NOW Foods Kava Kava Extract 250mg, 120 Capsules

Most helpful customer reviews

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful.
Weak Product, Contains Stimulant
By Michael D. Gozia
I have mixed feelings about this product. On the one hand, the item description fails to mention that it contains Eluthero - a Chinese herb that used to be marketed as "Siberian ginseng." Eluthero is supposed to be an "adaptogen" - an herb that helps the body deal with stress. This may or may not be true, but it is also a stimulant.

After taking this product for five days, I found myself having trouble sleeping. Twelve hours after taking ONE of these, I would be laying in bed with my heart racing for no reason. It is possible that the omission of this from the item description was merely and oversight - but also possibly an outright deception.

My mixed feelings come from the fact that Kava has a sedative quality, and after taking it for several days I become lethargic. I suppose that is the whole point of combining it with Eluthero. This is actually a good idea, but aside from failing to tell me that this is what I was buying, the balance seems to be off. The kava is so weak, and the Eluthero is so strong that I found myself MORE anxious and stressed. If the ratio were re-worked, this might be a good product. In it's current form, I can't recommend it.

Finally, we come to the brand itself, NOW. A friend of mine who has worked at Whole Foods for years told me that NOW has been busted for putting fillers in their capsules, essentially falsely selling placebos as herbs. I don't know how true this is, or whether it was one bad employee or some kind of regular practice. I do know that the Eluthero in this product works. On the other hand, I would not be surprised if it contained no kava at all.

If you are looking for an alternative to caffeine without the "come down" this is a good product. If you are looking to relax and de-stress, look elsewhere, as you have come to the wrong place.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful.
4 of the 5 star reviews were made by the same individual
By coquetteRN
the same person reviewed this product multiple times with a 5 star opinion. If you remove 3 of those reviews, then you have a more accurate view of this product.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
Potent Sedative? Yes. Anything else? No!
By Michael Running Dear
I ordered this after reading about its benefits online and through a friend. After taking the product for several days I can say that the ONLY effect of it is as a sedative. All the other claims about inebriation are totally false (for me, at least).

Furthermore, I found it's sedative properties are quite unique. For example, I work in a very strenuous environment and, upon arrival of the pills, I took one and went to work. When I started working, I felt the effects immediately: sluggishness, apathy, and drowsiness. It made working that day a living hell because I was "dragging my feet" for three hours. After it wore off (and I had a meal), I returned to my usual vigor and my mood improved as a result. It was foolish of me but at least I know now!

The next day, I decided to use it before going to bed. It was incredibly effective as a sedative. It's sort of difficult to try to explain this but...it sort of...heavily suggests sleep BUT one doesn't have to submit to it. It's not like OTC sleep aids that might as well force sleep on a body. In addition, kava kava promotes vivid dreams and drastically increases the ability to remember the dreams. Since my first nocturnal employment of kava kava, I have had extremely lucid dreams and can remember them all even now! And they weren't frightening either, they were peculiar but incredibly entertaining!!!

Remember that this is my experience with kava kava and everyone reacts differently to it. Just sayin'!