Muscle soreness, tension, pain, and fatigue are challenges that athletes and fitness enthusiasts face when pursuing sports and well-being. That’s why some athletes have turned to kava to aid in relieving their pain. Instead of opioid painkillers or artificial muscle relaxers, fitness pros, athletes, and wellness enthusiasts are increasingly turning to kava for its natural, non-addictive approach to help soothe anxious feelings and ease stiff muscles. Read on and discover how kava’s natural properties can help boost your fitness performance naturally.

Kava: Everything Athletes Need to Know

Kava, or Piper methysticum, is a plant native to the Pacific Islands. In nations such as Tonga, Vanuatu, and Fiji, islanders have consumed kava for centuries and historically used it for everything from social rituals to religious ceremonies to medicinal purposes. Traditionally, kava is largely known for its soothing effects. When the roots of the kava plant are ground up and consumed, kava produces a unique effect, helping people feel more relaxed and calm but even bubbly or euphoric.

These effects are due to kava’s active ingredient: kavalactones. These compounds are concentrated in kava’s roots and are released when ground up and consumed. Kavalactones interact with the body’s limbic system of the brain, notably the amygdala. The amygdala helps regulate your emotions. So when kavalactones connect with the amygdala, many people experience a sense of clear-minded calm and physical relaxation. Here are just a few of the many reasons customers at Kalm with Kava choose to drink kava as part of their overall health and fitness regimen:

• To ease anxiety, worries, and fears
• To promote mental calm
• To have an alternative to alcohol
• To increase sociability
• To lift their mood
• To soothe feelings linked to depression
• To aid sleep
• To enhance workout recovery
• To naturally relax muscles
• & so much more!

Kava is Natural and Not Addictive

Kava is a legal, non-regulated substance in the United States. It is not a drug and is classified as an herbal supplement by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It differs from addictive substances like alcohol, kratom, and nicotine because it has a reverse tolerance effect. This means that users may feel kava’s effect more with less consumption over time.

Also, unlike marijuana or alcohol, kava does not impact mental clarity, so it doesn’t produce a “high.” Instead, it helps induce feelings of emotional well-being and calm. For these reasons, athletes and fitness enthusiasts turn to kava as a natural way to enhance their health and wellness regimen.

Kava Varieties 101

For athletes and fitness enthusiasts who want to harness kava effects, it’s important to understand the many varieties of kava. Depending on the type of kava, athletes can use kava to help reduce anxiety and enhance focus or help promote muscle relaxation. Each kava variety has a different combination of kavalactones, and these different combinations produce varied kava effects. Kava is categorized into three distinct groups of kava effects: heady, heavy, and balanced.

Heady kavas have more mental and uplifting effects than the other varieties of kava. Heady kavas can be helpful for boosting your mood and helping you feel happy, calmer, more sociable, and even euphoric. Our heady kavas are Tongan Pouni Ono and Samoa Ava.

Next, heavy kavas make your body feel “heavy.” They help relax your muscles as well as aid in calming your mind. People say that after drinking a heavy kava, their body feels the same as after a good message. It’s what makes drinking heavy kavas helpful following strenuous exercise or playing sports. Heavy kavas are also mildly sedative, which can help aid in getting a good night’s rest. Our heavy kavas are Borongoru and Melomelo.

Finally, balanced kavas are just that: a balance of heady and heavy relaxation effects that can be sipped at any time of day. In smaller doses, balanced kavas can help you feel lighter, happier, and more mentally relaxed. In larger doses, balanced kavas can help you feel physically relaxed, too. Vanuatu Borogu and Fijian Loa Waka are our balanced kavas.

To find the right kava for you, try our Kava Selection Tool, where you can take our variety selection quiz to discover the kava that best suits your needs.

Kava Effects on Sports Performance

If you’re looking to integrate kava into your athletic routine, kava is a natural, non-addictive way to enrich your fitness game. Muscle strain and physical stress can be common in sports and fitness activities. Drinking kava after a workout can help support the natural relaxation of tense muscles.

Kava’s potential to ease muscle tension can be attributed to the kavalactones present in kava roots. Kavalactones have analgesic, or, pain-relieving effects, so drinking kava can be a great way to help relieve muscle tension and, bonus, relax physically and mentally too. Kava can also help support in getting a good night’s rest the night before a hard work or game. You can wake up well rested and ready to perform your best.

The kavalactone combinations present in heavy kavas like Borongoru and Melomelo can help encourage the natural relaxation of your body’s muscular system, which can help support in alleviating post-workout soreness. By promoting muscle relaxation, kava has the potential to help support a faster recovery process, enabling you to return to your regular fitness regimen with less downtime.

Kava Safety & Wellness

If you are an athlete incorporating kava into your fitness routine for the first time, you may be curious or concerned about kava safety. The biggest health misinformation is that kava causes liver damage. The origin of these claims is research that was done over 15 years ago in Switzerland and Germany. New research has refuted the findings of these original studies and determined that there was a lack of scientific evidence supporting a direct connection between kava and liver issues. You can read more about the World Health Organization’s study, which debunks the myth of kava liver damage.

More recently, states like Hawaii have announced that kava prepared the traditional way, with water and coconut water, is considered Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). This is a significant kava drink safety determination, because it recognizes kava’s long and rich history of helping to ease anxiety, lift moods, soothe feelings of depression, and help promote a good night’s sleep.

As we mentioned earlier, kava does not have addictive properties as it does not produce a “high,” like opioids. Nor does it have the negative effects of alcohol, because kava is a natural non-alcoholic drink made from the ground root of the plant Piper Methysticum. By understanding kava, athletes can safely enjoy the true value of kava, which is to help promote relaxation and wellness.

Kava Best Practices

If you’re incorporating kava into your fitness or wellness routine, here are a few best practices you should follow:

• Only drink Noble kava: Noble kava is known for its milder, more pleasant effects and safety profile. We recommend only drinking Noble kava for a safer, more enjoyable experience. (We only sell Noble kava at Kalm with Kava.)
• Drink kava on an empty stomach: Kava is more effective on an empty or near-empty stomach. We recommend drinking kava 3-4 hours after eating.
• Stop drinking kava if you start to feel nauseous: If you start to feel dizzy or nauseous when drinking kava, it’s kava’s way of telling you that you’ve had enough kava to drink.
• Follow dosage recommendations: General best practices are to follow recommended serving sizes for the kava product you purchase. Learn more about factors that impact kava dosage.
• Don’t mix kava and alcohol together.
• Don’t drink kava if you are taking any other substances or products that depress mental function or if you are taking antipsychotic or anti-anxiety drugs.
• Don’t drink kava and drive. Learn more about kava and driving.
• Don’t consume kava when you’re pregnant.
• Don’t drink kava if you have or have had previous problems with your liver. Visit our article for updated insights on the kava and liver damage myth.
• Don’t drink kava if you are suffering from Parkinson’s disease or if you have mobility problems. Kava can make your limbs feel heavy, making movement feel more problematic.

Harnessing Kava Effects on Sports Performance

Kava is a calming alternative for athletes and fitness enthusiasts seeking a way to help boost their performance and recover naturally. Its unique properties, which include easing anxious feelings, helping promote muscle relaxation, and enhancing mental clarity without the drawbacks of conventional painkillers, make it a valuable addition to any athletic routine. By understanding how the many varieties of kava can help you rest, relax, and perform your best, you can navigate fitness challenges with a better sense of well-being. Find the right kava for you with our Kava Selection Tool, and shop our range of premium kava products today!