KAVA ROOT TEA: INTRO
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I consume all different kinds of herbal teas, but one of my favorite is Kava Root Tea! Perhaps this is because of the “additional” benefits provided by the active ingredient in Kava (see below) or perhaps it is just because I have grown to enjoy its highly unique taste. Never heard of Kava? Please visit our Kava Tea Ultimate Guide! The Ultimate Guide provides a great overview of all things Kava related and should be considered required reading prior to learning about Kava Root Tea! After reading, its time to learn about one of my all time favorites – Kava Root Tea!
Kava Root Tea – Consult with your Doctor
We want you to know that The Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated this HerbalTeaHour.com post. Kava Kava is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease – do not take Kava if you are intending to accomplish any of these objectives! Please always communicate with a licensed medical doctor before using any form of Kava. This step is even more important if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, nursing or taking prescription medications. Research has shown that some medications can be detrimentally impacted by Kava. Never ingest Kava with alcohol. Never consume Kava if you are under 18 years of age. Consult with your doctor, ask questions, stay up to speed on Kava research and study!
KAVA ROOT TEA: GUIDE
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Many HTH readers have heard of Kava Root Tea and have written into us to ask general questions about it. We wrote this article to create a helpful guide as to all things related to Kava Root Tea. Because this is such an expansive topic, we have organized this post into a number of different categories. We start by going over some of the basics of Kava so that you know exactly where the Kava Root Tea is coming from. After that, we offer some information about the basics of Kava Root Tea.
Next, we’ve included a short write up that features one of our favorite Kava Root Tea recipes that you can try at home! We’ve also added a link to a couple of different types of Kava Root Tea types that we have sampled and have found as high quality teas. Finally, we’ve have shared a short account of our own experience with Kava Root Tea, and we’d very much encourage you to share your own experiences with us! Ready to get started?
Kava Root Tea – What is Kava?
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Kava can best be described as a type of small plant or shrub. It has traditionally been found in the Pacific Islands (Hawaii or Fiji, for example). Natives of these Pacific Islands have experimented with Kava for generations and generations. Some use it for cultural or social events (like weddings). Some plant Kava at locations of the burial sites of loved ones. Other uses include consumption of Kava for its desired and alleged medicinal benefits.
Research has revealed that Kava contains naturally occurring “psychoactive” components called “kavapyrones” and “kavalactones”. The roots and stems have these components in greater number when compared to the leaves of the Kava plant. Many devoted Kava enthusiasts claim that Kava ingestion is tied to positive impacts upon anxiety, stress, depression, sleeplessness and many, many other conditions! It is perhaps for these reasons that Kava is currently undergoing such an explosion in popularity!
Kava Root Tea – The Basics
Many Kava enthusiasts have come up with different ways to consume Kava. Some make their own Kava Pills. Others add Kiva Tincture to other types of juices or herbal teas. We like each of these methods, but today we want to focus on Kava Root Tea and the two different ways that you can try some for yourself!
Kava Root Tea can be purchased as pre-packaged products where all the work has been done for you, and all you need to do is brew the Kava Root Tea in the included tea bags and enjoy (we’ve included a link to one of our favorite kinds below).
The second way is to “do it yourself”. This is accomplished by buying high quality kava root or kava root powder. Remember, there can be a large difference in the different types and brands of kava powder – be careful to make your Kava Root Tea only from reputable sources of kava root powder!
The Best Kava Root Tea Recipe
Do you want to make Kava Root Tea with the “do it yourself” method that we talk about above? Well, power to you! As with any time that you want to make herbal tea, you’ll want to start with an herbal teapot that comes with an infuser. If you do not have an infuser, that’s ok! Just use a straining bag (straining bags are used to remove some of the larger root pieces – this keeps them from getting into your tea).
Below we have included a great Kava Root Tea recipe. What makes it great? A few different things. First, it is very easy to follow and doesn’t include a bunch of “extra” ingredients that take away from the simplistic beauty that a cup of Kava Root Tea should always have. Second, it presents its directions in an easy to follow format and doesn’t bog you down in unnecessary or “obvious” steps. Finally, it includes a couple of tips for enhancing the flavor of the Kava Root Tea for those who find the tea to be somewhat bitter (admittedly, it takes some getting used to).
Necessary Ingredients (2 servings are yielded)
- Water (16 oz.)
