Arizona Nutritional Supplements Articles & Resources

Kava run

If your schedule limits you to working out in the evenings, kava can be the perfect cool-down after a tough session on the road or in the gym. Though clinical studies have focused mainly on its antidepressant properties, kava has been substituted for common anti-inflammatories such as aspirin and ibuprofen, and it can be especially beneficial for muscular tension. Some runners use the herb before a workout to help loosen up and get into a more relaxed and even breathing pattern.

Athletes are surprisingly susceptible to sleep disorders. While mild exercise is generally not disruptive to sleep, researchers at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa confirmed that the stress generated by intense training can result in increased wakefulness and decreased REM sleep. According to Michael Tierra, author of The Way of Herbs, kava can help produce "deep, restful sleep with clear, epic-length dreams." Mark Blumenthal, executive director of the American Botanical Council, reports that when a hectic schedule cuts into his sleep time, he takes a small amount of a kava tincture that helps him feel rested after only four or five hours of sleep.

Kava can also play a positive role in injury rehab. James Hutton, ND, a naturopathic physician in Sedona, Arizona, recommended kava to an accident victim whose chronic pain hadn't let her sleep for more than two hours at a time for more than three years. After several doses, in conjunction with manipulation therapy, she slept through an entire night and within a week reported feeling relaxed and without pain.

Krakatoa, east of kava

Kava has long been an integral part of religious, social and political traditions in the South Pacific. Ceremony surrounds the process of scraping and grinding the root, mixing the pulp into water, and straining it into a cup to be offered to dignitaries, tribal chiefs and friends as a ritualistic welcome. Queen Elizabeth II, Hillary Rodham Clinton and even Pope John Paul II have imbibed the brew during visits to Hawaii, Fiji and other islands.

Kava is an approved herbal medicine in England; in Germany, it's sold over the counter as a stress reliever. In the United States,kava is considered a dietary supplement, not a drug. Since it is not regulated by the FDA, manufacturers cannot make medical claims about its benefits. While the global consensus is favorable after 3,000 years of benevolent use, the lack of standardization makes it a little tricky to decipher labels.

The strength of kava is relative to the percentage of kavalactones, the active ingredient, and the volume of extract included in the product. "The milligrams of standardized extract or kavalactones are important - 150 to 250 milligrams is recommended," says Yadhu N. Singh, PhD, a faculty member at the College of Pharmacy at South Dakota State University.

Herbal happy hour

Singh, who grew up in Fiji, regularly prepared kava for his father. "Ceremony is important as part of the psychological factor," he says. Singh prefers drinking freshly prepared kava with pieces of the ground root left in a loosely strained brew.

Kava is more conveniently available in capsule, liquid extract or tincture form, but you can still create an enjoyable ritual. Southern California herbalist Carl Rothenberg suggests making a tea of one of the capsules or a dropper of the extract, mixed with one teaspoon of vegetable lecithin, which activates kava's chemical composites. "It'll make your mouth numb like Novocain, and you'll feel very nice," he explains. There's another benefit to this herbal happy hour: no calories, no hangover and no embarrassing behavior to live down the next day.

Still, as with any herb or supplement, there are precautions to heed. More kava is not necessarily better kava, and a person's size, weight and diet affect recommended dosages. It should not be taken consistently for more than three months, except under a doctor's care. Exceeding 1,500 to 3,000 milligrams of the root per day could result in red eyes, skin discoloration and balance problems. (Such symptoms disappear when dosage stops.) Kava should not be mixed with alcohol or any benzodiazepine drugs, such as Xanax or Valium. While it is not a sedative, driving or operating heavy machinery after taking any amount of Kava is discouraged.

Kava means "bitter" in Polynesian languages ("It tastes the way turpentine smells to me," says Hutton), so you may opt to pass on the kava cocktail and stick with the capsules. Innovative Natural Products, a supplier specializing in more easily assimilated liquid supplements, markets a palatable elixir that combines 30 percent root kavalactones (250 milligrams) with herbal relaxants valerian, Siberian ginseng and chamomile, along with a dose of vitamins C and B complex.

Kava is no cure-all, but it does offer a legal, safe and enjoyable respite from stress. So after that especially grueling chest workout (which followed an afternoon pinned under the boss' micromanaging microscope), skip the beer and have yourself a nice hot cuppa kava.

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MIGRAINE MEALS: More research is connecting diet with migraines, Chocolate, red wine, artificial sweeteners and too much caffeine are thought to trigger head-ringers. The best thing to do is keep a record of what you eat and a log of when your pain occurs. After a headache, review the foods you ate within the past 72 hours and try eliminating any recurring culprits.

MUSCLE SAVER: A patented supplement popular with professional bodybuilders has proved effective in reducing muscle damage and soreness in runners. Iowa researchers observed that a group of runners who were in their fifth week of HMB supplementation had less muscle damage and showed greater post-race leg strength than a placebo group. This is the first study to show the benefit of HMB for endurance athletes.

MONTEZUMA MOLLIFIER: One way to lessen your chances of developing stomach trouble while traveling is to start taking an acidophilus supplement a few days before you leave, and continue for the duration of your trip. Acidophilus has a stomach-friendly bacteria that helps maintain your intestinal environment's status quo.

For more information on food and nutrition, visit Men's Fitness Online at .com.

Marilyn DeMartini is a writer, a runner and a kava convert.