Now that Cannabis is legal for recreational use in three states as of the writing of this article, it feels important to address what will undoubtedly be a continuing flood of questions regarding combining kava and cannabis (marijuana). Customers from both Washington State and Colorado, have asked this question, as have a number of medical marijuana patients from other states where cannabis is legal (on a state level) for medical use. Since I have a personal affinity for natural plant medicines and sacred teacher plants, this is a topic I will be discussing in detail on Entheology, as this kind of discussion is the core reason I made up the word “entheology”in the first place way back in the early 2000’s.The Short Answer
The short answer is this: Kava has its own extremely pleasurable effects, and to a Kava purist; there are few things more sublime than to enjoy all Kava has to offer all on its own. The same with cannabis; purists feel that cannabis has its own unique and highly desirable effects, and should only be used separate from any other dietary supplements, plant medicines, or pharmaceuticals.
The Long Answer
Kava and cannabis have been combined for as long as I can tell, back to ancient times, perhaps even on Easter Island, to increase the effects of Kava into a deply psychoactive ritualistic experience that may have caused visions. So far, research is minimal, but this points to one very certain fact: Combining Kava with cannabis WILL intensify the effects of both the Kava and the cannabis.
I won’t say never to do it, as I know several dear friends from Washington State and Colorado who have responsibly worked with Kava and cannabis in several different ways, with very positive reports. In fact, in one instance, Kava was used to help calm and soothe someone having a very difficult experience from marijuana that was eaten (an edible).
A drink was made from freshly-ground Kava root, and infused with two 30% Kavalactone Capsules to give it an extra kick. What this did was instantly relax the physical tension in the body, while also soothing the mind by instantly and noticeably relieving the anxiety that was being held in the body from the strong effects of the edible.
To me, this is an incredible tidbit; Kava has been used medicinally for thousands of years, for a number of ailments, from pain relief, to insomnia, but this is an amazing use that’s never been publicized, most-likely due to the legal status of cannabis. In my personal relationships with several people from Fiji, Vanuatu, and Hawaii, I have heard numerous stories of combining Kava with cannabis is like combining coffee with sugar.
How To Responsibly Combine
Inevitably, there will be those who choose to misuse the wide range of products available to adults. But for those of us who want to do a little experimentation, then here are a few tips:
01. Have a Smoke / Have a Drink: The easiest and most natural way to combine Kava with cannabis is to simply ingest your cannabis, but in a smaller amount than usual, and then get yourself some high quality Kava root (such as Kona Kava Farm’s Kava Root Plus), and simply make yourself a drink.
For those in the know, Kava is best enjoyed in several big gulps rather than sipped over time. This is why we suggest ingesting your cannabis first, and then, while pleasantly effected by the cannabis, to then enjoy the experience of making a drink from Kava.
To accomplish this most pleasantly, I would highly recommend getting the items you need to make your Kava drink set out in advance. This means getting a measuring spoon, the package of kava, a blender, a muslin bag to extract and knead the kava, and a measuring cup if you’re into precision kava drinks.
My personal favorite Kava drink method is to make a smoothie with 125mL of Almond Milk (the fats are GREAT for extracting the maximum Kavalactones from the kava root), 2 tablespoons of EasyStrain Kava, and my favorite Pumpkin Spice blend from Trader Joe’s. I don’t even bother straining when I use this method, as the Kava root gives me extra fiber, as well as several nutrients my body needs. I put all the ingredients in the blender, and blend on hight for 5 minutes, and gulp.
02. Kava Cannabis Brownies: A friend in Colorado recently told me of an experiment where he made brownies using ghee (butter made from marijuana), and Kavalactone 30% Capsules from either Kava Dot Com or Kona Kava Farm. For a tray of brownies, he used 1/8th of an ounce of cannabis, making 36 squares total, and an entire bottles (60 capsules), emptied out into the mix. Now, be aware that Kavalactones break down at 140 degrees Fahrenheit, but also know that there have been more than a few reports of people baking Kava into all kinds of edible items, with great success.
That must mean that Kavalactones don’t break down the moment they reach 140 degrees, but a sustained amount of time at 140 degrees will break down the Kavalactones. This is great news for those who like their dietary supplements and their medicines in the form of a delicious edible.
03. Kava Smoking: Please don’t do this at all. There are zero effects from Kava this way, and it’s just a waste of product and time, while doing unknown damage to your lungs. Trust me, if there were any effects, I wouldn’t hesitate to share those effects, but with a warning that it could be damaging your lungs. We’ve received this question countless times over the past decade, and save yourself some trouble and possible discomfort of absolutely no return, and forget this method completely.
What Are The Effects?