- Sugar (2 tablespoons)
- Ground Kava Root (6 tablespoons)
- Ground Cinnamon (1 tablespoon)
- Vanilla Extract (1 teaspoon)
Easy to Follow Instructions
- Pour some filtered water into your herbal teapot. Carefully place the teapot on the range (using medium heat) and let it to come to a low boil.
- Next, turn the heat down to low.
- Begin to carefully add the ingredients, including kava root powder (or ground kava root), vanilla extract, sugar, and ground cinnamon into the infuser.
- Although it says “required” above, you should know that cinnamon and sugar are optional. I will tell you that they do help “soften” the taste of the tea.
- Simmer for roughly 10 minutes (HTH Tip: the longer the simmer, the stronger the tea – who doesn’t love a strong cup?!).
- After simmering, carefully remove the teapot from the heat.
- Turn off the range.
- Allow the teapot cool for about 5 minutes (be sure to use heat retardant gloves when handling – just to be safe!).
- Pour the kava root tea into teacups.
- It is perfectly fine to add extra sugar at this step. If you do want to add the extra sugar, just be sure to stir thoroughly and vigorously to make sure it is properly mixed into the tea.
- That’s it! You are ready to serve! Be sure to write to us and let us know what you think of the results!
Kava Root Tea: Buy the Best
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The kava root powder shown above is one of our favorites for Kava Root Tea. We think it is better tasting (though we still add cinnamon and sugar to the final result), is better quality, and frankly is more “effective” than a lot of the other types of kava root powder on the market. Our favorite part? The manufacturer states that its formula used only lateral and Crown Root. In other words, they never use the stems or leaves.
Remember how we said that sometimes we like to have someone else “do the work” for us? If you don’t like the idea of buying raw Kava ingredients or working with the kava root powder, you might just be in luck! Remember, there are two ways to avail yourself to Kava Root Tea – this is the second!
By letting someone else do the work, you are provided with 96 total tea bags. In my experience, 96 tea bags lasts between 2 and 4 months. The ingredients include cinnamon, Indian Sarsaparilla Root and Carob Pod (which is organic and Non-GMO Project Verified). The resulting Kava Root Tea is caffeine free (after all, we’re trying to relax), vegan, 100% Kosher, contains zero Gluten, and does not use artificial sweeteners or flavors. This is about as natural as it can get! The tea bags are individually packaged (this is great for allowing to to brew multiple bags at once with ease – just be careful to follow the dosage restrictions offered by the manufacturer). Let us know what you think!
Kava Root Tea – My Experience
I like all different types of herbal tea. Likewise, I like all different kinds of Kava! I think this is why Kava Root Tea has been such a favorite of mine! I tend to drink it warm in the winter time and have found that I enjoy it over ice in the summer time. It isn’t very difficult to make (if you are buying the tea bags – like described above) and the kava root powder is easy to find and work with (if you are more of a “do it yourself” type).
I typically have one cup of Kava tea, every other day. I try to limit myself and am always very mindful of my doctor’s advice and the manufacturer’s suggested dosage limitations. I have heard stories that people who deviate from these guidelines can cause damage to their liver and kidneys. I started with about 1/4 of the suggested dose and worked my way up from there. I can tell you that Kava Root Tea has helped me “unwind” from hectic days and it also puts me in a state where sleep comes more easily. Yes, the beverage can be fairly bitter – but I have actually grown to like it! A little sugar and cinnamon does help out quite a bit!
KAVA ROOT TEA: CONCLUSION
We wrote this article about Kava Root Root tea in hopes of providing an “all in one”, all encompassing guide for this herbal tea community’s reference. We are big fans of Kava Root Tea. It is worth mentioning that the different ways of availing yourself to this type of tea can be fun to experiment with and they help keep you from falling into a rut with your tea consumption!
Making your own Kava Root Tea with kava root powder can be a very fun experience. If you fail, you can always fall back to the prepackaged tea bags. That is a win – win scenario if I have ever seen one! If you have any questions about Kava Root Tea, please be sure to comment in the Comments section of this article. We read and reply to all comments and think that the message board serves as a great free resource for herbal tea consumers regardless of experience level!
Kava Root Tea: Comments
Have you ever tried Kava Root Tea? Did you buy the prepackaged tea bags? Did you try the “do it yourself” way of working with the kava root powder? Which yielded the better result? What dosage of Kava Root Tea accomplishes the result that you are after? Have you found that it reduces stress or helps you get to sleep more quickly? Please let us know of your experience below! We read and respond to every comment and we truly love interacting with this herbal tea community!
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