Our Instant Kava Review: What Is It And Where Can You Buy The Best Instant Kava Powder?

Best Insant Kava At A Glance

Kava, or Piper methysticum, is a plant that’s native to the South Pacific region where people have used it for medicinal and ceremonial purposes for centuries, if not longer. Generally, they’ve brewed the plant’s root into a tea that helps relieve tension and boost mood. 

Kava hit the US market relatively recently, and it has become one of the more popular natural supplements in recent years. It is available in tablets, extracts, tinctures, and several other forms. However, instant kava seems to be the most convenient and safest option.

What Is Instant Kava?

Instant kava is like instant coffee, you just need to mix it with water and it’s ready to drink. You don’t need to strain it, which is much more convenient than the traditional way of preparing it where you would mix grounded kava root with water, brew it, and then use a filter to keep the sludge out of your cup.

Instant kava is much more convenient as you can prepare a cup in less than a minute compared to the usual 5-10 minutes it takes with other methods. The packages are smaller due to the finer grind, making them perfect for traveling. In addition, instant kava often comes with added flavors, improving the naturally bitter taste of kava.

How We Chose The Best Instant Kava

With so many options available these days, it can be hard to decide which instant kava is best. To help, we included as many products in our review as possible that met the following criteria:

• Good Kavalactone Concentration – In order to really feel the effects of instant kava, you need to make sure that the kavalactone concentration is high enough. As such, we found as many products that contained 6.8-10% kavalactones as possible.
• Ingredient Quality – All blends from Drink Root are sourced from organic ingredients and several other brands we included on our list are sourced from sustainable farms.
• Reputation – We found the most popular instant kava brands based on consumer reviews and only included those that have been rated as 4 stars or better on Amazon.

Our Review Of The Best Instant Kava: Where To Find Instant Kava Powder

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What’s The Difference Between Dehydrated Instant Kava And Micronized Kava?

Kava is available in different forms including dehydrated, micronized, pill, and tincture. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned about the dangers of kava extracts in their 2007 report. It turns out that most extraction methods bring out high levels of cytotoxic flavokavains found in kava roots. In addition, these products have much higher levels of kavalactones which are responsible for calming effects of kava. However, that is not necessarily a good thing since the higher active ingredient content can damage the liver, according to the WHO report.

Traditionally, kava roots have been dried, ground into powder, and then mixed with water to achieve a beverage with soothing effects. However, this has led to upset stomach and liver issues in some individuals, which is why some instant kava manufacturers have developed a unique manufacturing method – dehydrated instant kava powder.

Kava powder is mixed with warm water and blended similarly to how you brew your kava at home. The beverage goes through a filter and the leftover juice is evaporated to create dehydrated instant kava powder. This method of manufacturing eliminates some of the side effects and you can easily mix your instant kava powder with any beverage of your choice to get some of those stress-relieving effects.

In contrast, many new manufacturers offer the micronized option, which is finely ground up kava root. Micronized kava typically has a higher kavalactone content, but it’s harder to dissolve and mix with liquids. As a result, you are eating kava root, and you are not supposed to do that as it can cause certain side effects.

Here’s a quick look at the difference between these two types of kava:

Instant Kava Effects

Kava is supposedly an all-natural remedy for anxiety and stress relief. People also use it to support a good night’s sleep, enhance creativity, dull pain, and create a relaxed social setting. There are some reports of positive effects on opioid and alcohol withdrawal, but the available scientific evidence is weak.

Kavalactones are the active compounds found in kava, responsible for its effects. Kavalactones affect our central nervous systems by modulating gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) receptors. GABA plays a vital role in anxiety and stress regulation, which is why current evidence supports the claim that instant kava can help with anxiety relief.

Other studies have produced similar results for anxiety relief and have suggested there are potential antidepressant properties of kava. It appears that instant kava consumption could help people manage their depression symptoms by regulating mood and improving sleep.

By managing anxiety, kava can help people get a good night’s sleep and studies have shown that it can aid stress-induced insomnia, with little to no side effects. 

For a deeper dive into other kava benefits like alcohol and opiate withdrawal, you can read our blog post that explains the science behind it.

Instant Kava Preparation

Instant kava is all about convenience – you simply mix a recommended dose of kava with water. That’s usually one tablespoon per glass of water, but you can play around with this and try different dosages. If your kava feels too strong or not strong enough, adjust the amount of instant kava you put in for a better drinking experience.

As for the water, you can use any temperature you like, but we recommend hot (not boiling) because it helps kava dissolve easier. Mix the water and kava until the instant kava powder dissolves and your kava brew is ready. You can add honey, stevia, cream, or other flavorings as kava is usually bitter and most people need time to get used to the taste. You can also use juice, sparkling water, or another beverage instead of water.

For reference, here is a demonstration on how to prepare instant kava by Drink Root:

Instant Kava Dosage

The typical instant kava dosage is one tablespoon per glass of water. However, you should always check the label before you begin making your cup of kava.

We are still unsure about the correct kava dosage, but research suggests you should keep it under 250 mg of kavalactones per day. Going over this limit could lead to:

• Nausea
• Liver damage
• Fatigue
• Rash
• Fever
• Abnormal levels of certain enzymes
• Jaundice
• Skin issues
• Impaired cardiovascular health
• Eye problems

FAQs About Instant Kava

How Do You Take Instant Kava?

Typically, you measure out 1 leveled teaspoon and add it to 2-4 oz of water. Then, you’ll use a whisk to mix the powder with the water until all clumps have been removed. As soon as it’s completed mixed, you can drink it as is.

What Can You Mix Instant Kava With?

You can add instant kava to water or nonalcoholic beverages like juice, purée, or tea.

How Does Instant Kava Make You Feel?

It depends on the blend, but most instant kava makes you feel relaxed and slightly euphoric.

How Strong Is Instant Kava?

This all depends on the brand you purchase from and the kavalactone concentration of its blends. For example, Drink Root’s products typically have a kavalactone concentration of 7-8% on average, making their blends fairly strong. Basically, you should experience the same effects as you would if you went to a kava bar.

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Also read our article Looking For The Best Kava? We Did The Research—Here Are 6 We Love.

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Studies You Can Read About Kava

• Assessment of the risk of hepatotoxicity with kava products (WHO Regional Office Europe, 2007)
• Neuroprotective properties of kavalactones (Neural regeneration research, 2015)
• Kava: a comprehensive review of efficacy, safety, and psychopharmacology (Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 2011)
• The Kava Anxiety Depression Spectrum Study (KADSS): a randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial using an aqueous extract of Piper methysticum (Psychopharmacology, 2009)
• Clinical efficacy of kava extract WS® 1490 in sleep disturbances associated with anxiety disorders: Results of a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial (Journal of affective disorders, 2004)
• Stress‐induced insomnia treated with kava and valerian: singly and in combination (Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental 16.4, 2001)
• Kava hepatotoxicity solution: A six-point plan for new kava standardization (Phytomedicine, 2011)

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Editor’s note: we are regularly updating this review. If you see any problems, weird interpretations of the data, or just want to say hi, please reach out to hello@the-unwinder.com.

Photo by Drew Coffman on Unsplash