Kava News

Kava’s healing charm is picking up speed and working its way out of South Pacific islands and into other nations as rugby teams love Kava:  Members of New Zealand professional rugby teams, such as the Warriors, Kiwis, and the Chiefs, swear by the beneficial and healing powers of Kava.

As the legalities surrounding the consumption of alcohol and other mind-altering substances are tightened for professional sport teams, some members of these teams are turning to  alternatives.  Prior to discovering Kava, some team members had turned to mixing pharmaceuticals with energy drinks to induce a similar effect to alcohol.  But many of those who have found or been introduced to kava – have discovered how it makes for such a wonderful and healthy alternative to all of those toxic and harmful substances.

Some team members actually prefer kava kava to alcohol and other substances altogether – stating that it doesn’t have the same negative effects as alcohol.

I’m so happy people have been given the opportunity to experience how Kava is such a wonderful alternative to drinking alcohol – nothing brings me more joy than blooming interest in the wonder of Kava.  Did you know that Kava is so highly valued over alcohol in some parts of the world that it is actually being used in therapy to help alcoholics heal from alcoholism!? So, people aren’t just using Kava as an alternative to alcohol, but are actually using it to heal from the damage that alcohol can cause.

“It’s a better choice to alcohol.  If you drink alcohol it’s going to take three days to recover and you’re dehydrated…” says Ruban Wiki, one of the Kiwi’s very successful players.

Wiki is thankful that he had been introduced to Kava by Fijian teammates earlier on in his rugby career: “I’ve been associated with kava for a long time and it has done me wonders”.  Ruban Wiki swears by the benefits and long term healing powers of Kava, and speaks of how he accredits Kava for his long and successful career; Wiki has had 55 tests and 312 first-grade games as a player for the Kiwi’s.

Other players, such as Manu Vatuvei, also testify to the healing benefits that Kava bestows upon its receivers: “it’s very relaxing and gives me a good nights sleep.  If you have a few aches and pains, they go away”.

And to make the story even better, many teams that use Kava have even created mandatory “Kava sessions” which members of these teams are required to attend.  I cannot tell you how pleased I am to hear this – not only is Kava being experienced, but its warm and social tradition is also being maintained! Traditionally Kava is used as a social and ceremonial substance to honour achievements and create relaxing and joyful social gatherings, much like the “Kava sessions” these teams have created. As Matt Elliott of the New Zealand Warriors says, “we sit around in a chilled environment… a controlled and family environment”.

Just about the only thing the team members have to say about Kava that isn’t about how in love they are with it – is just plainly that it tastes bad, as Simon Mannering of the Warriors suggests.   I would personally tell Mannering about all of the wonderful Kava recipes there are to concoct his favourite flavours with Kava, so that he doesn’t have to miss out on all the wonderful things his fellow team mates are experiencing with Kava!

Source:

The New Zealand Herald – League: Kava Sessions Liquid Gold for Warriors

If you’ve gotten wind of the recent confiscation of a kava shipment at the Nadi International Airport – never fear – it turned out not to be kava! Sadly, the shipment was actually proven to be cocaine.

The shipment of what was wrongly labeled as kava kava, had originally been exported to China. It was then returned or re-exported back to one of the kava dealers in the Fiji local.  Perhaps this kava dealer is involved? I certainly hope not!  But, that’s certainly something to be wary of when shopping for your preferred kava vendor – this can be a reminder to us all to do our research before choosing where to buy our kava or anything at all for that matter!

The Biosecurity Authority of Fiji (BAF) – responsible for monitoring bioshipments coming through the airport – became suspicious after noticing discrepancies in the Biosecurity Phytosanitary Certificate.  The BAF brought their suspicions to the attention of the customs authority at the Nadi International Airport and unfortunately their suspicions ended up being correct. The initial test that the Customs Officers performed on the shipment proved positive for cocaine and was confiscated by the Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority (FRCA) on 25/03/2014.

One thing that certainly is reassuring about this case however, is that we have authorities like the BAF to monitor things coming in and out of airports that kava shipments are going through – this gives me the feeling that kava can safely travel overseas to benefit everyone far and wide!

At this point, further investigations are still being made by the police to determine just exactly who was involved and the other horrible details.

It’s terrible that cases like this are tainting the image of kava and tampering with its positive purpose – but, fortunately this case was publicized and all can see that our beloved kava is still just as beautifully pure as always.

Source: FRCA Confiscation of Kava Shipment

Who Made You Guru?

My name is Keith Cleversley, and I want to make it clear that I make no claims as to being a Kava Guru of any sort.  I do know a great deal about Kava: I’ve been in the Kava business since the late 1990’s. That’s when I began my love affair with and study of Kava, Kava cultivation, and farming Kava.  I’ve also written at least a couple hundred articles related to Kava, which can be seen in various places, including here.

