Have you ever heard of or tried kava? I was on the search for a natural, alcohol-free way to relax for a while when I first found kava. It comes in capsules, paste, instant powder, micronized powder, ground kava root powder, and other forms I’m probably leaving out.

Without getting too detailed here, kava is shown to offer many of the relaxing, sedative effects of alcohol without all of the negative side-effects. It is also a natural muscle relaxer, which is perfect for my constantly tense neck and shoulders.

After reading through kava forums and Googling about the root, I concluded that capsules were basically useless and the powder was the best, most pure way to get the most of the relaxing effects of kava. There are many online kava stores that are highly recommended, but as a kava newbie and Amazon addict, I search there first. Lucky for me, I found Wakacon’s Kava Waka.

Wakacon offers kava in a fine ground root powder at a great value compared to similar brands. The added benefit of Amazon Prime makes it a perfect way to have Wakacon Kava at your door in no time.

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I was fortunate enough to have Wakacon provide their Kava Waka and Strainer Bag to me at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

They even have a handy PDF with traditional prep instructions. Here are their simple instructions:

Kava Instructions for beginners: Prepare a large bowl or container with warm water. Water should be warm to the touch but not hot. Deposit desired amount of kava root powder into our durable Wakacon strainer bag. Adjust amounts for desired potency. Immerse the strainer bag containing the kava root powder into the bowl of water. Knead and squeeze the Kava powder vigorously in the water for approximately 10 minutes, 5 if you’re strong. Squeeze as much liquid from the Wakacon strainer bag as possible and discard the used kava powder. A typical serving is 6-8 ounces and is traditionally chugged as opposed to sipped. If this is your first time, we might recommend starting with a small dose for a few days in a row so your body adapts, and eventually increasing the amount of Kava to a few servings in an hour to get the full effect. The effect of Kava is not the same for everyone, so please be patient and talk to a friend or someone who mixes kava regularly. Binge drinking is a terrible idea, so please start out slow. Yes, kava tastes very earthy and may be too strong for a beginner.

Following their prep methods, I made my first batch starting with 2 tablespoons of powder in 2 cups of water using a kava strainer bag. It’s a fine powder just as they claim, and the smell is very earthy.

I drank it at night after dinner and wow, they weren’t kidding, this stuff needs to be chugged! The taste is not pleasant at all, but then again, some forms of alcohol don’t really taste great but we still drink it, right?

Right after drinking, there was a slight numbing sensation on my tongue that lingered for a minute or two. I didn’t mind the numbing, but I made sure to down the liquid as fast as possible the next time. My first try put me in a relaxed mood where I just felt an overall sense of well-being. Nothing much, but it was noticeable. I wanted more!

The next night, I upped the dose to 3 tablespoons. Yeah, that was awesome. My mind was more at ease and my entire body felt relaxed and, just….good. I thought I found the best stuff ever; no alcohol with all of the good feelings plus more from something completely natural! The effect lasted several hours and made going to sleep a non-issue as well.

Being over ambitious, I upped the dose again to 4 tablespoons and even drank the pulp because I didn’t want to waste anything. Bad idea. I eagerly drank it down at night and as time passed, instead of the usual “kava drunk” feeling, I started to get chills with fever, lost all appetite, and developed body aches.

It’s common to not feel much of an effect the first few times, and your body can even experience a reverse tolerance where it really hits you after many uses. Maybe I had a super reverse tolerance, but I’m pretty sure it’s best just to NOT consume the pulp or get too greedy by having so much at once.

Now I’m sticking to just 2 tablespoons and enjoying the calming state it puts me in while helping my muscle tension too. I plan on trying other forms in the future, but for now, I will use the traditional prep method with the powder. I’m good at downing liquids quickly, so the taste is not a huge deal to me, but if you can’t drink fast or have a bad gag reflex, I’d suggest you add something to help better manage the taste. A little cinnamon, add milk of choice, maybe liquid vanilla stevia, or whatever you like.

Parents and, well, everyone really all experience stress each day. I don’t want Avery seeing me reach for alcohol all the time, so I like having kava to offer all of the calming, relaxing sensations I look for without pouring a glass of scotch. Don’t get me wrong, there is still scotch and I still enjoy a glass on occasion.

If you’re interested in giving kava a try, Wakacon Kava Waka is a perfect way to start. If you have any questions or concerns with your order, they also have excellent customer service and will see to it that you are satisfied. Give it a try and let me know your thoughts. Just don’t get too confident, trust me!