kava dosage -- what is safe?

[on a short leash]

i have been taking kava kava on occasion to get sleep. i have taken 400mg gel caps which, according to the bottle, contain 120mg kavalactones.
other websites i've read tip-toe around dosages and i haven't really seen an answer here. does anyone have an opinion as to what is the safest known dosage and how often it is safe to take?

 

[Bonecutter]

You'll probably wont get a straight answer to this...just opinions. Kava was just scheduled in Germany so I guess we'll have some better data when it gets thru their testing period.
Higher doses are extremely hepatoxic and have caused quite a few liver failures and a few deaths. I'm not sure how high of a dose it would take to cause that. It probably wouldnt be wise to use kave for sleep if your trying to come down from another drug. That would tax your liver even more.
Also, dont mix Kava with benzos as that has caused a few people to go into a coma.
[ 06 January 2003: Message edited by: Bonecutter ]

 

[Shimmering Tia]

I'd stay away from Kava, it's not worth all the risks attached to it. And based on my experiences with it you have to take a great deal of it for it to do anything when it's that drug store shit in a bottle. When I can't sleep I just take Nyquil PM.

 

[Mariposa]

Just curious... what, if any, recreational value does kava have? Is it as suited for recreational use as, for example, Xanax or Klonopin?
I have never tried kava but my best friend swears by it for insomnia.