nervousone
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2009
- Messages
- 414
posting a link out of a journal is a source, posting a random webpage not so much. words like "may" and "plausibly" don't work much in your favor either.
www.reference.com/browse/Kavalactone said:Kavalactones are the main psychoactive components of the roots of Piper methysticum (kava), a shrub common on some Pacific Ocean islands. Another class of compounds found in P. methysticum are the Flavokawains, which are substituted chalcones in nature and not lactones, and thus they are not kavalactones.
Extraction
The rhizome and roots of the shrub are ground, grated and steeped in water to produce a non-alcoholic drink which is said to promote sociability, mental clarity, and reduction of anxiety (see main kava entry) . The quantity and ratio of kavalactones present vary dramatically and are highest when roots are extracted with solvents rather than by conventional tea preparation (but note safety issues; see kava) .
Some use lipids to aid in kavalactone extraction. (ie; whole milk, oils, etc.)
Compounds
At least 18 different kavalactones have been identified to date, with Methysticin being the first identified. The Flavokawains are not kavalactones and as such are not included in the table below, which only lists natural kavalactones that have been identified in P. methysticum (and thus does not include pharmacologically interesting synthetic analogues, such as ethysticin).
Kavalactones: General structures
Kavalactones Name Structure R 1 R 2 R 3 R 4
Yangonin 1 -OCH 3 -H -H -H
10-methoxyyangonin 1 -OCH 3 -H -OCH 3 -H
11-methoxyyangonin 1 -OCH 3 -OCH 3 -H -H
11-hydroxyyangonin 1 -OCH 3 -OH -H -H
5,6-dehydrokavain 1 -H -H -H -H
11-methoxy-12-hydroxydehydrokavain 1 -OH -OCH 3 -H -H
7,8-dihydroyangonin 2 -OCH 3 -H -H -H
Kavain 3 -H -H -H -H
5-hydroxykavain 3 -H -H -H -OH
5,6-dihydroyangonin 3 -OCH 3 -H -H -H
7,8-dihydrokavain 4 -H -H -H -H
5,6,7,8-tetrahydroyangonin 4 -OCH 3 -H -H -H
5,6-dehydromethysticin 5 - - -H -H
Methysticin 7 - - -H -H
7,8-dihydromethysticin 8 - - -H -H
Effects
Effects of kavalactones include mild sedation, a slight numbing of the gums and mouth, and vivid dreams. Kava has been reported to improve cognitive performance and promote a cheerful mood. Muscle relaxant, anaesthetic, anticonvulsive and anxiolytic effects are thought to result from direct interactions of kavalactones with voltage-gated ion channels. Research currently suggests that kavalactones potentiate GABAA activity but do not alter levels of dopamine and serotonin in the CNS. Heavy, long-term kava use does not cause any reduction of ability in saccade and cognitive tests but is associated with elevated liver enzymes.
Desmethoxyyangonin, one of the six major kavalactones, is a reversible MAO-B inhibitor ( Ki 280 nM) and is able to increase dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens. This finding might correspond to the slightly euphoric action of kava.
Kavain in both enantiomeric forms inhibit the reuptake of noradrenalin at the transporter ( NAT), but not of serotonin ( SERT). An elevated extracellular NA level in the brain may account for the reported enhancement of attention and focus with kava.
Adverse effects
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that very rare cases of liver damage or fulminant liver failure may be caused by kava-containing supplements. However, these injuries might result from pipermethystine, an alkaloid present in portions of the plant used industrially but normally discarded in traditional preparations (see kava) .
In the limbic system, a small organ the size of a chick pea, the amygdala (of which there are two, one left, one right), regulates feelings of fear and anxiety, and processes memories en route to the cerebral cortex. This little organ, whose name means "almond" due to its shape, is a significant site of activity for both the benzodiazepine class of drugs, and for the natural, tranquil plant drug kava. A 1989 National Advisory Mental Health Council report noted that "Benzodiazepine receptors are located in many different regions of the limbic system, as well as other parts of the brain. However, researchers found recently that benzodiazepine receptors are highly concentrated in a particular region of the brain called the amygdala that is critical to emotional processing, suggesting that this structure may be an important site of their action." In studies reported by Holm in 1991, the preferential site of action for both whole kava resin and synthesized kawain was the amygdala. However, unlike the benzodiazepines, the kavalactones did not appear to interact with GABA or its receptor sites, but operated by other, as yet unknown means.
.. someone else who knows what they're talking about back me up.
read the bold part
fuckin moron.. everyone knows kava is stronger than valerian, but you.
i just know from my own experience, i have a hunch my gaba receptors are fucked
they need some healing,
when i was drinking valerian tea between my doses, i had hardly any anxiety i had no tinitius, shit was calm and life was pretty smooth, no wanting to stay inside, filled out job applications, i drank a cup or two before bed and within minutes i was asleep. and slept well ~ i was ready to reduce my dose since i was feeling good, the kava was just icing on the cake, with the condition i think my gaba receptors are in, i feel the effects of kava are minimal, i had the root, pills, paste, i tried em all
2 days ago i ran out tea and been using kava to take take the edge off ,till i get more tea
it helps a tiny bit but not like i felt when i had the valerian tea ~ i think the next taper would be a lot smoother with valerian,
heck maybe its just the way im wired it just makes me feel good, for a long time ive been tapering off benzos i been up and down feeling shitty, failing, cheating, but hey
i know jack shit
Triazolam its one of the best benzos that I have ever tried, BUT imo its the benzo that have more side effects. Lately I started to snort it and IT WORKS! so much faster and with the same buzz.
I'm not asking for a source but can you give some indication of where you got Triazolam from? like online or something?
Again i'm not looking for a source it just baffles me people can get it, i didn't know there was any country that still has doctors prescribing it...
It probably didn't help with the depression, I wouldn't think since you took a fairly high dose...even though it was already coming on. It may have exacerbated it a good bit though. Pot in itself makes me paranoid like crazy...don't know if that would make you depressed, but wouldn't be surprised if the benzos didn't make it much worse.
About the other subject above: Personally, I take Ativans, but don't try to take them everyday. I have had ativan in the hospital and have taken it orally, and for me they felt like two totally different drugs...but unlike my buddy, I would be scared to dilute it and do what he did. Like you said, it has fillers. I think one of them is corn starch and may gelitin...don't know how bad that is for the body, but doesn't sound good! It probably isn't as bad as going into the vein, but still can cause damage I am sure. But as far as taking it orally, I do know that for me the "legal" shot version that I have had in the hospital under doctor's care was way way better than the pill. The pill does little for me, whereas the other makes me feel really good! I could see why he likes it that way, but I am too whimpy to try it. I was wondering if his medicine being an older drug and being in capsule form might have less preservatives and/or other ingredients in it and maybe it was a little safer for him to get away with, esp since he wasn't doing it through his veins.