Posted by S.D. on May 16, 2000, at 22:07:35
In reply to I intend to go to Tijuana soon, posted by S.D. Guy on April 24, 2000, at 2:29:00
Just want to say I haven't forgotten about this and will report upon my hoped-to-be-triumphant return, but I haven't gone yet because I am trying Kava for my social anxiety in lieu of starting a new Rx.
FYI if interested in Kava (AKA kava kava or kava-kava)...
It is an anxiolytic and apparently an anticonvulsant and reversible inhibitor of MAO-B.
Negative cognitive effects may be less than benzos. It has occasionally been mentioned favorably on the usenet newsgroup alt.support.social-phobiaI think it is working for me, at least a little. I am going to increase to 300mg kavalactones/day.
Most commercial products contain "30% kavalactones" (AKA kava pyrones). These are the 'active components', at least the known ones, so it is the total weight times the percentage that is important in comparing doses. (e.g. a 200mg capsule containing "30% kavalactones" is 60mg kavalactones.)
It seems to be under-studied compared to synthetic, patentable drugs, but some info is available. Search medline or usenet or the web for 'kava', 'kava kava' and, especially for more academic/scientific/technical info, 'Piper methysticum' which is another name for the plant from which it is derived.Or check out these URLs...
http://www.lef.org/protocols/abstracts/abstr-090.html
---------Pharmacopsychiatry 1998 Sep;31(5):187-92
Inhibition of platelet MAO-B by kava pyrone-enriched extract from Piper
methysticum Forster (kava-kava).
---------
http://www.tnp.com/substance.asp?ID=65
-------peace and health,
SD
poster:S.D.
thread:30997
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000508/msgs/33725.html