How Long Does Kava Stay in Your System?
The duration of kava effects in the body can vary due to several individual factors. While most individuals experience effects lasting around 3 to 6 hours, some may encounter prolonged or shortened durations. Understanding these factors can help optimize the kava experience and manage expectations.
Metabolism and Age
Metabolism plays a crucial role in determining how quickly kava is processed by the body. Individuals with a fast metabolism may process Kava quicker, resulting in quicker onset of effects and a shorter duration. Conversely, those with a slower metabolism may experience longer onset times and a longer duration of effects. This effect is influenced by factors such as age, body weight, and overall health.
Type of Kava
Kava is available in two main categories, noble and tudei. Noble kava is typically the type that can be consumed on a daily basis without any complications. It's effects usually last between 1 to 4 hours, while its lingering anti-anxiety calming effects may last up to 36 hours. Tudei kava, also known as "medicinal kava" in tribal cultures, is not recommended due to its high percentage of adverse kavalactones and undesirable kavalactone profile. Despite its fast growth and harvesting benefits, it is associated with hangover-like symptoms. Tudei kava contains higher levels of the kavalactone DHM(5), responsible for prolonged sedative effects, with effects lasting up to two days, hence its name "tudei," meaning "two days."
Kavalactone Content
The kavalactones are the active materials in the kava plant. The kavalactone content and kava chemotype also has an effect on how long kava can last. If you drink kava with high kavalactone content, it is possible that you will feel the effects longer. The chemotype can also change the length of the kava experience, as some varietals can have chemotypes with kava being a "quick and heavy" buzz, or kava being a long lasting/stretched mild cerebral feeling.
Kava Dosage
While therapeutic doses tend to range around 250mg of kavalactones, a standard bowl of traditional kava normally contains 250mg+ of kavalactones per serving. There is no current limit approved by the World Health Organization of kavalactones per day. There are many bars that have bowls with a much higher percentage or concentration of kavalactones per serving so do be careful when drinking kava at a bar. Increasing your dosage will proportionally increase your kavalactone consumption. Eventually, you will feel the effects faster and it can last longer because you have an overabundance of kavalactones waiting to be broken down by your liver.
Kava Reverse Tolerance
Reverse tolerance is the somewhat mythical nature of kava, where the effect of kava actually gets stronger the more often you use it. Some people believe it is the chemical makeup of your unique central nervous system that takes time to adapts, while others may think it's actually just the person getting use to finally listening to their body. With either case, reverse tolerance is a big factor to consider, especially if you are new to kava. Don't worry if it's confusing because it takes a bit of time to understand. In terms of time, with some circumstances it may take days to a week or so before you start to feel the results. That is why, it is recommended to double your dosage in the first few days or even weeks of drinking kava to acclimate to the unique experience of kava.
How to Make Kava Last Longer
There are several ways on how you can make the effects last longer and here are some of the top ones we recommend:
- Use only premium quality noble kava for the best kava experience.
- Make sure to only look for high quality kava and we recommend to stay away from pills or tincture versions.
- Fast for a few hours or more before using kava. Kava is best taken on an empty stomach.
- Drink small amounts over a long stretched time.
- Remove all distractions, this includes your smart phone, tv, and computer.
- Eat light fatty snacks in between drinks; Pork rinds, keto fat bombs, string cheese, avocado, etc.
- Split one of the screens a little last night.
How To Stop The Effects of Kava
The immediate and heavy effects of kava usually only last in our bodies for 1-3 hours. It's quite humorous that the things we recommend you don't do while having kava, are the exact things you can do if you want the kava experience to stop or be severely muted. One of the things you can do if you want to stop the effects of kava is to keep yourself distracted. You can turn on the television, watch a movie, listen to a podcast or listen to some music you're a fan of. Change the state of your mind through exterior distractions and you may not notice the kava anymore. We do NOT recommend to drive as the sedative effect can cause your reaction times to slow down or the constant movement can make you feel nauseated.
How Fast Does Kava Leave Your System?
The duration for kava to leave your system varies based on the factors above. Generally, kava's effects may last 3 to 6 hours after consumption. However, traces can linger longer, potentially up to 24 hours, especially in heavy or habitual users. It's crucial to note that individual differences exist.
Can Kava Make You Feel Sick in the Morning?
Feeling sick in the morning is actually common and people often think it's due to tudei kava. However, most reputable brands have strict import regulations on noble kava, so it's uncommon to be able to get tudei in traditional form even if they tried. The only possible exceptions we may know of that could have tudei are pill and tincture forms of kava. The most common reason people feel nauseated or sick the day after kava is because they're severely dehydrated and low on electrolytes. Just like alcohol, tea, coffee, and most experiental beverages, kava is also a diuretic. This means it can lower your electrolyte storages. Take some electrolytes like pedialyte, drink some water and it should take most, if not all, of the edge off. If you still feel yourself in a cloudy mental state, we would recommend you to go on a brisk walk or a light jog first thing in the morning. Kavalactones may embed themselves in your fat molecules. In the morning your body is in a fasted state with its glycogen storages depleted. This means if you exercise a bit, it's easier to start burning fat sooner. When you breakdown the fat molecule the kavalactone may also be released. We do recommend not to overdo it though since the former issue of electrolytes is most likely the case for the heaviness. You don't want to do heavy cardiovascular exercise when you're low on electrolytes.
Let us know if we missed anything. Make sure to spread the love of kava!