Ask HN: Has Anyone Tried Kava Extract?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=764249

by notdarkyet • 17 years ago

1 12 17 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

Hey all! Recently I was told that Kava extract can have a relaxing effect without diminishing cognitive abilities. I have been doing some research but was curious if any of the HN members have tried it.

kf3• 17 years ago

Sure, email me and I'll send you some. It works and the FDA grants it Generally Recognized as Safe status. The effects don't last very long, maybe 2-3 hours. It is not physically addictive. You can buy it at Whole Foods but it is about 25% the cost online.

I also sell another substance, mitragyna speciosa, that may work for you depending on your situation. Email is in the profile. The other thing you could do is ask a mental health professional! Kava will relax you, but it's a bad idea to use it to treat an anxiety disorder.

notdarkyet2• 17 years ago

No need to send but the offer is much appreciated (they sell tea at the local health food store). How would you describe the effects? I have been looking for healthy relaxant to use while coding (and trying to avoid teas and coffee late night).

kf3• 17 years ago

That's probably an appropriate use of kava. I wouldn't get kava tea in teabags, it probably isn't very strong. Look for instant drink mix, extract, or tincture.

Kava's effects are like a mild benzodiazepine. It's a relaxing, mild sedative. Erowid is the authoritative source for the effects of these kinds of things, though most of the people there are probably doing higher doses than you want to do while coding. http://www.erowid.org/experiences/subs/exp_Kava.shtml

netweirdo2• 17 years ago

It's the only "intoxicant" I will use.

I import it from here http://www.realkava.com/

It's the good Sh

And instead of filtering it.. I take a heaping tablespoon, mix it with some water and shot it.. then eat something immediately after as chaser to kill the taste.

If you do anymore shots other than one every 3 or so hours it will probably make your stomach sick - I had to figure that out the hard way.

Happy kava-ing!

netweirdo2• 17 years ago

I mean I buy it from there.. I said import .. I live in California and Hawaii "feels" like another country.. :)

I also got mixed up with the Kava extract I imported from China before - which was crap.

plinkplonk3• 17 years ago

Ask HN: Has anyone tried {any of a wide variety of drugs}? I was told that {any of a wide variety of drugs} has the following effects... I am sick of people selling/advertising drugs on HN.

EDIT: Removed the "flagged" bit. Explicitly mentioning it here as an acknowledgement that it was a violation of the guidelines to mention flagging explicitly.

kf3• 17 years ago

>If you flag something, please don't also comment that you did.

http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

>But I am sick of people selling/advertising drugs on HN.

This comes up all of the time in these types of threads, which have been less common since that surge of legalize cannabis threads. Please move along, your complaints are uninteresting, counterproductive, and off-topic for this thread. The OP didn't ask if you think this is a good conversation topic for Hacker News.

The "not Hacker News" meme is the most uninteresting thing here and it ruins many otherwise good threads which is why it is discouraged in the guidelines. This story isn't even on the front page. All you needed to do was flag it and move along.

I am not going to argue with you because this argument has already been beat into the ground thoroughly in the cognitive enhancement threads. Suffice to say, the minority of people that agree with you consistently lose the argument. Discussion of drugs on Hacker News is not inherently off-topic. And yes, I sell legal drugs, just like the health food store the OP refers to. You probably sell software. We're allowed to sell things on Hacker News. If you have a business and you're a member of Hacker News in good standing, it is completely accepted to discuss or promote your business here, whether it is a software business or not.

plinkplonk3• 17 years ago

"Please move along,your complaints are uninteresting and counterproductive."

says the drug seller.

"The OP didn't ask if you think this is a good conversation topic for Hacker News."

He doesn't need to. I don't care what either the OP or you think of selling/soliciting drugs on HN. I see it, I flag it.

" And yes, I sell legal drugs, just like the health food store the OP refers to. "

When the health food sells health food on HN (and any entity selling anything legal can post advertising posts on HN) and it is an accepted and encouraged practice, then you have a point.

"We're allowed to sell things on Hacker News. If you have a business and you're a member of Hacker News, it is completely accepted to discuss or promote your business here, whether it is a software business or not."

By this logic, anyone with any kind of business could join HN and have a forum to sell his product, and still be within the spirit of HN.

I see it as abusing a trust when you sell drugs here. Let the moderators decide this one.

I don't enjoy "arguing" with you either. I saw someone selling drugs. I flagged it. The moderators will ignore the flag or confirm it. That's ok by me.

notdarkyet2• 17 years ago

I am quite sorry. I had no idea this would be an issue. I was recommended from a fellow coder to try kava tea to relax and focus and did not realize it might be an issue. The reason I was asking here is because I wanted to see if any of the other HN members have tried it and was not aware that it would be considered a "drug". I simply thought it was like any other herbal tea. I would have deleted the post but it is too late. My apologies...

shimi• 17 years ago

Tried it while touring Fiji, sitting with the locals having a laugh.

Its really mild, no big effect, good for socializing...

Ask HN: Has Anyone Tried Kava Extract?

Related Stories