NatrolMood & Stress Kava Kava 200mg, Dietary Supplement for Relaxation and Eases Tension, 30 Capsules, 15-30 Day Supply

I was introduced to Kava Kava at a Kava party at the Restorative Medicine Conference. One of the doctors had studied/practiced in Polynesia and he prepared Kava every year in the traditional Polynesian manner for all two hundred attendees. Yikes!First, I am bipolar. For some bipolars (the histadelic or under-methylators) Kava is safe. Luck was with me at least for testing purposes. I was pretty manic and was hoping the Kava would take me down as described in the textbook. Halfway through the cup, my mouth was tingling and I was feeling sleepy. By the time I finished the cup (about 1/2 hour), I was very sleepy and was convinced my vision was blurring a little. My roommates took one look and hustled me off to bed where I slept soundly for about 9 hours. Very abnormally long for someone experiencing a manic episode. In the next week, it was clear that the Kava had stopped the manic episode COLD. I didn't need any more Kava or anything else to stay normal.My doctor was very impressed with this report and encouraged me to explore Kava further. You can control mania using prescription drugs but it's definitely rough on the body and dropping the amount isn't always easy.When I got back from the conference, I rushed off to buy some Kava. I discovered the market is loaded with sleazy Kava purveyors. So breaking from my usual bulk suppliers, I went with a brand that offers some assurance of consistent amount.It took me a while to try the Natrol Kava because I had to wait for some mania. I took a capsule when a mild episode struck- no results. Then about five hours later, I took the second capsule. I thought I detected a faint effect. Then I went off to bed. The next day, I realized the mania had stopped. As the days passed, I realized again, the episode was over. When the Kava shuts down the mania, it seems to do it permanently. it doesn't "wear off". That's really good, because all the labels say Kava is for occasional use only.It's pretty clear the traditional Polynesian Kava is much more potent than these capsules. If I'm really flying, then I will probably need to take several capsules. Why am I so sanguine about the risk associated with high doses of Kava? Because the other option is to increase my lithium and risk losing my kidneys.Recommendations: if you want to try this on bipolar episodes you need to know if you are an under or over methylator (histadelic vs. histapenic). Kava will make histapenics manic. Bipolar disorder is a bucket list - there's many more genotypes out there. Kava may not work at all if you fall under the "other" categories.Update: I have been doing some reading on Kava. There have been quite a few clinical trials which demonstrate Kava's effectiveness for inducing sleep and reducing anxiety. after a very long discussion with my doctor , we discovered that my sleep is not as well-managed as it could be. This is most likely the mechanism by which the kava was able to " stop my mania ". Sleep deprivation is a well-known mechanism that fuels mania. So, Kava may not control mania directly but it is strong enough to put a maniac to bed. That remains impressive.

After doing a huge amount of research concerning kava kava (its components, the different types of k.k. available, effects of all the types, the side effects, prices, what to expect, etc), I chose this product.I admit I was skeptical. I thought, "My doctor's prescriptions haven't done squat, but some crap sold on Amazon is suddenly going to have amazing results? YEAH, SURE!" But I figured I'd give the k.k. a try.The recommended dosage is one capsule daily with a meal, but since I have an unusually high tolerance to anything affecting mood, I took three, with a bottle of Lipton Citrus green tea.In five minutes, I noticed that I felt more positive, content, & motivated. NOT THE LEAST BIT HIGH, but calm & optimistic, & motivated to get up & get things done.Ten minutes later, I felt even better!!Please note that this review describes the product's effects on ME....my review doesn't guarantee that the product will work the same way for YOU.But I do know that the money was well spent, I'm very satisfied with this product, & I plan to buy it again.

Just as antidepressants acts slightly different on each person, an herb like this is more than likely to act slightly different on each person. Best advice I can give is to try it as it may be a miracle drug for you.I've been going back and forth between ashwaganda and various other herbs for anxiety and depression. Even if you find a magic cocktail there's no guarantee it's going to last. Ashwaganda knocked out 60 to 70% of my anxiety with virtually no side effects, actually there is a slight increase in energy, and I didn't get major brain fog until late in the day. Then I slept like a rock. Unfortunately your body builds a bit of a tolerance. Sam-e is my go to for depression. A mix of the two may work well for you.Kava, on the other hand, hit me pretty hard within 30 minutes and felt a bit dizzy and foggy. Definitely not energized, more like deflated. The entire day I was kind of dragging butt, but it did curb anxiety pretty well.And let me also mention that Ashwaganha took care of a lot of muscle tension, whereas Kava did absolutely nothing. There is also talk with long-term use or mixing with alcohol that Kava can do harm to your liver.Overall I would say to people experiencing anxiety to try ashwaganda 1st, another alternative would be calm's forte'-- a great sleep aid, but kind of sedating for daytime use. I can work fine on Ashwaganda, not so much on Kava.And let me also mention that there's a lot of Kava juices available, and even some juice bars where people drink Kava like alcohol. It just seem extremely expensive to consume this way, but it's an option.It's also possible that half this dosage might have a completely different effect. Overall I found it really strong and sedating. Slept 12 hours the first day I took it, and felt kind of lethargic the next day.Your mileage may vary greatly.

But only a week. So I am going to try one week on and one week off to see if that will help.