The actual Kava Gurus are all of the researchers, doctors, Phd’s and other authorities whom I quote here on Kava.Guru.  And, all of the informational articles published here share one key feature in common: Minus my few editorials, only researched and referenced informational articles are typically posted here. Also, there are and will be interviews with people I’ve had the good fortune and pleasure of having interesting conversations with over the years, and who love Kava just as much I do. I’m excited to see this website take shape and grow, and hope you decide to stick around and read or comment or ask a question or two.

With so many websites appearing with the main goal of selling Kava, I wanted to do something a little different with Kava Guru.  I wanted to get the expertise of researchers, of authors, explorers, and experimenters. I also want anyone who’s published something to do with Kava that seems interesting to me. I’ll share it with everyone here.  I also wanted to have a place where visitors could post questions, and in return, they would get a fully referenced, researched, and authoritative response.  Also, because of a personal tragedy, I couldn’t be directly involved in selling Kava online after 2013 and until 2020. So, here, at least I could still write, experience, explore, and share all I know about Kava.  I also wanted to keep it separate from Kona Kava Farm and KavaDotCom, so it could be my own independent project that I get to watch take shape as time passes.  (I have authored almost 100% of the content on the Kava Library, though.)

Amidst the overwhelming support for our efforts here, there have been a few rumblings here and there about how some feel that I’m biased towards specific Kava companies on this website.  I rarely give real estate to that kind of energy, and offer only this this brief thought: Of course I’m biased.  I have opinions about what constitutes good Kava, and share those opinions here, on my own website that I purchased, designed, authored, and maintain.  I can also honestly say that I’ve sampled Kava from virtually every online supplier I could find, and for many years now. I’ve seen farms and companies come and go.  I’ve tested countless samples in various labs, and only ended up with a few who’s product passed my standards for HPLC test results, was manufactured in an FDA-compliant GMP manufacturing facility, and/or was of a high enough verifiable Kavalactone percentage and quality that I seek out in the ‘Awa I consume personally.

I’m proud of the features I do on the Kava companies who I like most. Everyone has an equal chance to be featured; all I need is some Kava to review and to share with Facebook fans if you want me to to run a contest to accompany the feature, as well as some details about you and your philosophy on Kava.  I love this ancient root, and would love to review many more Kava companies!

But, as of this writing, my favorite place to purchase Kava is from Kava.com.  They’ve not only got an amazing “happy” cultivar of Noble Kava (including small amounts of Mahakea Kava from Hawaii), but they have a wide range of consistently high quality products from multiple vendors, alongside high quality Kava from other reputable online companies all in one mobile-friendly place.  How could I not love that and want to write about it and share the Kava Marketplace with as many as possible? I love everything about Kava, I have consumed it almost daily for the past 20+ years, and I’ll continue to do so for a long, long time to come.

Please feel free to share this journey to Kava Nirvana, and send me any question related to Kava that you want an answer to. If I choose to respond on Kava.Guru, it will be in the form of a referenced article.  If I don’t respond on Kava.Guru, I will respond personally via email.

Mahalo & Aloha,
Keith Cleversley

It seems impossible to believe, but some villages in Fiji (Lau Group and the Eastern Division) have been encouraged to author a development plan for their villages that also includes a ban the consumption of Kava in these villages between Monday and Friday.

Fiji is one of the original places in the world to use Kava, so it’s been a part of the culture of Fiji for thousands of years.  What’s interesting, though, is the ban is not because of any direct physical dangers associated with Kava consumption, but because so much Kava is consumed, that Commissioner Netani Rika is convinced that Kava is a contributor to the state of poverty that exists in the villages of Vanuauatu, Komo, Namuka and Ogea.  He was quoted as saying; “excessive consumption of kava led to poor performance and was a major contributing factor to poverty.”

One of his speeches is below for those interested in hearing the message directly:

Mr. Rika is seeking to upgrade several ports around Fiji to allow more trade with larger vessels.  This would mean increased Kava trade for this region of the world, where poverty is reportedly rampant throughout the region.  Whether or not Kava is the culprit is certainly debatable, but finding a way to increase exposure to expanded trade would unquestionably provide a channel for more Kava trade for these poverty-stricken villages.

It’s curious that as the world’s demand for Kava increases, that Commissioner Rika is now so focused on rebuilding and expanding the harbors in villages around Fiji.  I applaud his efforts to find ways of exporting a product that Fiji does as well, if not better than anywhere else in the world; Kava Kava.  Personally, the Kava Guru is excited to a wider variety of Kava in the Marketplace, and will be one of the first in line to try any Kava that comes out of these regions.

Most are already familiar with Vanauatu Kava; a wonderful Kava with a fiercely loyal customer base.  Anything of similar quality to that strain of Kava can’t be anything but a good thing.