The combined effects of Kava and cannabis are extraordinarily intriguing. Clearly, those selling Kava or those legally selling cannabis can’t share the wonders of the plant medicine mixed with the dietary supplement, but this, to me, is a match made in heaven.
Personally, although marijuana is often used to relive anxiety, I have to work with it as a patient DESPITE the fact that it can give me some anxiety, especially when working with edibles.
Kava makes all of that anxiety disappear almost instantaneously!
It’s incredible how effectively and efficiently kava acts as an anxiety eraser for me when working with cannabis. It has made that medicine even more effective for me, and has opened up the door to completely eliminating my need for any pharmaceuticals altogether. Personally, this is as exciting as it gets, and I’ve spent more of my life making music and working with sacred plant medicines.
Having any reliance on pharmaceuticals goes against the very core of my being, but until I discovered the wonderfully pleasant combination of Cannabis and Kava, I had no choice but to look to pharmaceuticals to ease some personal anxiety issues brought on my the demands of my work, and the constant battle with external forces such as Homeland Security, the Federal government, lawmakers, lobbyists, activists, and even the FDA.
I’m not saying this is the major effect for everyone; it’s just the major effect for me. During interviews with other medical marijuana patients in California, as well as new recreational marijuana users in both Colorado and Washington State, there has yet to be a negative review of combining the powerful plant medicine of cannabis, with the ancient sacred dietary supplement of kava root.
Those who look more towards the pleasurable effects of the combination have talked about “serene calm with slight giddiness”, or “walking on clouds with a happy gait”, or “smiles like I used to get when I first started working with cannabis many, many years ago.” And the personal anecdotes continued.
I’m personally excited by this new possibility, and it has encouraged me to share my personal findings and experiences with others. I would love to hear about your personal experiences with combining kava and cannabis here, as well as your favorite method of combining them. I will keep your contact information completely private, and will personally respond to anyone who posts comments here.
Mahalo & Smiles,
JoeD.
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Hey, very nice read! Just one little clarification; ghee is actually just butter with its impurities removed. (Clarified butter). 🙂 Best wishes to you
Just a question if you will…I’m a returning practitioner and my mate smokes and I’ve been thinking of adding the kava kava to his diet in order to stabilize his moods. Prescriptions cost way too much ($672 after insurance copay)…but I was going to have him take it in pill form. Any thoughts on how these would interact? He doesn’t have a regular bed time usually so teas are out of the question at this point.
Sachiel,
First, I’m obligated to state that I am not a doctor, and the person to discuss this issue with is your doctor. What I can do is share what others have told me as well as my own experience, but please do not take it as authoritative medical advice.
To answer your question, you didn’t say what kava would be interacting with. I need to know what the second substance is that you are concerned about interaction.
For mood stabilization, any form of Kava could be helpful, but the best form, since this is a long-term program, would be the capsules. They don’t hit as hard as some of the other products, capsules, as you know, release more slowly and more evenly in a bodily system, and can help slowly release the Kava over a longer period of time for benefits that last longer than gulping down a drink might.
If you’re looking for help in getting to sleep, then by all means; making one of the instant Kava drinks or simply ordering the Kavalactone paste and taking the 1/8th teaspoon dose using the including measuring spoon would be the way to go.
Mahalo,
Keith
Ghee is not weed butter, it’s just clarified butter thats originally from India
I personally love a nice cup a kava tea at bedtime, and have been smoking marijuana medicinally for many years before it was legal, and combining the two is amazing. I’m no purist, so I drink a kava tea that I buy at the supermarket in bags that brews like a traditional tea, I think the brand is yogi. I like it with local honey that I buy from a neighbor. After my tea is ready, I load a fat bowl of indica (sativas mess with my anxiety disorder) and smoke while I sip and watch a movie or read before bed. To me both substances kick in as I’m smoking and drinking, and the weed makes the kava taste sweeter. By the time my cup and bowl are empty, my pain and anxiety are gone, and I can turn in for sleep with no hint of my pesky insomnia. I really love this combo because even if I do this every night, it doesn’t loose its effectiveness, and it’s so much healthier than big pharma drugs. I highly (pun intended) suggest this combo.
Trying Kava and coconut-cannabis oil edibles – for that tropical blissful serene high.
I am so glad I found this article. I started drinking Kava in ’08 and when I have a little extra money, I buy whole bags of root and make the tea by hand. I use chocolate flavored coconut milk as a base 🙂
I’ve been wondering what the mix would be, because during the last two years I’ve been taking cannabis medicinally for anxiety. I have a bag of Stone kava and also some instant powder mix.
I think I’m going to do some testing when I get home today!