drink your tea and fall asleep on your terms, not the time zones’.
4. Helps Fight the “Big C”
Cancer is what some refer to as the “Big C”. Cancer is a devastating disease. There are many natural and alternative medicines that are known to help fight cancer cells. Some claim that one of them is kava.
The flavokavains in kava have shown to reduce growth of cancer cells in a variety of types of cancers. Some researchers claim flavokavains can restrict nutrients to tumors. Therefore, they are unable to grow and eventually may die.
5. Improves Memory
Kava gives those who use it mental awareness and open mind while calming the body at the same time. This can happen because kava works on the parts of the brain such as the amygdala and the hippocampus.
These two parts of the brain make it possible for us to encode messages, store them in either short-term or long-term memory, and retrieve them when needed.
6. Helps You Handle Hot Flashes
Women who are experiencing menopausal symptoms can have mood swings and unwelcomed sweating at inappropriate times. These hot flashes can even occur in the middle of the night while you are sleeping.
Kava works with GABA chemicals in the brain and body. It also boosts dopamine chemicals. This means you are better able to handle negative, body changes that can happen. Changes through menopause or through hormonal issues are more easily tolerated when you use kava.
7. Ease Arthritis Pain
Arthritis can cause swelling and inflammation. These symptoms lead to stiffness and soreness that make it hard to move around. Arthritis prevents people from participating in ordinary tasks, as well as fun activities with family and friends.
Those who suffer from arthritis can attest to how painful it can be. Kava has analgesic properties that can ease this pain for several hours. This gives arthritis sufferers the opportunity to get involved and enjoy life.
8. Diuretic
Another one of the lesser-known kava health benefits is that it's a diuretic. Kava is an herb with diuretic properties. Meaning, it can help eliminate excess fluids in your body. Excess fluid may be due to blood pressure issues and infections. Drinking kava tea flushes your system and eliminates the excess.
This can be very helpful for those who suffer from urinary tract infections. Because kava is a diuretic, the infection in the bladder or urinary tract is flushed out.
Even if you are feeling bloated from eating the wrong foods or experience water retention of any kind, kava can offer some relief.
9. Eases Mouth Pain
If you have a tooth ache or pain anywhere in your mouth, consider drinking kava tea. When you first consume kava tea, it gives you a numbing sensation in your mouth, especially your tongue.
Kava is considered an anesthetic for this reason. If using kava tea bags, you can try soaking it in water and then putting the tea bag on other areas of your body that have pain.
Knowing the varied kava preparation methods can give you the best results for how you want to use kava. Temperature can make a difference when preparing kava tea. If brewed too hot, you can lose some of its effects.
Lukewarm water is typically the best.
If you are not a tea drinker, you can find other ways to prepare your kava. You can make smoothies, milkshakes, and juices. You can also purchase ready-made kava drinks for kava suppliers.
Kava can even be mixed in foods and candy. Just like any other herbs, kava is a product that can be useful in many forms. Soaps, soaks and cosmetics have been created by companies realizing the benefits of kava.
As kava’s popularity increases, we will likely learn of many more health benefits of using it. It will become an ingredient used in multiple products, from the cosmetic industry to foods to pet foods.
What is so great about this is that you have options when it comes to finding the best application method for you and your lifestyle.
There are many kava health benefits. By understanding it's benefits, you can see why it is becoming so popular.
